[OccupyCU] Fw: Query about sponsoring a C-U solidarity forum with Chicago Teachers Union speakers

Thu Aug 9 21:20:19 UTC 2012

Hi all.  I have had an inquiry from Channing Murray re whether we have confirmed a date, time, and place yet.  It does look as if Aug. 25 is now the preferred date, but have we settled yet on Channing Murray?  I do want to let them know a.s.a.p. so they can rent out the space if we will not be using it. 

Pat 

----- Original Message -----

From: "Germaine Light" < lightport @ sbcglobal .net> 
To: "Andrea herrera " <andy17mex@ gmail .com> 
Cc: occupycu -bounces at lists. chambana .net, "Occupy Champaign Urbana " <occupy.cu@ gmail .com>, occupycu @lists. chambana .net, "Susan O'Neal " <skoneal90@ sbcglobal .net>, "undergraduate-graduate-alliance alliance" <undergraduate-graduate-alliance@ googlegroups .com> 
Sent: Thursday, August 9, 2012 2:21:53 PM 
Subject: Re: [ OccupyCU ] Fw : Query about sponsoring a C-U solidarity forum        with Chicago Teachers Union speakers 

Leaning towards Sat Aug 25 at Channing Murray Foundation.  Will send announcement as soon as date, time, place solidified. 

Sent from my iPhone 
Germaine  

On Aug 9, 2012, at 1:11 PM, Andrea herrera < andy17mex@ gmail .com > wrote: 

This sounds cool. I am just wondering if a date has already been picked? I would be down for this but I don't know if I can be there. It will just depend on the date. Thoughts? 

Andrea Herrera 

2012/8/8 Gene Vanderport < lightport @ sbcglobal .net > 

<blockquote>

Comrades, see below the original letter from Steven Ashby asking for Champaign Urbana community to host a Chicago Teachers Forum......please read his letter way, way below....Also read the growing list of cosponsors attached & below.... 
Would your organization be willing to cosponsor, which simply means: 

    • your organization's name would be listed with the other cosponsors on the event announcements 
    • your leaders would attend  
    • encourage your members to attend 

Even if your goals are not DIRECTLY involved with labor issues, you may find the Chicago Teachers Union mobilizing methods to be helpful to your activists! 
Gene Vanderport & Germaine Light 

Cosponsor List 

Chicago Teachers Union Forum 

Central Illinois Jobs With Justice:   The Mother Jones Chapter 

UIUC Campus Labor Coalition 

Graduate Employees Union (GEO)/ IFT /AFT 

Champaign Federation of Teachers/ IFT /AFT 

Campus Faculty Association 

Danville Education Association/ IEA / NEA 

Region 9 IEA / NEA 

Champaign - Urbana Citizens for Peace & Justice 

----- Forwarded Message ---- 
From: "Ashby, Steven" < skashby @ illinois . edu > 
To: "McGuire, James B" < jbmcguir @ illinois . edu >; Stephanie Seawell < stephseawell @ gmail .com >; "Lewis, Margaret A" < mlewis1@ illinois . edu > 
Cc: james barrett < jrbarret @ uiuc . edu >; Jim McGuire < jimmcgu @comcast.net >; "Fields, A Belden " < a-fields@ illinois . edu >; " Oberdeck , Kathryn J" < kjo @ illinois . edu >; "Miller, Dorinda K" < dkmiller @ illinois . edu >; Campus Labor Coalition < campuslabor @lists. uigeo .org >; Gene Vanderport < lightport @ sbcglobal .net >; Dorinda Miller < dkmiller @ uiuc . edu > 
Sent: Tue, July 31, 2012 9:38:09 AM 
Subject: Query about sponsoring a C-U solidarity forum with Chicago Teachers Union speakers 

Hi, folks, 

This is Steven Ashby from LER .   I’m sure you’ ve been following the developments with the Chicago Teachers Union.   I’m writing to inquire whether campus labor folks, and Jobs with Justice, might be interested in holding a forum with  CTU speakers in late August. 

