Illinois has seen 48 teacher strikes in 10 years. None of Illinois’ neighboring states let unions use students and their educations as bargaining chips.
If voters pass Amendment 1 in November, it will give teachers unions unprecedented power over what happens in schools. That power could never be curbed.
Teachers union agreements may dictate enforcement of school mask policies – even if Illinois lifts its statewide school mask mandate, a judge noted.
A Sangamon County judge temporarily ended Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s school mask mandate, and Pritzker’s appeal of that ruling lost. Yet the fight showed Illinois teachers unions want kids masked statewide on Pritzker’s say-so alone.
Chicago Teachers Union takes credit for spreading the “new gospel” of union strike power across the nation. If the CTU-backed Amendment 1 passes in November, it will lock the union’s militant tactics into the state constitution, to the detriment of children and parents statewide.
Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey announced he’s returning to the classroom once his term expires in June. Sharkey has led CTU since 2014 through three work stoppages.
“We’ve been going back and forth with the union to have that vote to no avail, so we brought in help from National Right To Work to file everything to decertify.”
The Members First Caucus said the current Chicago Teachers Union leaders see “work stoppages and strikes as the first step, and not the last one.” They want less political activism and more focus on delivering for members and students.
Amendment 1 would give Illinois teachers a permanent right to strike, taking more class time away from teachers who believe their place is with their students instead of on the picket line. Voters will decide Nov. 8.
Parents of Chicago Public Schools students sued to end the “remote work action” by Chicago Teachers Union members that kept 340,000 students out of classrooms for five days. The walkout is over, but the lawsuit is continuing to prevent the next illegal strike.
Unfair advantages for public sector unions are already driving Illinois’ massive debt and high taxes. Enshrining their power in the Illinois Constitution would make it worse and give voters less say about government costs.
“The union can literally hold our children hostage.”
Carpentersville firefighters collected enough signatures to trigger the removal of SEIU as their union, but SEIU is fighting back against their freedom to choose.
Voters will decide Nov. 8 whether the Chicago Teachers Union will have a permanent right to walk out on students for whatever reason union bosses decide.