Thu Jan 17, 2008 at 2:27 AMBy: Lois High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union This story is very interesting. Is it important? As an employee of CPS I pay over $800 a year to the Union. Regardless of whether I voted for Stewart and Dallas, they were elected, now Stewart is taking away Dallas's voice (an elected official) and giving the voice to Dykas (not an elected official). The Union leadership is incompentent, and hopefully next elections the membership will tell them no more and vote them out. Time will tell. Meanwhile the Union meetings are run by Gail Kaufman and Colleen Dykas. If you timed who had the most minutes speaking at the Union meetings Gail or Colleen would probably have more than the officers except for the officer's reports. During the question and answer periods the officers usually refer these issues to either Gail Kaufman. One gets the impression that the ones really running things are not the elected officials but these others hired staff or consultants. Just my opinion.

Thu Jan 17, 2008 at 9:46 AMBy: Concerned High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Way to keep that letter out of "general circulation"! Good job, Arne!

Thu Jan 17, 2008 at 11:18 AMBy: Elwood High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Lois is absolutely correct about the House meetings. The vast majority of questions are answered from the floor; mainly Koffman & Dykas (occasionally - the perky Ms. Doubleday, the lethargic Ms. Blaszczyk, the always entertainingly rude Ms. Marrarsky, and formerly but now missing from the A list, Ms. Sheffer.
There are a few other resource people called on to answer questions; Ardito is solid, Wigler is a knowledgeable but too self-serving ... one would think the he with the help of the New UPC had credited the Quest Center.
The only questions that 3 out of the 4 officers can consistently answer are the ones that are scripted for the shills in the audience. The lone Ms. McGuire can think on her feet and accurately answer a question.
Now – I’ve been in the House for years. There have always been shills from all factions; there have always been coat-tail elected, ill-equipped officers but the current theatrical show of ineptitude at the highest level is the hands down winner for ham-fisted leadership.

Thu Jan 17, 2008 at 12:04 PMBy: Ask Marilyn High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union There is some word that the recent dues increase idea was initiated by Marilyn and quite possibly illegal. The general membership needs to vote for any dues increase.

Did that happen?

Marilyn Stewart, President
leadership@ctulocal1.com

Thu Jan 17, 2008 at 2:22 PMBy: Tom High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Well Alexander you have a hot story, you get big credit. I know a lot of people saw Marilyn and Ted along with the rest of UPC marching together like drones. Apparently that may not be the case. I honestly think if both existing CTU caucuses collapased the union would be better off.

Given the situation we find are in with the current contract there is not much that can be done. But I would like to see a whole new cast of characters involved in our union, particularly people in their late 20s and in their 30s. We have too many people leading us that are too close to retirement and creates a different out look, a willingness to make deals that will get us by for a few years and not look out ten years or more.

Thu Jan 17, 2008 at 3:48 PMBy: observer not union member, but.. High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've always thought that Marilyn was put on the UPC slate to play the Charlie McCarthy to Dallas' Edgar Bergen (if you all remember Bergen the ventriloquist and his puppet, Charlie). I assumed a white man who taught high school couldn't hold the top of the ticket and Marilyn was brought in to bring in the African-American and elementary votes.

To me it looks like the puppet pulled off her strings. I don't know if it's good or bad for the union, but it sure is interesting.

Thu Jan 17, 2008 at 4:25 PMBy: Where is PEP information? High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Where is the PEP information? I have contacted CTU and the pension board-both point at the other. If a teacher wants to retire under PEP, CPS must be notified by March 1, 2008. How can anyone make an informed decision if one does not have the information which has yet to be printed in the mysterious contract book. It is six weeks until March 1, 2008 which is not a lot of time in which to decide and the decision is irrevocable. One would think the pension board would be more proactive since their salaries are paid by teachers. One would assume the union would have filed a legal motion against CPS for withholding information. One would think CPS would want this information given out just to get rid of those who make the highest salaries. Eighteen hundred teachers retired last year and some are teaching in other systems. As usual, common sense does not prevail and the employees are treated like guano.

Fri Jan 18, 2008 at 2:36 AMBy: George N. Schmidt High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union I called yesterday trying to confirm that the letter was authentic. Earlier in the year, when I was running for retiree vice president (I lost), the UPC sent out a letter supporting one of my opponents, and two of the three people who "signed" the letter told me they had not "signed" anything. This wouldn't be the first time, for whatever reasons, that something like this circulated but was not authentic. Has Marilyn Stewart actually acknowledged that she sent this Christmas Letter to Arne Duncan?

Fri Jan 18, 2008 at 12:43 PMBy: Dismembered High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Did anyone even notice how Stewart signed the letter to Duncan? "In Solidarity, Marilyn Stewart"? Just exactly when did Arne Duncan become a card carrying member of the CTU? Were they in "Solidarity" during our contract negotiations? Having attended the August House meetings, and reading Stewart's letter, one can only assume the worst.
As far as the contents of the letter itself, rumor at the delegates meeting has it that Dallas was stripped of his powers because he was holding the CTU office employees accountable. Evidently, some of the Stewart cronies wanted to return to the "Good Old Country Club Days." Some of us veterans remember when you called the union offices only to wait weeks before your Field Rep. decided to come into work that day. (Most likely they would come in to pick up their hard-earned paychecks)

Someone posted a Charlie McCarthy/ Edgar Bergen analogy. They were right on target. The ventriloquist is none other than the Mayor of Park Forest/Chicago Union Teacher Executive Editor/ Chief of Staff of the Union Office.
Just how does Mr. Ostenburg fit all those titles on his business card? One card I can tell you that is not in his wallet is his CTU member card. He has never been a member!! Who is holding Stewart aaccountable for her actions? I voted in the last election. It does not seem fitting that my elected official appoint individuals who are not even in the union.
I am anxiously awaiting the next issue of Substance. George Schmidt should increase sales by ten-fold.

Fri Jan 18, 2008 at 4:30 PMBy: 1.04 High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Something wrong



I hope somebody can confirm this letter. It just seems way too out of line to be true.

Fri Jan 18, 2008 at 6:37 PMBy: George N. Schmidt High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union I just went over to our e-mail mailbox, and had a confirmation that the Marilyn Stewart Christmas Letter about Ted Dallas is authentic from John Ostenburg. I had e-mailed him when we received a copy of the document.

I also got confirmation regarding Marilyn Stewart's time in New York City.

1. She was introduced at the Delegate Assembly but did not speak.

2. The New York delegates were told that Marilyn was in New York City to "visit charter schools".

3. UFT president Randi Weingarten did note that Marilyn and CTU supported the "Illinois favorite son candidate" in the Democratic Party race.

But my earlier statement about Marilyn speaking was not accurate. She was there and was introduced, but did not speak.

Fri Jan 18, 2008 at 10:31 PMBy: curious High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union How can I get out of the union?

Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 8:13 AMBy: Jesse Sharkey High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Curious,
You can quit the union. But since you can't opt out of having union-negotiated pay, benefits, pension, a grievance procedure, etc... you still have to pay for those things, even if you quit the union. In other words, you have to pay an 'agency fee' which is the same as dues.

The easiest way to really get out of paying dues is to get a job at a non-union school! Of course, you may not like the reduction in rights, pay, etc. that go along with working at a non-union school.

It's not unlike being frustrated with CPS; quitting it might be the easiest thing to think of, and it might appeal to your sense of frustration, but it won't make anything better.

Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 9:51 AMBy: Disgusted High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union This last posting is pretty libelous. It is also heresay and could be attributed to disgruntled staffers. I think we should be a little more careful about what we post here. Are they going to start having a running battle on this blog? For shame! The members are the ones who will decide this outcome, not staffers.

Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 10:30 AMBy: porky High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Sorry, Diana, but things have to be false to be libelous.

Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 10:42 AMBy: the news - fact vs. fiction High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union porky -- You do know it is illegal for a superior to threaten someone with termination if they do not align themselves with a certain person within a work environment. Since you have an ear on the office news why don't you tell the readers here what Marilyn has been doing that last few weeks in her private meetings with office staff.

I can not say because I was not there.

What did she say to Ardito the other day?

Come on porky tell the truth now. We want the facts since you love telling the truth.

Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 10:51 AMBy: the news - DUES INCREASE High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union porky

Is that dues increase true?

Did Marilyn get a green light from the AFT in November?

Did Marilyn slip it in the last House meeting?

Come on porky we want the truth.

The Truth

Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 11:06 AMBy: the news - post the documents High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union porky post the documents. Are you talking about the memo where Marilyn asserts her right to take control of the office?

Is it true then that Marilyn is having "one-on-one" meetings with staff members the last few weeks?

What does your source say about the special meetings?

Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 11:18 AMBy: porky High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union I don't want to get in an argument with anybody. I just posted what I was told and showed. Marilyn, Debbie, Reese all had problems in my book. But I personally think Dallas is worse than all of them put together. No more from me.

Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 12:50 PMBy: joe High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Just a note teachers, you pay $800 a year in union dues and then when you need the union to represent you in matters they can decide if they want to represent you; or better yet, they can represent you and when your case continues on they can they decide to drop you! It happened to me and they have no shame whatsever to just leave you hanging!

Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 7:48 PMBy: Billy Bragg was wrong High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union There Is Power In A Union

There is power in a factory, power in the land
Power in the hand of the worker
But it all amounts to nothing if together we don't stand
There is power in a Union

Now the lessons of the past were all learned with workers blood
The mistakes of the bosses we must pay for
From the cities and the farmlands to trenches full of mud
War has always been the bosses way, sir

The Union forever,defending our rights
Down with the blackleg,all workers unite
With our brothers and our sisters from many far-off lands
There is power in a Union

Now I long for the morning that they realise
Brutality and unjust laws cannot defeat us
But who'll defend the workers who cannot organise
When the bosses send their lackeys out to cheat us?

Money speaks for money,the Devil for his own
Who comes to speak for the skin and the bone?
What a comfort for the widow,a light to the child
There is power in a Union

The Union forever,defending our rights
Down with the blackleg,all workers unite
With our brothers and our sisters together we will stand
There is power in a Union

Sun Jan 20, 2008 at 10:30 AMBy: karping High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Get over yourself, George! I'm sick of reading everything about I, I, I, me, me, me.

Sun Jan 20, 2008 at 11:41 AMBy: reality check High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union truth is, there's not much anyone can do about the current CTU leadership, right?

i mean, other than mounting a recall or something -- which may not even be allowed (does anyone know?)

so the real question is whether the current leadership can be pressured or persuaded to get its act together to the extent that the concerned comments here represent the rank and file

-- alexander

Sun Jan 20, 2008 at 5:00 PMBy: Suspicious High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Well Stewart better get her in house together. What will Dallas tell about what goes on in Stewart office or maybe U.S. Atty?

Mon Jan 21, 2008 at 4:55 PMBy: the OTHER marilyn memo High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union george and two other folks have sent me this 12-17 memo, which CTU-watchers will enjoy parsing.

in it, marilyn s. asserts a broad and exclusive legal authority over the organization (which suggests her authority has been challenged), expresses regret but not responsibility for unspecified things that have gone wrong since her re-election in may, and -- previewing the letter she would send to arne duncan a few days later -- stripping VP Ted Dallas of several reports.

check it out -- and thanks a ton to those who sent it in -- alexander

CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION
Office of the President

"M E M O R A N D U M

TO: All Chicago Teachers Union Officer, Administrators, Staff
FROM: President Marilyn Stewart
DATE: December 17, 2007
SUBJECT: Changes in Day-to-Day Operations of Administrative Office

Today I am announcing some significant changes in the day-to-day operations of the administrative offices of the Chicago Teachers Union. These changes are intended to enhance employee effectiveness in fulfilling job responsibilities, to promote increased staff moral [sic], and to correct some situations that have occurred in the past. I believe the changes we are making open new opportunities for our Union in fulfilling its mission to serve our members who work in the Chicago Public Schools.

Before detailing specifics, I want to call attention to Section I of Article VI of the By Laws of the Chicago Teachers Union. That section deals with the job duties, responsibilities, and authority of each of the officers that the membership has elected. The portion pertaining to the President clearly states that I am "the chief administrative officer of the Union and shall have responsibility for general supervision of the functioning of the Union in all of its parts." Furthermore, Article VII of the By Laws, in listing the duties of the Executive Committee of the Union [which consists of the five officers plus the chairperson of the Board of Trustees] clearly states that I do not share the authority of my office with the other elected officers: "Nothing in this article shall be construed as a limitation on the powers of the President as Chief Executive Officer of the Union."

Because I take seriously my responsibilities as President of this Union, I am disappointed that some things have occurred that are not in the best interest of our organization, its members, or its employees. The membership reaffirmed its faith in me by a significant election margin last May. I have an obligation to the membership to perform my duties in the best manner possible, and that obligation dictates that I take the following action:

(1) As of today, I am affirming my role as the Union's chief administrative officer and I am informing all of you that the general supervision of the functioning of this Union, in all of its parts, is solely my responsibility.
(2) As of today, I am affirming that the other officers' duties and responsibilities are those that are stated specifically in the By Laws of the Union, and nothing more unless I specifically assign additional duties to them individually.
(3) Specifically at it relates to the Office of the Vice President, that officer's only responsibilities at this time are — as directed by the By Laws — to chair the Policies Committee, and to attend such meetings as I may ask him to attend, with the responsibility to report back to me immediately regarding such meetings.
(4) The previous flow chart for the Union is rescinded as of today, until a new flow chart is created, those areas of that previously reported to the Vice President [i.e., Office Manager, Personnel, Grievance Department, Teacher Field Representatives, PSRP Field Representatives] will report directly to the Office of the President. The Recording Secretary will continue to be the Officer serving as liaison to the Quest Center; the Financial Secretary and Treasurer will continue to be the Officers serving as liaisons to the Financial Department.
(5) As of today, the position of Officer Liaison is re-titled as Chief of Staff; the Chief of Staff reports directly to the President and functions on behalf of the President as regards general management of the Union's administrative office.
(6) All employees are to realize that ignoring these directives — even if asked to do so by another officer of the union — constitute insubordination to the President.
(7) The use of abusive language in any communications between or among officers, administrators, or staff members at any level, whether written or oral, will not be tolerated within the administrative offices of the Chicago Teachers Union.
(8) No employee should be led to believe that a financial contribution to a political, charitable, or social organization, or to any other entity, is a condition for employment, or continued employment, by the Chicago Teachers Union.

great stuff -- keep sending it in. CPS folks, too -- the latest crazy memo from your AIO or from central? we all want to see it. we need to see it.

Tue Jan 22, 2008 at 12:30 AMBy: George N. Schmidt High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Solidarity forever. Solidarity forever. Solidarity forever.
For the union makes us strong...

This is breathtaking.

Marilyn goes after the people who put her in power after

(a) they elect her, behind as much hanky panky as possible in May, and then

(b) bring in the "votes" for the contract on behalf of Mayor Daley's dream union contract between the August House meeting ("Nobody votes No in My Union!") and the September 10 "referendum".

