John,

Yesterday I was on the picket lines in Chicago with Elizabeth Warren. She took time from the campaign trail to come to Chicago to support the members of the Chicago Teachers Union and SEIU Local 73, who are entering the seventh day of their strike.

And she’s not the only one standing with them. Bernie Sanders has been at CTU rallies. Cory Booker met with Chicago teachers earlier this week. Joe Biden had a phone call with striking teachers and school staff. And multiple other candidates have tweeted their support.

In a video, CTU President Jesse Sharkey asks all of us to show our solidarity with our colleagues, as they start their second week of the strike, by wearing red tomorrow, Thursday, Oct. 24, and by sharing a photo on social media of yourself (and your colleagues, if possible) wearing red. Click here to watch and share the video about how we can all show our solidarity.

Teachers and school staff in the Chicago Teachers Union and SEIU Local 73 are fighting for the needs of students, because educators want what students need. For years now, they’ve been promised more classroom resources, smaller class sizes, more investment in staffing, and educational justice for students of color.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot ran a campaign built on these promises, and the state of Illinois gave $1 billion to support Chicago’s students’ needs. The money exists to invest in neighborhood public schools that communities want, but the mayor isn’t working as a partner to make this happen. Now that teachers are asking her to fulfill her campaign promises, she hasn’t been willing to follow through. That’s why the CTU is on strike—and that’s why we’re asking you to show your solidarity and support.

Tomorrow, Oct. 24, be sure to wear red and post photos of yourself and your colleagues on social media with the hashtag #PutItInWriting.

Every child deserves a school with small class sizes, a school nurse, librarians, social workers and counselors. Let’s make sure Chicago’s teachers and school staff see that they have support from all over the country.

In solidarity,
Randi Weingarten
AFT President