Stand in solidarity with Chicago's teachers. Demand Mayor Lightfoot meet the teachers’ working requirements now!
Teachers in Chicago are fighting for children’s lives and they are not backing down! Today marks the ninth day of cancelled classes for over 360,000 Chicago students. Teachers and support staff have taken to the streets, marching and protesting until they can secure bold, transformative investment in the Chicago public education system. These educators are fighting not just for themselves, but for children’s futures — the vast majority of whom are Black and Latinx.
Throughout the weeks, the teacher’s union has been in negotiations with first-time Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who pledged during her campaign to boost investment in neighborhood schools.1 The teachers are demanding that she put this commitment in writing in their contracts, but their top demands have yet to be met.
Demand that Mayor Lightfoot meet the Chicago Teachers Union deal and end the strike!
Here are the top five issues the teachers are fighting for:
- Adequate staffing, including at least one school nurse per school, one full-time social worker for every 250 general education students and every 50 special education students, one full-time psychologist for every 500 students2
- An end to overcrowded classrooms
- A living wage, with annual raises
- Health care benefits that address the rising costs of health premiums
- Teacher prep time built into the workday
None of these demands are outrageous, but the consequences of not meeting them are. Teachers are the backbone of our nation — they prepare children to become adults and members of society. Their work goes well beyond the classroom. They often act as counselors, mentors, and the most trusted adult in kids’ lives besides a parent. Many teachers find themselves spending their own time and money outside of work to create lessons, grade papers, and tailor instructions to the various needs of their students. Yet these professionals are subject to inadequate working conditions while serving the most vulnerable citizens — our children.
Chicago’s students and teachers have suffered for too long and it is time to ensure their needs are met.
The majority of Chicagoans support the teacher’s strike, including some parents who had to find backup childcare or stay home from work.3 And several 2020 presidential candidates have come out to support the teachers as well. The wave of teacher strikes across the country — in Arizona, West Virginia, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Los Angeles — have proven successful, inspiring Chicago’s teachers.4 And they are not going back to work until Mayor Lightfoot meets their needs for better working conditions, smaller classes, and more nurses and counselors. Our children deserve better.
Until justice is real,
Jade, Rashad, Arisha, Johnny, Amanda, Evan, Future, Eesha, Samantha, Marcus, FolaSade, and the rest of the Color Of Change team
References: 1. “A Tale of Two Strikes: Can Chicago Learn Anything from Its Past Teacher Walkouts?” Chalkbeat, September 24, 2019, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/208368?t=9&akid=38256%2E4731121%2EcevXZJ 2. “CPS Teachers Are on Strike. Here's a Look at the Big Issues at Stake,” Chicago Tribune, October 21, 2019, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/208370?t=11&akid=38256%2E4731121%2EcevXZJ 3.“Poll: Chicagoans More in Step with Teachers Than City over Walkout,” Chicago Sun Times, October 14, 2019, 4.“Teacher Strikes Are Changing. The Chicago Walkout Proves It,” Vox Media, October 17, 2019, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/208371?t=15&akid=38256%2E4731121%2EcevXZJ
https://act.colorofchange.org/go/208372?t=13&akid=38256%2E4731121%2EcevXZJ
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