Once that's all in place she acts with vigor. The two events (her "landslide election" and the contract "approval") give CPS the green light to rip off the members via

the "People Soft" (i.e., CPS) payroll system,

Compstat,

"High School Transformation,"

the latest round of special education atrocities,

and the upcoming school closings (tune in this Wednesday).

While everyone is getting pounded in the schools, Marilyn Stewart decides to play Donald Trump. It's clear (to her and her inner circle) that the real problem is inside the walls of the union's expensive Merchandise Mart offices, and certainly not where her members are getting knocked around, ripped off, and abused. So while crooning "Solidarity Forever" to CEO Arne Duncan, she acts decisively (as CEO of CTU) to confront the real problems facing the Chicago Teachers Union -- the people who put her in power and kept her there until she brought the union down with this five-year Daley Deal.

Tue Jan 22, 2008 at 7:49 AMBy: Retired teacher High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union I am deeply disturbed by the recent posting on this Blog. The level of infighting that is indicated is without precedent in my 35 years with the Union. I used to attend Union members as a bystander but it is clear in recent meetings that we are not welcome. What are they trying to keep secret? The dues pass through is something that was approved years ago. When I was delegate, I urged members to vote against it and retain the right for members to vote on any increase but the members went along with the request from the leadership at the time.

I think the members should demand to see the full contract and if it is not provided within a month then they should file a complaint with the AFT and with the Labor Board. I am not sure if the AFT will act since they seem to support the current leadership but the Labor Board should since Union members have the right to see the document which controls their working conditions. Once the full document is provided then the members can decide what their next step should be. Any member who requests it should also have a right to a copy of the Union rules and regulations so that they can see what recourse is open to them if they feel that the current leadership is not meeting their needs. In my mind, the Union is supposed to support democracy not do everything they can to curtail it.

A disillusioned member

Tue Jan 22, 2008 at 8:54 AMBy: IhatetheUPC High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union So now Marilyn is the "Queen of Everything". Too bad she isn't the queen of negotiations, pay raises, job security. She has the two jobs (CTU and IFT)and the big pay from the two jobs. Maybe she thinks she's going to be the AFT chief.
Recalling any of them is going to require a recall amendment to the constitution. Anybody think we can do that when we can't even get an honest vote count?
We are set until 2012 when there won't be one public school left in Chicago but the UPC will still be solidly entrenched representing the 20,000 charter school teachers who are happily working for $20,000 a year and no benefits.

Tue Jan 22, 2008 at 2:07 PMBy: disappointed, but not surprised High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Last year when the UPC (sans Marilyn) came to my high school, all the teachers assked questions regarding the new contract and the possibility of a strike. They ignored all our questions saying the only important thing was to give them an overwhelming vistory so they had a strong bargaining position. What a joke!

Now when they should be concerned about presenting a united front over our lost sick days and doubly taxed extended pay they are fighting amongst themselves instead. They may as well run for public office in Chicago. They already know how to make all kinds of promises when they want your vote but they disappear when the real work needs to be taken care of.

Tue Jan 22, 2008 at 3:47 PMBy: Tom High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union I agree that increasing the number of lower paid charter school teachers can drive down the salary levels of teachers if their numbers continue to increase. I also agree that the letter exposing what could be an internal conflict in our union is not in the interests of teachers.

But we all need to understand that while charter and contract teachers do not recieve the salary and benefits that CTU members do, their salaries are not incrediably below the market rate for teachers. Many charter school teachers are also not planning on being professional teachers, I base this on the high number of Teach for America progam members that have taken these jobs. Many if not most of these TFAs see teaching as a good thing, but more like a stop along the path of life, which may include numerous other professions.

This outlook creates a very different perspective on their salaries. These TFA teachers are very likely to say, well education was a good experience and now I have to go out and make more money with a different job. Those of us who went to colleges of Education I think have a very different out look, we are in this for the long run and want the best working conditions and salaries possible because this is what we are likely going to be doing for many years.

Marilyn for example simply could not understand a TFA type, all she has ever done is teach, she does not understand their experience and hence can not possibly bring these teachers into our union. Many of the charter teachers are going to find themselves stuck teaching, and when they realize they do not have other job options they may come around to joining a union. Maybe not the CTU. But by then it may too late, we may effectively be broken as a union.

Tue Jan 22, 2008 at 9:58 PMBy: Kugler - Stolen Identities Promises High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union joe

need to get in line with those broken promises.

Remember those stolen laptops?

Well that year of protection is over?

Where is our 7 years protection CTU promised?

Wed Jan 23, 2008 at 1:05 AMBy: George N. Schmidt High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union In the USA, the two things a union does (the bedrock activities, so to speak) are (a) negotiate a contract for its members and (b) enforce that contract.

While the muck of office politics at CTU is fun and leads to a great many historical questions that have not been answered, the big questions about the CTU at this point in time (January 2008) are about contract existence and contract enforcement.

Marilyn Stewart has not provided the members with a contract, and it's been nearly five months since she announced (at a press conference involving the mayor's people) on August 30 that the union had reached a deal. At that point, every page of the deal should have been initialed and ready to go. That latest the deal would have been held back in its entirety was September 10 (when the referendum was held -- or supposed to be held -- in all schools that had CTU members).

Five years ago this month (January 2004) Marilyn and her colleagues were screaming (literally, at House meetings) that Debbie Lynch had not yet gotten the contract printed and distributed. And the "Lynch contract" had only been finalized in December 2003 (after the second referendum, the first in September having been a rejection).

All CTU members have had since September is the handout Marilyn gave delegates in September with the "highlights" of the agreement and some language, but since no one has received the actual contract ("the book") who knows what's in it?

Well, not completely true. It seems the Board and principals know what's in it, even if Marilyn is keeping it secret from the members.

Apparently the new contract book says that CPS can continue not paying, underpaying, and inaccurately paying a large number of CTU members (the "People Soft" excuse) for as long as they want.

Marilyn's book also (apparently) says that people covered by the contract are getting hit with a lot of additional stealth costs on their medical, dental, vision, and other health issues.

The Marilyn Stewart contract also says that CPS can pay people who work extra ("overtime" we used to call it) are being paid less than they were last year.

And apparently it says that the union's staff should spend most of its time telling the union's members there is nothing they can do about the numerous indigniities and outrages that come daily from many principals.

I'm sure other members can add to the list from various parts of town. It seems, for example, that some principals know they can force teachers to work extra without pay (parent open houses, etc.) because they know either that the CTU has become a toothless tiger, or because the contract says they can.

Wed Jan 23, 2008 at 10:05 AMBy: CeCi High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Marilyn needs to do a press conference and confront these allegations and problems head on. If she truly is taking control - do it! Show us your strength, knowledge and committment; not only to your members but to the principles of UNIONISM! We voted for you and your team. Get it together! Sit down and talk, negotiate. Get over yourselves and get on with the real business at hand - Union business!

Its time for our elected officals to do battle with CPS. Enough is enough. CPS keeps giving excuses, but never follows through with results. Only more excuses. Time to take real action. Time to show the Board our true strength. Time to take action; a rally, a walk-out, a work stopage - SOMETHING!

Lets show the board and the public our UNITED strength, not weakness or in-fighting.

WE ARE UNION.

Wed Jan 23, 2008 at 8:06 PMBy: There ought to be a law against crazy ducks! High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union porky

since you started looking into some closets have you heard of........
..............................................................

