“There is no right to strike against the public safety by anybody, anywhere, any time.” This oft-quoted line from then-Gov. of Massachusetts Calvin Coolidge, in response to the 1919 Boston Police Strike, might be updated to include “the public interest” as well as safety.

And there are few matters of public interest greater than educating the next generation. Chicago Public Schools teachers who went on strike Monday have struck against the public interest, placing self-interest in difficult economic times ahead of children.