As the Chicago Teachers Union prepares for a vote on its one-day strike next month, parents are expressing concern over the possibility their children will lose another day of school. NBC 5’s Christian Farr reports.
As the Chicago Teachers Union prepares for a vote on its one-day strike next month, parents are expressing concern over the possibility their children will lose another day of school.
“It’s going to be a real big inconvenience for working families with children and having to scramble to find alternatives for them on the first,” said parent Carlos Butler.
The union said the “April 1 showdown” would not be related to their ongoing contract negotiations with Chicago Public schools, but instead will address the lack of a state budget that has affected school funding.
“We are asking for people to take a stand around a social issue which is whether we are going to have public schools in the city,” said CTU Vice President Jesse Sharkey.
The union is scheduled to hold a conference call Monday night to inform its rank and file about why it is calling for the one-day strike.
“This is about teachers and other educators taking a stand with urgency to say fund our schools, fund our public institutions,” Sharkey said. “It’s a matter of necessity.”
In a statement, CPS criticized the union’s decision, saying “instead of focusing on reaching an agreement, it is disappointing to see the CTU’s leadership promoting a strike that would potentially take a critical day of instruction away from our students.”
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Union leadership still needs to authorize the strike, however, and the CTU admits many teachers have concerns.
“Our union won’t make a decision unless we are willing to do it together,” Sharkey said.