I will give you a hint has to with getting extra money.

You do have one lifeline!

Oh, shucks, Mr. Mayor, 'tweren't nothing. J-Just blew some corn right through this horn.

Thu Jan 24, 2008 at 3:57 AMBy: crazy duck High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union the new and improved ctu office reporter.

porky do you give up with that question?

time is running out.

Hint number two: special events.

Thu Jan 24, 2008 at 10:57 AMBy: Charlie High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Hi Tom...Charter school teachers are not all being paid less than CTU/CPS teachers. I can't speak for all charter schools, but I know that at least two of them keep their promise of paying at or above the CPS scale to all of their certified teachers. It wouldn't make any sense for them to pay less, all of their teachers would then eventually leave for a better CPS school.

The idea that charters pay less though is in my experience mostly a myth, probably cooked up and propigated by CTU to keep their members from jumping ship. Same goes for charters having horrible benefits packages.

Thu Jan 24, 2008 at 12:10 PMBy: crazy duck High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Nick Cannella you have won the grand prize.

not only are you the winner of rumors, innuendos and office stories but you can no breathe easy that you identity has been lifted.(porky)

So let's get the story straight: rumor has it that you use your position as special events coordinator to hire vendors that give you kickbacks. That is why we had our after meeting food switched to the Erie Cafe.

Fact or Fiction?

You be the judge.

Judge?

Patrick where are you?

Thu Jan 24, 2008 at 1:00 PMBy: crazy duck High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union there is evidence. all you have to is trace the vendors nick has contracted with like they did with the hired truck scandal.

I am sure one of the vendors when facing a subpoena they would be more than happy to tell what they had to pay to get event contracts from the union.

substance -- ask the staff "off the record" who controls the special event vendors and ask if there is any oversight or accountability to what or how it is spent.

Fact

Thu Jan 24, 2008 at 2:23 PMBy: Dismembered High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union George Schmidt,
After reading this blog over the last few days, I can't wait to read your response to Crazy Duck's comments about Porky.
What do your sources have to say?

Thu Jan 24, 2008 at 9:53 PMBy: Dallas Cheerleader High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union The buzz around the watercooler, claims that Stewart can’t make a decision and stick with it. This is contrary to the focused, competent, and solely member-driven Dallas.

Stewart conveniently forgot her role within the Union. Dallas must have placed her as a figurehead in the 2003 Dallas led caucus. It must be Dallas who is the brains behind the day-to day operations of the CTU. In fact, the 12/17 memo sent by Stewart clearly confirms it.
Can anyone comment on this?

I’ve heard that Dallas in his career has filed over 100 grievances as a delegate and part-timer. (I’m sure this can easily be verified)
Does anyone know how many grievances Stewart filed as a teacher or delegate? I hear Stewart service to the CTU prior to being president was passing out badges at the House Meetings. Does anyone know that for sure?

Dallas must be hard-core union. I’m sure he expects all others around him to work as hard as him.
So the guy yells at individuals not pulling their weight and who are making the big bucks. After all, it is our dues money and we do want the best service possible when we need it. The members expect Dallas to make the staff work. It’s to the members’ benefit. Wouldn’t you do the same if your 31,000 plus members rights were at stake?
That’s a lot of pressure, but over the years he’s proven that he can handle it.

Certain staffers and their cronies never respected Dallas for his genuine concern for the rank and file.
These staffers and their cronies convinced the feeble character Stewart to go against Dallas. They began filling her with delusions of grandeur. Her head has inflated. “The membership voted ME in.” Welll the first victory against Lynch was part luck, part blue book. The second victory was a no-brainer.
I mean, who would change leadership teams in the middle of contract negotiations?

Stewart’s performance during contract negotiations (she kept falling asleep at the table), the August House Meeting, and the Duncan Christmas letter, all continue to be an embarrassment for the CTU. From what I understand, many members went to Dallas to voice their concerns about Stewart’s leadership abilities. Dallas felt compelled to do something. His concerns fell onto Stewart’s deaf ears.
Don’t the needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few?

Rumors have it,that Dallas wanted Stewart to work in a different capacity within the Union. Stewart must have thought that Dallas planned to eliminate her from everything, so she stripped him of all his authority, out fear of losing popularity within the Dallas led UPC Caucus.

Can I get a little feedback? Much of what I’ve written are bits and pieces I’ve heard at the watercooler from various sources. Perhaps others can corroborate...

Fri Jan 25, 2008 at 9:13 AMBy: Charlie High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union I never claimed to have any high level research, just my own personal experience from two of the larger charter schools in the city. Where I know for a fact that teachers are paid at or above the CPS pay scale. And benefits include health, vision, dental, life insurance and a matched 403b plan (the rate paid for some of the insurance may be a bit higher than CPS, but there are also more options than I remember having with CPS).

The big reason I have strongly preferred charter schools over traditional public schools is that there has been a lot less bureaucratic BS to deal with. There is still a fair amount of BS, but I find it much more palatable.

And just for the record, pardon my cynicism if I tend to look rather critically at any study the union decides to put out about charter school salaries. The same union who has put up poster around the city decrying charters as the evil that is ruining public education, I'm not exactly going to trust as a fair or unbiased source.

As for organizing unions at charter schools, I'm sure in the end, those with poor working conditions and or lower salaries will likely decide to unionize and those with happy teachers will probably do what they can to avoid unions. At least then it should make the choice much clearer which charter schools are treating their employees better than CPS.

Fri Jan 25, 2008 at 10:42 AMBy: Tom High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union The CTU has this salary data and more, so do several other unions, given the fact that some information could lead directly to staff at charter schools who could face being fired it is better not to publicly discuss salary information that does not have a public source.

Some charter schools are paying close to the step level of CPS under the CTU contract, others are not. Most do not give much for advanced education, one gives far more for advanced education than for longevity with the charter, benefits are lower generally, and manadatory work hours (not grading etc) are generally longer. So on an hourly basis even some charters that are close to CPS step levels are actually paying less.

Some of the work requirements are outlined in employee handbooks and individual contracts, some of the contracts have non-disclosure provisions that prohibit public disclosure of the work conditions and benefits contained in those contracts. In some cases on the Boards of these charters are very high powered lawyers from major firms and we have no doubt teachers disclosing information could face litigation for breech of contracts.

Sadly the reality of union organizing requires some level of secrecy.

Fri Jan 25, 2008 at 3:52 PMBy: Tom High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Charlie you are incorrect an employee of a charter school is not a public employee. All charter boards are public bodies, but the actual entity running the charter in some actually many cases is a seperate entity, which may be either for profit or not for profit. In many cases charter school teachers are employed not by the board of the charter but by an EMO.

Charter Boards can be FOIAed and hense any salary information submitted to that body could be FOIAed. Individual contracts where they exist between teachers and an EMO might not be subject to FOIA. Since you have worked for a charter you are aware that many do not have a fixed in stone pay scale, like CPS. Some teachers depending on their individual deal with the EMO or directly with the charter board may have somewhat different salaries.

