Partnership for Working Families
[link removed]
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Dear John,
Yesterday, more than 32,000 Chicago teachers and school support staff went on strike. They're not just striking for higher wages or better benefits, but to build the schools that Chicago children need and deserve.
As of today, the union and CPS ramain far apart on efforts to reign in exploding class sizes and find a path to remedying dire shortages of school nurses, social workers, special education teachers and other critical staff.
The Partnership for Working Families stands in solidarity with the CTU and SEIU members and their families, and we invite you to support them by donating to the Strike's Solidarity Fund. You can donate directly to CTU [[link removed]] to cover strike materials and personnel (scroll down and to the right).
This contract fight exemplifies what we call "bargaining for the common good," a movement that leverages unions' power to negotiate on social justice issues affecting their communities beyond salaries and benefits.
The Chicago educators' demands include:
* Affordable Housing. More than 16,000 Chicago Public Schools students are homeless. Families are being priced out of their communities and many teachers can't afford to live where they teach. CTU and SEIU 73 are demanding that the city commit to creating sustainable housing, housing subsidies for lower-paid school staffers such as aides, and a support system for homeless students.
* Schools with Nurses, Librarians, Social Workers and Clinicians. Students need social workers, a nurse and librarian in every school, and more bilingual and special education teachers and staff.
* Smaller Class Sizes. CTU and SEIU 73 demand hard caps on class sizes to address overcrowding.
* Just Wages. The CTU’s school clerks and teaching assistants earn wages as low as $28,000/year, and over 1,100 cannot afford to rent a two-bedroom apartment at prevailing rent rates in ANY zip code in the city.
* Restorative Justice. Chicago teachers are fighting to end harsh disciplinary practices that disproportionately im
pact students of color and feed the school-to-prison pipeline by demanding restorative justice coordinators and restorative justice coordinators.
* Sanctuary Schools. Chicago educators see how President Trump's policies of deportation hurts immigrant students and their families. They're fighting for resources and enforceable protections for immigrant students.
Let's support the CTU and SEIU Local 73 and demand a fair contract now! You can find other ways to support the strike here. [[link removed]]
In Solidarity,
The Partnership for Working Families Team
Partnership for Working Families
1305 Franklin St.
Suite 501
Oakland, CA 94612
United States
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Partnership for Working Families
1305 Franklin St.
Suite 501
Oakland, CA 94612
United States
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