CTU Strike: Day 2 Update

First and foremost, CTU President Karen Lewis on MSNBC’s The Ed Show:

http://video.msnbc.msn.com/the-ed-show/48996251/#48996251

Some SEIU Local 1 members who work in Chicago schools as custodians are now preparing to go out on strike as a show of solidarity with the teachers

Journalist and author Chris Hedges: “The teachers’ strike in Chicago is arguably one of the most important labor actions in probably decades,” Hedges says. “If it does not prevail, you can be certain that the template for the attack on the union will be carried out across the country against other teachers’ unions and against the last redoubt of union activity, which is in the public sector, of course — firemen and police.”

The AFL-CIO is asking all union members to wear red on Wednesday.

More people in Chicago support the strike than don’t.

An estimated 50,000 (!) people rallied in front of the Chicago Public Schools offices.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel wants to force more standardized tests and teacher evaluations connected to those tests into Chicago Public Schools.  Interestingly enough, the director of the private school that he sends his own children to opposes testing for teacher evaluations!

The Chicago Teachers Union is On Strike

Tonight Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis announced that the CTU will be on strike tomorrow.  Among the major issues is the new teacher evaluation system that the city is trying to implement and the city’s insistance on eliminating steps and columns in the teachers’ contract.

There is no overstating the importance of this situation to all public school teachers across the country, including those in Comsewogue.

The Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association is proud to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Chicago.  Wear red tomorrow.

Wear Red Tomorrow… and a Sunday Night Update on the CTU

*UPDATE*
No deal has been reached yet. CTU President Karen Lewis has scheduled a press conference at 10 pm. The CTU’s House of Delegates (equivalent to PJSTA’s rep council) would have to approve an agreement and they have not been called to meet yet. More after the presser.

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Please remember to wear red tomorrow to show solidarity with the Chicago Teachers Union in their fight for the soul of public education. My outfit is laid out already…

Now for an update…

CTU and officials representing the Chicago Public Schools have been in negotiations for most of the weekend. While some progress was reported yesterday, a settlement was still not reached. The two sides sat down again this morning and neither side has made a statement since then. It is believed the district is sticking to the elimination of steps in the contract, which could obviously be a sticking point.

The “Wear Red for ED to Support the Chicago Teachers” seems to have caught on as locals across the country are attempting to do that tomorrow. There are other ways you can help as well:

  • This site gives you information on how you can buy lunch for a teacher who is picketing.
  • Donate to the CTU’s solidarity fund.
  • Post a message of solidarity.

Finally, as per AFT President Randi Weingarten, the AFT is planning a day of nationwide support later this week…

As always, you can follow the action on Twitter with the #CTU hashtag or by following @CTULocal1. Or of course you could just keep checking thepjsta.org!

Diamond in the Pines 9/11 Learning Site

On Saturday September 8th, PJSTA members attended the unveiling ceremony for the latest addition to the Diamond in the Pines 9/11 Learning Site. The PJSTA was the first Long Island organization to donate money to buy an engraved brick when the project was just beginning its fundraising efforts in 2011. The memorial was organized largely through the hard work of Rocky Point High School teacher Rich Acritelli.  He has led the effort to create this memorial to honor the many lives lost on 9/11, to honor the rescue
worker efforts in the days that followed, and to honor the veterans of the War on Terror.

 

In the program for the Unveiling Ceremony, the Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association was thanked for our support of this project. “It was one of the main goals to try to get as many educational labor organizations involved with the creation of this memorial. From the beginning efforts in February, 2011, Mrs. Beth Dimino, the President of the Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association, provided much needed assistance in promoting this 9/11 Learning Site to the many unions across Suffolk County. Thank
you for your constant help, support and energy towards this memorial”.

The memorial, located at the park in Coram, first opened in September 2011. It includes a statue of an eagle and plaques listing the names of the residents of Brookhaven and Riverhead towns who died in the terrorist attacks. The PJSTA brick is included in landscape path surrounding the memorial. At the unveiling ceremony on September 8th, six rescue dogs and their handlers were present for the unveiling of a bronze statue of a rescue dog. The statue honors their recovery efforts at the World Trade Center
site. Many moving accounts of the efforts of the canine rescue units were shared, and the ceremony reminded us all of the courage, hard work and teamwork that makes this country so great.