By the way charter employees are not considered to be public employees pursuant to the charter school law. See 105 ILCS 5/Art. 27A In the code charter school teachers are never referenced to as public employees and the laws pursuant to those employees. Here is the main section relating to charter school teachers:

(a) A person shall be deemed to be employed by a charter school unless a collective bargaining agreement or the charter school contract otherwise provides.
(b) In all school districts, including special charter districts and districts located in cities having a population exceeding 500,000, the local school board shall determine by policy or by negotiated agreement, if one exists, the employment status of any school district employees who are employed by a charter school and who seek to return to employment in the public schools of the district. Each local school board shall grant, for a period of up to 5 years, a leave of absence to those of its teachers who accept employment with a charter school. At the end of the authorized leave of absence, the teacher must return to the school district or resign; provided, however, that if the teacher chooses to return to the school district, the teacher must be assigned to a position which requires the teacher's certification and legal qualifications. The contractual continued service status and retirement benefits of a teacher of the district who is granted a leave of absence to accept employment with a charter school shall not be affected by that leave of absence.
(c) Charter schools shall employ in instructional positions, as defined in the charter, individuals who are certificated under Article 21 of this Code or who possess the following qualifications:
(i) graduated with a bachelor's degree from an
accredited institution of higher learning;

(ii) been employed for a period of at least 5 years
in an area requiring application of the individual's education;

(iii) passed the tests of basic skills and subject
matter knowledge required by Section 21‑1a of the School Code; and

(iv) demonstrate continuing evidence of professional
growth which shall include, but not be limited to, successful teaching experience, attendance at professional meetings, membership in professional organizations, additional credits earned at institutions of higher learning, travel specifically for educational purposes, and reading of professional books and periodicals.

Charter schools employing individuals without certification in instructional positions shall provide such mentoring, training, and staff development for those individuals as the charter schools determine necessary for satisfactory performance in the classroom.
Beginning with the 2006‑2007 school year, at least 50% of the individuals employed in instructional positions by a charter school that is operating in a city having a population exceeding 500,000 and that is established on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 93rd General Assembly shall hold teaching certificates issued under Article 21 of this Code.
Beginning with the 2006‑2007 school year, at least 75% of the individuals employed in instructional positions by a charter school that is operating in a city having a population exceeding 500,000 and that is established before the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 93rd General Assembly shall hold teaching certificates issued under Article 21 of this Code.
Charter schools operating in a city having a population exceeding 500,000 are exempt from any annual cap on new participants in an alternative certification program. The second and third phases of the alternative certification program may be conducted and completed at the charter school, and the alternative teaching certificate is valid for 4 years or the length of the charter (or any extension of the charter), whichever is longer.
Notwithstanding any other provisions of the School Code, charter schools may employ non‑certificated staff in all other positions.
(d) A teacher at a charter school may resign his or her position only if the teacher gives notice of resignation to the charter school's governing body at least 60 days before the end of the school term, and the resignation must take effect immediately upon the end of the school term.
(Source: P.A. 93‑3, eff. 4‑16‑03.)

In the section of the law regarding the charter school proposal submitted to ISBE you can read this:

(11) An explanation of the relationship that will
exist between the charter school and its employees, including evidence that the terms and conditions of employment have been addressed with affected employees and their recognized representative, if any. However, a bargaining unit of charter school employees shall be separate and distinct from any bargaining units formed from employees of a school district in which the charter school is located.

In another section the CTU is specifically limited in what it can bargin for in relation to CPS opening charter schools. It reads:

Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, a school district in a city having a population exceeding 500,000 shall not have a duty to collectively bargain with an exclusive representative of its employees over decisions to grant or deny a charter school proposal under Section 27A‑8 of this Code, decisions to renew or revoke a charter under Section 27A‑9 of this Code, and the impact of these decisions, provided that nothing in this Section shall have the effect of negating, abrogating, replacing, reducing, diminishing, or limiting in any way employee rights, guarantees, or privileges granted in Sections 2, 3, 7, 8, 10, 14, and 15 of the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act.

Charter schools are exempted from the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act (IELRA) and article 24 of the School Code on the employment of teachers. Section 2 of the IELRA defines teachers who are public employees and charter school teachers are not included.

40 ILCS 5/Art. 17 covering the teachers PENSION AND RETIREMENT FUND for Chicago does not indicate that charter school teachers are public employees. It requires that they be part of the fund based on their certification not on the assumption that they are public employees.

Sat Jan 26, 2008 at 4:41 PMBy: Been around CTU for 7 years High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Cat got your tongue Porky, aka, Cannella? You know, Lynch did some bad things, but the one good thing she did was fire you. Too bad your teamster contract saved your ass. Recently, Stewart and Dallas were going to fire you, and decided to make you work for your huge, undeserving salary. They gave you schools and demoted you to a Field Rep again. Now, if you continue kissing Stewart and Ostenberg's ass, maybe they will slate you as Vice-President in the next election. Bottom line, you should have been terminated long ago. Keep using your lives Felix, they will run out sooner than you think. Maybe you have been instructed to shut your mouth, since your clan thinks nobody reads this blog. Smart move, pussy cat!!

Sun Jan 27, 2008 at 1:41 AMBy: George N. Schmidt High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Our deadlines are approaching again, so this will be a busy week. Our February issue, with a page one story coming off this stuff, will be mailed by February 6.

The rumors and other stuff about Porky and others have to come with documentation before anyone wants to report them as "news" or include them in some analysis. Oddly, then, anyone covering the news that's being discussed here will have to make a phone call and give the man a chance to respond. Remember, I was serious when I suggested that we verify the authenticity of Marilyn Stewart's "Solidarity" letter to Arne Duncan. Both that and the December 17 memo have been verified.

CTU could easily avoid some of these problems with more transparency. For labor unions, that's fairly easy: comply with federal law.

One of the reasons rumors can abound about CTU is that for the present CTU avoids filing the LM-2 report with the U.S. Department of Labor.

How and why CTU avoids the LM-2 requirement should be discussed here, in detail, and in the CTU itself. The annual CTU budget presented to the members via the House of Delegates does not give the detail people who are paying more than $800 per year in union dues deserve.

Although the LM-2 is a burden on the local, it creates a level of transparency that helps, rather than hinders. Everyone at my old SEIU (Local 73) workplace knows that President Christine (Boardman) and Secretary Treasurer Matt (Brandon) earned (pay plus all benefits and perks) more than $100,000 during each of the past three years. Those of us in lesser positions earned less. It's all public information. The LM-2 details every dollar (including, even, the amount paid for executive board members who attend a meeting or two each month).

Now the LM-2 filing for CTU would be very long, because as I read the law CTU would have to itemize the dollars paid to each members of the executive board and house of delegates. But it would help quell any noisome rumors and replace most rumor with fact.

Someone in CTU should propose that CTU comply with the LM-2 requirement, and go back a few years. With that simple policy, about 90 percent of the rumors here could be quashed, with facts instead.

I'm not a member of the House of Delegates right now, but will be reporting this story for months to come. The hope is to get all the facts straight before compiling everything else. Right now, nobody here can even tell precisely the salaries of the more than 60 people employed, full or part-time, at the Merchandise Mart headquarters of the Chicago Teachers Union. That's unhealthy.

Mon Jan 28, 2008 at 1:16 PMBy: Rolling on the Floor High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union This has been very interesting and entertaining reading this afternoon. It's a shame that it has taken so long for the President to assert her power. All Hail the Queen! Bow down you suckers! LOL!!!!! ROTFLMAO!!!!!

Mon Jan 28, 2008 at 7:19 PMBy: Heidi High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Does the AFT and the AFL-CIO know about all of this b.s. with CTU? If not they need to be made aware of all of this.

Fri Feb 1, 2008 at 11:08 PMBy: Staying Tuned High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union 4 Musketeers, how are your wishes going? I think not well.

Sat Feb 2, 2008 at 12:02 PMBy: Eshoo High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Diane??
May I assume it's Diane Sheffer (sp). Diane was a main stay in the old UPC. Maybe Stewart (or another insider) has finally realized that the Stewart leadership team could be compared to the Warren G. Harding presidential leadership team, and Mariyln would certainly star as Warrren.

