NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 5, 2012

CONTACT:

Stephanie Gadlin 312/329-6250 StephanieGadlin@ctulocal1.com

CTU ANSWERS QUESTIONS ABOUT STRIKE AUTHORIZATION VOTE

CHICAGO In a move to acquire more leverage at the bargaining table, on Wednesday, June 6, members of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) will cast ballots to give its Union the power to call work stoppage should contract negotiations reach an impasse in coming weeks. The last teachers strike was in 1987 and it lasted 19 days. CTU President Karen GJ Lewis said, We want the mayor and Board to know we have the support of all of our members at the bargaining table and we will use the full weight of our power to ensure we get a strong contract for our members and our students, she said. Strikes arent good for anyone and if the Board is wise it will work with us to do whats in the best interest of our public schools. Nearly 10,000 CTU members rallied and marched on the Board of Education on May 23rd, in a bold display of union solidarity.
Lewis and the other officers plan to visit their former school campuses where they will cast their ballot for strike

authorization. Union leaders will give the public a rare glimpse by allowing reporters to observe them casting their affirmative vote for strike authorization early Wednesday. STRIKE AUTHORIZATION VOTES BEGIN: CTU Officer A new state law requires CTU to reach a 75% threshold in order to call a strike. No elected official in the nation is required to have a three-fourths of all votes of every eligible registered voter in their district in order to take office or change public policy. A person, who does not vote, according to the law, is considered a no vote. In the meantime, CTU seeks to address the frequently asked questions from the general public about the strike authorization vote:
Wednesday, June 6, 2012 Karen Lewis President Jess Sharkey Vice Pres. Michael Brunson Rec. Secy. Kristine Mayle Financial Secy. King College Prep arrive at 7:00 a.m. 4445 South Drexel Blvd. Senn arrive at 7:30 am 5900 N. Glenwood Aldridge arrive at 8:15 am 630 E. 131st Street Eberhart arrive at 7:30 a.m. 3400 W. 64th Place

How many CTU members will participate in the vote; and who is eligible to vote? About 25,500 members of CTU are eligible to vote. Over 3,500 retirees, also represented by the Union, cannot vote. Agency Fee participants, those who have opted not to join the CTU, but still reap be benefits of negotiated labor agreements, also do not vote.

How will the vote be conducted in each school? (For all rules go to: http://www.ctunet.com/text/VotingProcedure.pdf)

CTU delegates are the official representatives of their schools. It is up to each delegate to set-up the voting stations and to ensure each member within their school casts a vote. Voting is conducted before and after work hours. Voting can begin as early as 6 a.m. at some schools and last until after 5 p.m. The Union delegate knows the best time to conduct votes. Votes are cast by secret ballot. Once an individual votes they will place their ballot into an envelope which will be sealed at the end of voting.

How long will the vote last? CTU will conduct the voting process until there is a clear result. Right now this vote will take place over the course of three business days.

When will the CTU report the results? The Union will report the results as soon as it certifies the election and that every eligible member has had an opportunity to cast a vote. Members who do not vote, for any variety of reasons (out-of-town, sick, etc.) will be counted as no votes.

Why doesnt CTU wait until after the fact-finding report is issued in mid-July before taking the vote? In May, CTU requested fact-finding around specific economic concerns. The fact-finding report, issued by a three-member panel (one representative of the Union, one from CPS, and an independent reviewer) will only cover a small portion of disagreements between the CTU and CPS. This report will not address some of the other key issues such as class size and resources for CPS students currently being negotiated. CPS and their politically-connected charter school cronies are attempting to trick the public into thinking the July fact-finder reporter will resolve all areas of dispute in negotiations via a series of radio ads airing on select Chicago stations. This is not the truth. Either side can reject or accept the fact-finding report, however, the other issues will still have yet to be resolved.

Is this strike authorization vote just about the money? No. CTU is fighting for a variety of things that will help improve neighborhood schools, including smaller class sizes, air conditioning and heating repairs in schools; art, music, world languages and physical education instructors and classes in every single school; better school facilities; stipends for school supplies for needy students; and a host of other things that will improve the quality of education in our public schools. Wages and benefits are important parts of labor agreements. The upcoming July 15 report will primarily address some of the CTUs wage and benefits concerns. The CTU has requested a negotiable 29% pay increase over two years in the first round of bargaining. Twenty percent because teachers and public school educators are being asked to work 20% longer; 4% because this was the contractual raise stolen from public school workers last year; and a 5% increase in the second year of the new contract.

The current CTU contract expires June 30. Public school educators are fighting for smaller class sizes, resources for students and schools, job security and adequate compensation for being required to work 20 percent longer and for having their 4 percent contract raises stolen from them by the City last year.

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