Undoubtedly the 32,000-plus members of the Chicago Teachers Union don’t see it this way, but they’re as much, if not more of, a part of the problem as the school district’s CEO Arne Duncan and the school board president Rufus Williams – both of whom were
The vote was prompted by a recent plan proffered by Duncan and approved by the board “to close, consolidate, phase out, and turnaround 19 struggling schools,” according to the union’s news release. At issue appears to be Duncan’s and the board’s refusal to allow union management to have a say in how the struggling schools issue should be handled.
The situation was exacerbated by the board ignoring a report the union deposited less than one week before board members were to vote on the restructuring plan. There’s no reason Duncan or Williams should lose any sleep over the union’s decision. Traditionally relations between labor unions and management are contentious.
Unions generally cry foul and claim to be slighted when they believe their wishes are not heeded. Even though the union plans to forward news of its action to politicos, including Mayor Richard M. Daley, it’s not likely either man will be run out of his respective office.
The union’s action begs the question that if it was so critical for it to have input, why did its officials wait until the 11th hour to deliver its own plan to the board. Surely, the teachers, the first line of offense in the educational world, knew several things, such as half-full schools, low attendance, and changing neighborhoods, were all in the works.
The union had the wherewithal to bring in national education experts from Washington, D.C. and Ohio, making it obvious it had the resources to work on a plan for improving schools long before the board took any action. No one needs a doctorate degree to understand that the hidden message from the union is “don’t mess with our jobs.” Surely, the realigned schools will mean the union will lose some of its members who won’t be able to or refuse to take jobs in other schools.
On several public occasions recently, Williams has mentioned that when the district restructures, approximately 72 percent of teachers are able to keep their jobs within the district. But a 28 percent drop in membership represents a tremendous revenue loss as those teachers stop paying dues.
The wise thing for the union to do now, rather than tagging folk with vapid votes, is to put their heads together and craft a plan to work with the board and the folk responsible for the day-to-day operations of the district.
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