On the 1st of April, 2016, the Chicago Teacher's Union have threatened to hold a strike to cry to the Chicago Public Schools unilaterally nixing their salary increase for schooling and expertise.
The CPS had already announced to deduct 7 percent off the teacher's salary starting on the April 1 paycheck, prompting the teachers to hold a strike on that critical day. When the strike commences, CPS then said it would not take the 7 percent pay cut on April 1, but could do it on any other day following the fact finding period.
But is the strike legal or not? This is for the Illinois Instructional Labor Relations Board to decide. According to BreakingNewsi report, they are the ones authorized to impose the decisions and the penalties to come with it. The board is currently overseeing a contract dispute between CPS and the CTU.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Public Schools sees the strike as illegal. In Chicago Sun Times, authorities have insisted that any walkout, as the two sides continue bargaining, would be illegal. Moreover, they have already announced that any teacher who will be absent without presenting a doctor's note or written proof of an emergency will not be paid that day.
On the side of the teachers, the CTU is still encouraging the 27,000 teachers in Chicago to push through the strike on April 1 to demand revenue for our schools, and to build our momentum by joining with thousands of parents, community members and other labor organizations. This action would need to be approved by the CTU House of Delegates.
CTU officers are claiming that the proposal for the strike is legal. It announced that the the CPS is simply intimidating the members by threatening retaliation and saying the strike is illegal. They contend that preventing the strike was an unfair labor practice.
"When we are united and build strong alliances, there is little they can do to stop us." CTU announced in its website.
Other Labor Groups like the University Professors of Illinois and Community Groups such as grassroots Collaborative and Teachers for Social Justice will be joining the Unfair Labor Practice strike.
