Article “Chicago teachers buck union for unusual offer” reports:
“One by one, teachers at public elementary schools here have been voting to buck their own union and take Mayor Rahm Emanuel up on an unusual offer: to accept bonus pay in exchange for waiving union contract provisions and keeping children at some schools longer each day…
“Mr. Emanuel and his top aides say that when it comes to hours of class instruction, Chicago’s 482 public elementary schools compare unfavorably with schools in other cities, including Houston, Los Angeles and New York. They say they merely want children to spend more time learning at school — a notion supported by plenty of parents.
“Union leaders suggest a broader motive, saying that the sidelining of labor unions and a mood against public workers seen this year in Republican-led states like Ohio and Wisconsin are now coming through in subtler ways in Democratic-leaning cities like this one, the nation’s third largest…”
WATCHDOG: Like the rest of us, sometimes union leaders can be obtuse and act in a manner contrary to the needs and wishes of their members. Technically they may be correct that the mayor cannot deal directly with the members. But it is hard to imagine Emanuel desiring to subjugate unions in the manner of Republican governors in Wisconsin and elsewhere. He simply is seeking reforms that are in the interest of the pupils. He is asking no more of teachers than workers in the private sector.
These are hard times. We all need to work harder to make the most of a bad situation.