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A Scab’s Guide to Teaching

In the event of a strike, the Chicago Sun- Times is reporting that the Chicago Public Schools will be opening 144 buildings to be staffed by “principals, assistant principals, Central Office Staff and non-CTU employees, as well as yet-to-be-approved vendors.”  They released a guide for those non-teachers to help them prepare for the classroom on Monday.  Below is a bit of what is included in the guide:

Among its suggestions on “how to prepare:”

• “Wear a watch — your room may not have a functioning clock.’’

• Dress comfortably as “many schools are NOT air-conditioned.’’

• “You will need to bring your own breakfast and lunch. Please note that you cannot rely on access to refrigerators or microwaves.’’

• “Keep personal items to a minimum.’’

• Sessions for kids run from 8:30 to 12:30 but “you should arrive as early as possible” and be prepared to stay late.

• Bring 30 sharpened pencils, 30 pens and a personal pencil sharpener.

• Bring “stickers or other small inexpensive incentive items.’’

• Bring old magazines and newspapers, puzzles and games.

Non-teachers are given a long list of things to do ahead of time to prepare. They should: study and “internalize’’ recommended classroom management techniques; determine their classroom procedures and “practice explaining them,’’ create a Day One sample schedule, write a supply list and collect it, and “attend trainings.’’

To “create a climate of respect,’’ the tool-kit recommends that non-teachers “communicate with words” and “do not yell, threaten or insult, even if joking.’’

And to make students feel comfortable, they should appear “confident and calm by being firm but friendly. You can accomplish this by writing a general schedule on the board.’’

For third- through eighth-graders, non-teachers are urged to walk students in two single files in the classroom, and “greet each student with a smile and a handshake as they enter.’’

As a “get-to-know-you” game, non-teachers are advised to model a “two truths and a lie’’ game, in which participants share three facts about themselves and students have to guess which one is a lie.

Games to be played during physical education include Simon Says, Farmer in the Dell, Mother May I and Four Corners.

I’m sure Chicago teens are going to LOVE playing Farmer in the Dell!

 

#saidnoteacherever

If you haven’t already seen it, take a moment to check out the hashtag #saidnoteacherever that is trending on Twitter (and probably will be for sometime).  It’s a fun dose of humor during tumultuous times in our profession.

Some of my personal favorites:

 

 

 

 

PJSTA Members: PLEASE WEAR RED ON MONDAY!

The situation in Chicago has been well documented on our blog (here, here, here, and here too!).  As the above graphic suggests, their fight is truly our fight.  The CTU is on the front lines of the war against public education.  They are now four days away from a strike with their strike date set for September 10th.  As a result we are asking ALL PJSTA MEMBERS TO WEAR RED ON MONDAY.  Red is the CTU’s signature color.  We are doing this to raise awareness within the education community about the CTU’s incredibly important fight and to show our support to our brothers and sisters in the Chicago Teachers Union.

To briefly update you on the story, the CTU reported yesterday that merit pay is now off the table.  The city, lead by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, is still trying to ram through an ill-constructed teacher evaluation system, an extended day, and is seeking to eliminate step increases.  Additionally they have cancelled an agreed upon 4% raise, trying to make it 2%, while increasing the length of the day by 20%.

Today, our parent union, the American Federation of Teachers, issued the following statement in support of the CTU:

WASHINGTON–(ENEWSPF)–September 6, 2012.  Statement of American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten in support of the Chicago Teachers Union.

“Yesterday, on a call with her fellow AFT executive council members, including the union’s three national officers, Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis reported on the status of the CTU’s ongoing negotiations with Chicago Public Schools, the CTU’s hope for a settlement, and its preparations for a strike if a settlement is not reached.

“Chicago’s teachers want what is best for their students and for Chicago’s public schools. And they want to work in an environment that respects their work and their role as partners with administrators in ensuring that every Chicago child has a chance to succeed. The AFT and its members stand with the CTU.

“Chicago teachers have already agreed to a longer school day—and offered ideas to make it not just a longer day but a better day by investing in art, music and other subjects that expand and enrich our children’s minds. And they’ve galvanized parents and community to support these ideas.

“No one takes a strike lightly. CTU members feel that a clear message has been sent by the school district that they and their work are not valued. This message is demonstrated not simply by the school board’s denial of agreed-upon pay raises, but also by Chicago Public Schools’ exclusion of the CTU from conversations it had with outside groups about potential school closings.

“CTU President Lewis and CTU members are committed to working around the clock to reach a fair, substantive agreement that keeps them where they want to be: on the job, in the classrooms, educating Chicago’s students. That will remain their goal if a strike is not averted.”