Dear John,

Today, Chicago Public Schools educators went on strike. Jobs With Justice stands in solidarity with the teachers, support staff, and others who walked off the job, because their fight is also ours, and it aligns with the values we uphold. 

Like so many of the recent educator strikes around the country, the action in Chicago is about issues like funding, classroom sizes, ensuring schools and students have the support staff they need, like social workers, nurses, and librarians, and that the support staff--who are mostly working women of color--receive a living wage for the crucial services they provide. 

But it's about even more than that. 

At Jobs With Justice, we often discuss expanding the definition of traditional collective bargaining to include issues like bargaining for the common good. That's exactly what Chicago Public Schools educators are doing. In addition to direct support for public schools, educators' demands include affordable housing for Chicago's homeless students, creating santcuary schools to defend against attacks on our immgirant friends, family, and neighbors, and creating sustainable community schools that anchor Chicago neighborhoods. 

Everyone on the streets of Chicago today are a beacon of hope and a clarion call to what's possible when we're joined together in union and standing up for what is right. It's about building better, stronger communities that support working and young people.

We're proud to join Chicago's educators today, tomorrow, and every day. 

If you stand with educators in Chicago, tell Mayor Lori Lightfood to put students and communities first, and provide the resources students, educators, and schools need. 

In Solidarity, 

Joel 

Jobs With Justice