By John Dempsey, WLS-AM News
(CHICAGO) Chicago Teacher’s Union President Karen Lewis is firing back at Chicago Public Schools CEO Forrest Claypool, who is accusing the union of staging an illegal strike on Friday.
Lewis told “The Big John Howell Show” that Claypool was wrong when he told Big John on Wednesday, that the teacher’s union does not have the legal authority to stage a one day walkout.
LISTEN to CTU President Karen Lewis speak with WLS’ John Howell here.
“Forrest Claypool, neither a lawyer nor a teacher so he doesn’t know what he’s talking about” said Lewis. “This is not a strike about the contract, this is an unfair labor practice strike, which is completely different. It doesn’t fall within the contours of that law that they changed.”
Due to the one-day CTU strike, Friday, April 1 will not be a regular school day. To support students and their families, CPS and its partners will operate contingency sites throughout the city.
Visit cps.edu/april1 to learn more about these options.
Lewis maintains that federal law gives members the right to strike when an unfair labor practice occurs, an occurrence she says took place when CPS stopped paying step raises to teachers, that was part of the union contract that expired last summer.
Lewis also told WLS the clear target of the strike is Governor Bruce Rauner, who is engaged in a fierce state budget standoff with the Democrats who control the Illinois Legislature.
“Our issue is about revenue, and it’s about the Governor and it’s about letting go the dough that’s supposed to come, not just to us, but to all these other agencies that support people that are in need.”
Lewis also says she is not afraid that by staging a one day strike and inconveniencing parents all over the city, she is running the risk of alienating them.
“Our polling shows that the general public supports us, way more than it supports CPS or the governance. Not only is that the case, the problem is that over and over and over again parents who have students, who have their children in CPS, by a margin of three to one support us over Forrest Claypool.”
Claypool says the school district is talking with it’s attorneys about possible legal action it can take against the Union. Meanwhile he says over 250 schools, libraries, and park district buildings will be accepting children who can’t go to school on Friday.
@ 2016 WLS-AM News
