Sunday, September 16, 2012

House of Delegates Votes to Continue Strike

Democracy in action. Whenever we tried to ask to bring issues back to our schools the UFT/Unity Caucus laughed in our faces.

How will this play? The leadership came back with a deal and the chapter leaders feel they will not say yes until the entire membership school by school gets to talk about it. The leadership didn't shove it down their throats.
Like Karen said in the video I put up from the aft convention- this is a member driven union - if I tried to order people around they'd just give me a look.

Another lesson in unionism for the rest of the world to learn from.

By the way, this is another shot at shoving Rahmbo's face in it.
------------
09/16/2012
Some 800 delegates of the Chicago Teachers Union duly elected from each school and workplace convened Sunday afternoon to discuss the framework established during negotiations between the Chicago Teachers Union and the Chicago Board of Education. 

Officers presented a 23-page document outlining the most important points of the agreement whose outline has been worked out between the two parties. That tentative agreement is expected to number over 180 pages.

After a civil and frank discussion, the House of Delegates voted NOT to suspend the strike, but to allow two more days for delegates to take the information back to the picket lines and hold discussions with the over 26,000 members throughout Chicago. Teachers and school staff will return to the picket lines of the schools at which they teach at 7:30 a.m. Monday and, after picketing together, will meet to share and discuss the proposal. Citywide members will picket at the Chicago Public Schools Headquarters, 125 South Clark, at 7:30 a.m. and will meet thereafter at a downtown location.

"This union is a democratic institution, which values the opportunity for all members to make decisions together. The officers of this union follow the lead of our members," President Lewis said. She continued, "the issues raised in this contract were too important, had consequences too profound for the future of our public education system and for educational fairness for our students, parents and members for us to simply take a quick vote based on a short discussion. 

Therefore, a clear majority voted to take this time and we are unified in this decision."

The delegates voted to reconvene and decide how to proceed on Tuesday afternoon.

No comments: