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September 13, 2012

Talks Progress as Chicago Teachers' Strike Enters 4th Day; Janitors Stage Solidarity Action 
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Public school teachers in Chicago are continuing their historic strike
for a fourth day. On Wednesday, thousands of teachers and supporters
rallied outside three local schools. Amidst the protests, union leaders
and school officials appear to be making some progress toward an
agreement that would end the strike. Chicago Teachers Union President
Karen Lewis emerged from negotiations late Wednesday night saying she
was "very happy" with the status of talks over the key issue of teacher
evaluations. Other issues on the table include a recall process for
teachers laid off due to school closings, consolidations and
turnarounds. Meanwhile, teachers in the nearby area of Lake Forest
launched a strike of their own Wednesday after failing to reach a deal
over salaries and benefits. Also Wednesday, Tom Balanoff of SEIU Local 1
announced that Chicago janitors would stage a one-day solidarity strike
with the Chicago teachers.

Tom Balanoff: "Many of our members have reached out and said they would
like to honor the picket lines. We have a 48-hour notice in our
contracts. Today we sent the 48-hour notice to our contractors, saying
on Friday there very well may be Local 1 members, janitors, who will
stand outside and support the teachers instead of go to work."

 

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