More than 435,000 Chicago students have the day off Friday, with hundreds of schools closed due to a one-day walkout by the Chicago Teachers Union.
Teachers that don’t show up for work will not be paid by the district. If teachers do show up for work, however, they will have to give the money they earn to the union, per union rules. If they don’t pay, they may be suspended or expelled from the union. If expelled, they can keep their job but still have to pay union dues, even though they can’t vote as a union member.
Not every union member supports the strike. About 20 percent of members of the union’s House of Delegates voted against the strike, citing missing a day’s pay and a day’s worth of student instruction.
“At the end of the day I think this [one-day strike] hurts kids,” one teacher told DNAinfo Chicago. “I’m very disappointed. … The only thing I’ve gotten out of the union is a pocket calendar.”
The lost academic day will not be made up for students.
The union says the district is “planning scores of school closings, furloughs and layoffs for next school year,” a claim the district denies.
With teachers out of the classroom, the district has arranged for more than 250 schools to serve as contingency sites where students can spend the day. Students are getting free breakfast and lunch, as well as transportation on the Chicago Transit Authority.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, is on hand to support the teachers.
Jason Russell is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
