Via @KenzoShibata at the Huffington Post:
I was outside the Chicago Teachers Union offices that Sunday night, Sept. 9, 2012 -- camera in hand -- as CTU President Karen Lewis declared to the media,
"Negotiations have been intense but productive, however we have failed to reach an agreement that will prevent a labor strike," Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis said at a dramatic 10 p.m. Sunday press conference. "Real school will not be open [Monday]. ... No CTU member will be inside our schools."
The CTU officers, flanked by teachers, paraprofessionals, and clinicians, declared the first strike for Chicago schools in 25 years. It was a somber moment. School workers were hoping to resolve the differences and bring back some student-centered wins that night. The only option at that point, without giving in to an administration that seemed determined to make even deeper cuts to the services offered to students, was a work stoppage.
Hilarious teacher signs from the 2012 Chicago Teachers Union Strike
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