In brief:   The Caucus of Rank and File Educators formed four years ago to mobilize teachers and parents against the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Board of Education’s steady plans to shut down dozens of schools, fire all employees, and turn the buildings over to privately run but publicly funded, with no accountable, charter schools.   As with all privatization efforts, this was primarily a drive to get rid of the union and negotiated work rules.    

In June 2010 the CORE slate challenged the incumbent slate, who were pretty much classic business unionists, and won office.   Starting in mid 2011 they began planning and implementing a contract campaign to turn their top-down union into a bottom-up, member driven, social movement unionism union.    ( LEP held classes and worked as consultants during this process). 

Last year under the direction of Democratic Chicago mayor  Rahm Emanuel and Democratic Speaker of the House Michael Madigan , an anti-union bill, SB 7, was passed that mandated 75% of all  CTU members must vote to authorize a strike; thus, those not voting were counted as “no” votes.   Supporters bragged that they had effectively eliminated the  CTU ’s right to strike as no large union could achieve this. 

In May 2012 the contract campaign’s success became evident when 6,000 teachers rallied and marched in downtown Chicago, surprising all politicians and media pundits. In June 2012 92% of the members turned out in a three-day vote, with 98% of those voting authorizing the leadership to call a strike.   Subsequently Crain ’s Business (no friend of unions) declared the  CTU to be the most powerful union in the Chicago area. 

Throughout this process, the union has worked tirelessly with community allies, supported other groups’ protests, worked closely with half a dozen parents’ groups, and won strong support in the city.   The Mayor, who is known for bullying to get his way, is clearly on the defensive. 

Meanwhile, six weeks ago 110 activists came together to form the Chicago Teachers Solidarity Campaign to do outreach and build solidarity for the teachers and their union.   We have been meeting weekly; I am on the steering committee, and in that capacity am writing you. 

While some gains have been made in negotiations, the Board (and Mayor, who appoints the Board) continue to refuse to negotiate over classroom issues that are central to the union’s mission: lower class sizes, more social workers and nurses, a library and air conditioning in every school, and more art, music, computer, and P.E. classes. 

No one can predict labor negotiations.    But should there be a strike, there is the possibility that it will not be short. The last strike in 1987 lasted 19 days.   Should that occur, it will be vital to mobilize supporters from all nearby cities to come to Chicago the first Saturday of the strike. (And of course, all are welcome to attend daily picket lines.) 

Were there a strike, it could come as soon as September 4, or in early to mid-September. 

The  CTU has asked me to take on this assignment. I have talked to Labor Notes about pulling together forums featuring  CTU speakers in Madison, Milwaukee, and Detroit.   I have talked with Chicago  JwJ organizer Susan Hurley about  JwJ doing the same in other cities.   The  CTU ’s transformation is an inspiring story.   Rank-and-file teachers would be the speakers were it a weekend forum; a weekday forum might necessitate union staff (all of whom were teachers until two years ago when CORE took office) as teachers go back to work on August 20.   They might be accompanied by members of the Chicago Teachers Solidarity Campaign. 

August is of course a terrible month to do forum, but that’s what we’ ve got. We’re looking at August 20 to 31.   Please let me know your thoughts on the viability of doing a forum in Champaign - Urbana . 

….in solidarity, Steven 

P.S.  If you have contacts in other cities, like Peoria, Springfield, and Decatur, who you think could pull together a successful forum, please ask them to get in touch with me. 

Prof. Steven K. Ashby 

Full Clinical Professor and Coordinator, Global Labor Studies undergraduate online program 

School of Labor and Employment  Relations, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign 

Labor Education Program, Rice Building, 815 W. Van Buren #110, Chicago IL 60607 
(312) 996-8733     skashby @ illinois . edu     http :// www . illinoislabored .org/ 

Global Labor Studies:  http ://go. illinois . edu / laboronline 

Staley : The Fight for a New American Labor Movement , by Steven Ashby & C.J. Hawking  http :// www . staleybook .org/ 

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</blockquote>

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