CPS to file labor charge against union over April 1 job action

Chicago Public Schools on Wednesday announced its intention to file an unfair labor charge against the Chicago Teachers Union over its treatment of teachers who did not participate in the union’s one-day job action on April 1.

On that day, union members gathered downtown and marched in the streets in protest, calling on CPS, state lawmakers, Gov. Bruce Rauner and Mayor Rahm Emanuel to find long-term funding solutions for public schools. CPS considered that an “illegal one-day strike,” and accuses the union of “forcibly expelling members who exercised their right to refuse to participate.”

But not everyone took part, and those who reported to schools instead did so “because their calling is educating their students,” according to a statement issued by CPS CEO Forrest Claypool.

“These dedicated professionals should not be expelled for exercising their right to refuse participation in an illegal strike – especially when they came to school to put their students first.”

In response, the union issued a statement urging CPS to “come out of the Twilight Zone and join the rest of Chicago in the reality that is in front of us.”

That statement said the union wants “equitable, progressive revenue solutions so our schools will stay open in the fall and our students will not see further cuts to their education. We find it ironic that Mr. Claypool is now obsessed with defending the ‘rights’ of our members, when CPS has laid off more than 4,000 veteran educators …”

The union statement adds: “The handful of educators who chose to report to work instead of standing with their courageous colleagues were aware of the consequences of their actions. Unlike CPS, which tosses people to the wind, however, the CTU has a long-standing practice of allowing any member who wishes to be reinstated to full member benefits to do so. Until that time, any member suspended from Union membership remains covered under the collective bargaining agreement.”