Diane’s name was on the ctunet.com page – it’s gone now.

Sat Feb 2, 2008 at 2:39 PMBy: Memory Lane High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union CTU Contract Meeting Aug 31, 2007

CTU Contract Meeting Aug 31, 2007 (NO!)

CTU Contract Meeting Aug 31, 2007 (roll call)

CTU Contract Meeting Aug 31, 2007 ( 51+ vote)

CTU Contract Meeting Aug 31, 2007 (roll call cont.)

CTU Contract Meeting Aug 31, 2007 (sit down)

Sat Feb 2, 2008 at 2:58 PMBy: Dues Increase High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union There was an illegal dues increase last house meeting. Just check your packets. Mark and Marilyn pass through not for one year but also retro last years dues increase. Look at the increases from last meeting.

Sat Feb 2, 2008 at 4:37 PMBy: alexander High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union the latest rumor on the street is that linda porter and ted dallas were somehow voted out of or off of the leadership of the UPC on thursday, after a couple of meetings including one at which rosemaria g and john h were refused entry since they're not union members. is that right? please confirm.

if so, and if diana s. was fired on friday as has been stated here (because she was a dallas hire?), then UPC seems to be disintegrating in front of our eyes, all of a sudden. PACT is nowhere to be found. will there be a new entity to replace or compete with the previous 2? will it make a difference?

Fri Feb 8, 2008 at 6:57 PMBy: The beat goes on High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union House meeting inquiries...
I've heard that Stewart was nailed during the Q & A session of the House meeting. She was point blank asked if the letter to Duncan that elimated any real authority from Dallas was legitimate. She coldly stared and said she would talked about personnel matters in public.
Odd - she doesn't have a problem discussing personnel matters with Arne Duncan.
Also, once again Stewart failed to answer most questions asked; as always, she relied on Koffman or Dykas (sp) to respond from the floor.
#2 - Diana Sheffer was not a Dallas hire.
#3 - Stewart was placed 1st on the ballot over Dallas because it was widely agreed that Dallas would never be elected President. He had been around a very long time and he was not well regarded by far too many people.

Wed Feb 13, 2008 at 3:32 PMBy: Incognito High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union And why do you think that is (besides our terrible typing skills that we don't want anyone to know about)?

Wed Feb 13, 2008 at 9:58 PMBy: Former King's Guards High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Hey musketeers, you talk like your running a successful family business. Time to start bleeding for the members. It sure sounds like you want to coast while making the big bucks! It's always a bad day if your doing your job fighting the CPS. I'm sure you're all happy Dallas has been stripped of his authority.

Wed Feb 13, 2008 at 10:34 PMBy: Missing in action High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union what is sad is the lack of support for those members being told they have no work next year.

Shame on you Marilyn.

You are a traitor.

Wed Feb 13, 2008 at 11:05 PMBy: unity High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Where is the unity in the Union? There are plenty of times the leadership of the Union is ot representing the teachers.

Wed Feb 13, 2008 at 11:37 PMBy: Get the story straight High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Marilyn is not going to closed schools or hearings for these schools.

The principals are asking where is the union.

YES the principals. They too are out of work.

marilyn handed power off to a non-union member john o. that is the ultimate betrayal. she needs not only to be removed from office but removed form the union.

Thu Feb 14, 2008 at 2:08 AMBy: George N. Schmidt High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Just as a factual correction.

CTU has been at some of the hearings, but not all of them.

Mary McGuire (Recording Secretary, part of the Marilyn Stewart faction within the leadership) was at the Edison hearing last Friday, but did not speak.

I've seen Mark Ochoa (Financial Secretary, also part of the Stewart faction) and heard him speak at both the Roque de Duprey and Fulton hearings. But the same evening of the Fulton hearing (Monday, February 11), he didn't stay around for the Harper High School hearing.

CTU's response seems to be uncoordinated and a bit flaccid.

Now they are saying "Wait until the Operation PUSH meeting" (January 23).

This is the largest number of school closings in CPS history. Furthermore, the schools that are being "consolidated" (and told there is nothing to worry about) ought to ask around about what happened to schools that were "consolidated" over the past six or seven years. Despite promises, usually they are wiped out within a couple of years.

A growing number of principals are also being screwed by all this, too. At the least, they are being slandered for having "failed" (to do the impossible?).

It looks like Duncan has people cutting deals with the principals so that he doesn't have to face public criticism from the principals. As many people know, most of the principals and higher ups can calculate the pensions they'll get for keeping their mouths shut no matter what down to the last couple of dollars. They can also look at the future rewards of double dipping: retire on a pension of around $100,000 per year, then come back as a "consultant" for around the same amount. Not a bad way to spend your golden years while the teachers you worked with are on the unemployment lines.

Some principals, by the way, have spoken out, and forcefully, at the hearings. But they've generally been ignored by my colleagues in the Chicago press corps. (Actually, reporters at most of the hearings are as scarce as peer reviewed and published AERA members in Arne Duncan's department of research, evaluation and accountability; another scam for another time, that).

The leaders of the CTU, for whatever reasons, are definitely not planning to bring out large numbers of people to the January 27 Board of Education meeting.

Thu Feb 14, 2008 at 10:03 AMBy: Studio Audience Member High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union You're such a tease, tick-tock.
How can the the CTU be in the red?

Thu Feb 14, 2008 at 11:17 AMBy: To Red High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union You are childish and annoying. Say what you have to say. You are taking away any credibility you may have with silly games.

Thu Feb 14, 2008 at 11:28 AMBy: answer at noon High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union the debt amount at noon.

Thu Feb 14, 2008 at 1:07 PMBy: continued High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union those are on paper. 1.5 million is the real debt.

If everything were to stop today the union owes 1.5 million.

Why do not one of you office trolls ask what the auditor said the last time they looked at the books.

Ask around the office.

Yes we have not paid the caps(dues to the IFT and AFT) meaning we may be decertified as a union.

here is another one for you office folk, what has the inner circle talked about to solve the problem of the unpaid caps?

Thu Feb 14, 2008 at 3:09 PMBy: troll is a technical term High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union An Internet troll, or simply troll in Internet slang, is someone who posts controversial and usually irrelevant or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, with the intention of baiting other users into an emotional response[1] or to generally disrupt normal on-topic discussion.[2]

Presenting facts in a way that makes the participants not say it is complaining is the objective. Otherwise the label becomes that outsider or that bad employee that always complains.

I am an insider and do not complain just trying to establish the facts and the trend towards corruption and disenfranchisement of the union members.

good enough credibility for you?

Fri Feb 15, 2008 at 5:16 PMBy: Incognito High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union And how did this happen? We have to wonder. Times are bad. That's for sure. Just take a look around. But, this is no excuse. This a union, which has the purpose of serving and protecting its working class members, especially in bad times like these. The gains of some will be the loss of many to solve this problem.

Fri Feb 15, 2008 at 7:42 PMBy: 60 day rule High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union what i am looking for is the sixty day rule. The one that protects tenured teachers.

anyone know where it is?

Mon Feb 18, 2008 at 9:36 PMBy: Mostly Cloudy High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Sunshine??

Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 9:43 AMBy: Mega Millionairre wanna be High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union George,
What you are saying is that we really have no power. Is there some recourse that the membership can take? What about a massive walkout or membership rally?
This seems to me to stem from the fact that we didn't take a strike vote in August. An opportunity of a lifetime to show strength and unity within the membership. Perhaps if the "No" votes had been counted, our fellow union brothers and sisters would not be in this situation. Was the topic of school closings even brought up during negotiations?

It's scary that this is happening. I'm surprised more members are not in an uproar. This can happen to any of us at any time. Seriously. where do we stand? What can the rank and file do? This is so sad.

Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 6:33 PMBy: EPD High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union So - Where or how do we sign a petition?
It's way passed time to get some clean air into the Merchandise Mart.

Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 7:41 PMBy: re: petition High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union What about House Meetings?

Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 9:05 PMBy: re: transfers High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Is this something new? I was under the impression that you could leave between the Christmas break, and then sometime during summer break. I'm not sure though.

Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 11:51 PMBy: Kugler - Have no Fear High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union What is nice about a black list is you can only get on it once.

And as you go your file gets thicker!

HiHo

Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 12:46 AMBy: corinne Rinck High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union We are getting the shaft from everyone. They are lies after lies, after lies! The Union filed a grievance for us at Fulton. We were at PUSH 4 times already. We called the newspapers. We had the radio with Marilyn. We were mentioned in the Union paper ...mentioned! Mark Ovchoa and Michael Cane came to our hearing and spoke. We all SPOKE! Will we get a copy of the recommendation though? I think not! I'm singing Where is Duncan? Where is Duncan at school these days?! My principal is getting screwed too! She spoke up. Our parents spoke! We aren't even in Englewood!!!!! We are in the area of New City - NCLB - New City Left Behind. Or is it NCL - No Child Left?! Ring around the Rosie ends with WE ALL FALL DOWN! Turnaround and start again at the same place! CPS is becoming CBS you figure out BS.

Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 2:11 AMBy: George N. Schmidt High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union What part of "railroad" can't you spell?

The hearing officer's report is going to be a rubber stamp of the recommendation of the CEO.

But the rubber stamping would not have been possible if the leaders of the Chicago Teachers Union hadn't approved it over the past three years, and especially by railroading through the five-year CTU contract. That's everybody in the officers group of the CTUPC -- Marilyn Stewart, Ted Dallas, Mary McGuire, Linda Porter Milton, and Mark Ochoa -- not just one faction or the other.

For the past three years, every one of the officers has gone around town each time there was a school closing and told teachers at the targeted schools "There's nothing we can do. Get your resume ready..." All of them, not just Marilyn Stewart. Ask the teachers who were at Austin, Calumet, Collins, and Englewood. The last time the CTU actually opposed the high school closings was in June 2004, the day after the vote count came in against Debbie Lynch and I stood with the teachers from Austin and Calumet and told the hearing officer that the Chicago Teachers Union opposed the closings of Austin and Calumet. Opposed. And I was speaking for the union because earlier that morning the president of the union had told me to go ahead with that job (as Director of School Security and Safety) despite the fact that we had just suffered a major disappointment.

Two weeks late, Mayor Daley went in front of the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club at a closed doors meeting and read a long script announcing "Renaissance 2010." June 2004. Two months after that, Marilyn Stewart became President of the Chicago Teachers Union and Ted Dallas became Vice President of the Chicago Teachers Union and to this day not one of the officers has bothered to read enough to know what is going on with "Renaissance 2010". Instead, they set up a "committee" to do as little as possible in the face of Renaissance 2010, until the members of the committee said "Why bother?"

If this sounds like a three-year pattern of selling out to the Daley administration, at least you're in a position to understand what's happened since August 1, 2007. By that point, Marilyn Stewart had fractured the alliance of unions that used to face off against the Daley administration when contracts were being negotiated. So Daley did a masterful job of divide-and-conquer, ending with the Stewart Sellout of August and September 2007.

Once that sellout was in place, Daley had a green light to do whatever he wanted.

The only thing now standing in the way of this latest round of atrocities and privatization and New Age giveaways is next Wednesday's Board of Education meeting. So, naturally, Marilyn Stewart is telling people to ---

Go to Operation PUSH but not to the Board meeting?

There is something epic about the combination of stupidity, malevolence, and dishonest in all this. Sadly, hundreds of union members (not just teachers) and thousands of kids are going to be screwed by it.

If the leaders of the Chicago Teachers Union had wanted to stop the Daley administration from closing any more schools, they wouldn't have sold out to the Daley administration after the leaders of the other CPS unions sold out to the Daley administration a few weeks earlier, both in August 2007.

But Stewart has been selling out since she took office on a platform that turned out to be empty. It consisted of four years of negative campaigning against her predecessor, with hardly a single new idea or even militant phrase in the interim. It got so bad that teachers weren't even being paid and all the union could do was whimper, like a dog that's been beat too much.

Throughout the Spring and Summer of 2007, Marilyn Stewart and her colleagues didn't even want to speak out too loudly about the fact that the boss wasn't even paying thousands of the unions' (that's plural possessive) members completely, accurately, and on time.

For three years, the UPCTU had played one tune: "Debbie did it!" and the majority (a slim majority, granted, but a majority) of the members bought it.

As much as there is an accurate reporting of those times, I've edited the publishing of it. The CTUPC hasn't even dared publish the back issues of the union newspaper on its Web site because at some point people might be able to get a look at what was going on between 2001 and 2004. Imperfect? Sure. But at least not craven selling out, then lying to cover all the sellouts up.

The biggest protests against the sellouts and the school closings were between 2002 and 2004, when Debbie Lynch was leading them (again, imperfectly). The record of the hearings against the closings of Austin and Calumet high schools shows that the CTU opposed both those closings, explicitly and without equivocation. How do I know? I helped organize the protests at those hearings (unanimously against the closings; not one speaker in favor) and was the first speaker after the CPS liturgy at both. You can read it in the transcripts, which we have been providing for those who've had historical amnesia.

If the leadership of the Chicago Teachers Union hadn't been flim flamming its own membership for the past four years (it's now four years since the UPC slated and began their petitions for the May -- and June -- 2004 elections) things might have been different.

Since August 2007, the CTUPC could have demanded that the Chicago Board of Education hold public hearings on each of the policies that has been approved by the Board making what is being done this month "legal." Instead, the CTUPC didn't even read the full agendas of the Board meetings, so nobody at the Merchandise Mart even knew what was coming. From the approval of the expansion of the charter schools last school year (and that crazy attack on Moos by Aspira and Duncan last summer), each step in this tragedy has been rubber stamped by the Chicago Board of Education as a policy.

And it was each of those policies that became the only question before the hearing officers this month. The hearing officer is there to determine whether CPS has followed a legally approved policy. Many of us warned about these looming problems, and published about them all along. At each point, people were content to listen to people who carped and said "They (in most cases, Substance) lie..."

Now some of it's all part of a record people can go back to. Except for the complete record of the House of Delegates of the Chicago Teachers Union and the complete record of the monthly publication of the Chicago Teachers Union, neither of which you're going to find anywhere on the Web.

These teacher bashing attacks have been going on since Arne Duncan was appointed CEO of CPS in July 2001. They faced their biggest challenges beginning in April 2002 when we filled the auditorium at Herzl school to protest the proposed closings of Dodge, Terrell, and Williams elementary schools. During those tiny moments (there have been a few) when CTUPC woke up long enough to organize even a feeble protest after they took power in 2004, their version of what to do, why to do it, and how to do it was either stupid, inept, disorganized, or all of the above.

Now everyone is supposed to go to PUSH instead of to the February 27 meeting of the Chicago Board of Education. Do people really think a few prayers and some songs are going to stop Arne Duncan and the Board from raping the largest number of schools in Chicago history next Wednesday? Or is this just another example of stupid, inept, disorganized -- or a sellout camouflaged behind some rather meaningless words?

Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 4:47 PMBy: another internal document High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union this time it's a memo -- from osterburg to staff -- telling them not to ask folks to pick up laundry and such:

From: Ostenburg, John A.
Sent: Wednesday, February 20, 2008 7:02 PM
To: 007 Officers; 003 Administrative Team
Cc: Macias, Liz F.
Subject: REQUESTS MADE TO OTEG BARGAINING UNIT MEMBERS



Colleagues:



President Stewart has authorized me to distribute the following message.



In the future, members of the OTEG bargaining unit should not be asked to perform duties or errands for officers or administrators that commonly would be considered personal and not office-related. Such duties include, but are not limited to, picking up dry cleaning, scheduling hair appointments, carrying personal items to and from vehicles, getting food or coffee for personal consumption (not in connection with an official meeting), etc. It has been a long-standing procedure of the Union, going back to President Robert Healey, that OTEG employees are obligated to perform only those duties that are work-related and should not be asked to perform personal tasks.



Thank you for your cooperation on this matter.



Should you have any questions in regard to this matter, please let me know.



-------------------------------------

John A. Ostenburg

Chief of Staff, Chicago Teachers Union

Executive Editor, Chicago Union Teacher

222 Merchandise Mart Plaza, Suite 400

Chicago, IL 60654

(Office) 312-329-6251 l (Fax) 312-329-2551

(Cell) 312-909-2311 l (Home) 708-748-1265

is it legit? is it a problem?

Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 8:13 PMBy: Who's really to blame High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union This started when Dallas asked Sheffer and Massarsky to do his bidding for him. He wanted Stewart to work in a different role within the union, for the obvious reasons. The two above mentioned old UPC'ers needed to convince Editor Ostenburg to jump on board, since he was Stewart's closest confidant. After their initial discussion, Ostenburg agreed that Stewart should step down for the sake of the caucus. A week later, Ostenburg smelled the power and completly flipped sensing he could convince the weak charactered Stewart to turn on her mentor. By that time, staffers who were on the way out (for a variety of reasons) smelled the blood. This internal group bonded to get rid of the only person who was holding them accountable to deliver for the members. So, who's really to blame? My source tells me that Dallas agreed to make all decisions in conjunction with Stewart, but before it could be worked out, the sharks already took their bite. Ostenburg is to blame! Sheffer takes the full brunt and gets fired with pride, but Massarsky flips quickly to Stewart's side for the almighty dollar. Some people just can't get enough money.

Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 11:19 PMBy: Did you see page 23 High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union what do you see on page 23 of the union paper.

nice that our dues work against us.

Chicago Union Teacher Feb 2008

Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 11:43 PMBy: total control High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union let see

fire some old timer upcers.

fire other staff

scare the rest

tell the officers they can not visit schools

wow now we can rest easy and show who we really are!

never were for the members just for ourselves.

look on page 23 of the paper.

you will see who we like.

thanks suckers.

ms & jo crew

Fri Feb 22, 2008 at 6:21 AMBy: George N. Schmidt High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union "President Marilyn Stewart suggests Arne Duncan use a
collaborative process when it comes to school reform..." (Teaser from Page One of the Chicago Union Teacher).

The Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL) is not one of my favorite places, for dozens of reasons. These range from its ripping off of space in an overcrowded part of the city (the AUSL headquarters at 3400 N. Austin in the old Wright College building is needed to relieve the overcrowded elementary schools that Arne Duncan is ignoring on the northwest side) to that silly Donald Trump-style corporate "Turnaround" model it's now pushing.

But AUSL is (a) not a charter school, (b) is a union schools, and (c) is one of the best examples of Marilyn Stewart's "collaborative" approach to union busting. During the past three years, AUSL has been in the forefront of corporate propaganda attacks on "failing" schools. Additionally, AUSL has replaced the staffs at Sherman (now "Sherman School of Excellence") and Harvard elementary schools. More than 150 union jobs ripped away from union members -- but by a union sponsored "collaborative" entity.

The advertisement for AUSL's program that is running in the Chicago Union Teacher may even be a kind of kickback for the fact that the Stewart administration has been backing these kinds of projects.

That's also a reason why Marilyn Stewart is losing the debates (e.g., CNN) with Arne Duncan (only Marilyn's diehards said "Good job" like some inexperienced teacher with too much self-esteem on his mind; everyone else cringed). But a good question is this. How many of the people who have now split from Marilyn Stewart and former the New Newer Newest UPC have spoken out against these scabbing from the inside plans -- like supporting AUSL.

Fri Feb 22, 2008 at 9:04 AMBy: Stop Crying and Take Your Medicine High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Can I just say something that is terribly obvious:

You voted her in. You decided overwhelmingly she should be the president for the next three years.

You bought her promises.

You didn't bother to look into facts.

You believed glossy campaign material.

You allowed yourselves to be bullied by her crew.

You were to weak or too stupid to see the truth.

Even if you didn't vote for her, You didn't do enough to make sure everyone else saw the truth.

Stop blaming everyone else! Stop whining and complaining!

Take your medicine!

Fri Feb 22, 2008 at 10:47 AMBy: stop crying High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Andrew,

Great response!

Fri Feb 22, 2008 at 11:48 AMBy: Tom High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union A lot of us voted against a CTU leadership rather than voting for President Stewart, the UPC could have run virtually anyone and many of us would have voted for change. This was maybe our big mistake. Second we approved the contract because in truth we were afraid we could not win a strike and it gave us some kind of face saving raise.

Now by the end of this contract many of us will be out of jobs. What is left of union jobs will be either in turn around schools run by AUSL or in top end CPS schools. I need my medication.

Fri Feb 22, 2008 at 8:15 PMBy: Kugler - Getting Deeper Every Minute High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union There is nothing left.

The last time I checked with all the caps not paid 1.5 mil loan and other expenses we might be above 6 mil in the hole today.

No kidding. We just got an advancement from IFT of 1 mil to pay them what we owe them!

Serioulsy that is why there is no audit.

Anther reason has to do with theh auditor.

ask at the next house meeting.

Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 7:45 PMBy: I’ve had enough! High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union To: George N. Schmidt

Is there a process in either the CTU, IFT or AFT Constitution that provides for the recall of Union Officers? Where should I look or who should I contact?

Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 9:58 PMBy: LM-2 High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union CTU is comprised of public employees ie chicago, so they are exempt.

that is a far as what I have found out.

Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 11:03 PMBy: Wondering Also High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Actually, they're all on leave from being public employees.

Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 9:57 PMBy: So...? High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union So...what's the plan, a petition signed by 10% of the delegates for a special meeting for a vote?

Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 4:11 PMBy: Bondsman High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Und so, wie können Sie alles prüfen?

Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 7:41 PMBy: George N. Schmidt High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Nicht alles, aber...

Whoops.

Wednesday next week is the monthly meeting of the Chicago Teachers Union House of Delegates. People start arriving at 3:30 p.m. at Plumbers Hall (1340 W. Washington), and Marilyn Stewart officially begins the festivities at 4:30 p.m. I don't think she can ground Ted Dallas, the union's vice president, from attending a House of Delegates meeting. She did manage to keep him from appearing during the past week at the teacher bashing press conference she hosted at the union's Merchandise Mart offices (Monday, February 25) and from appearing at the Board of Education's tumultuous meeting on Wednesday (February 27).

More revelations about all that next week in the next exciting issue of...

Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 9:25 PMBy: to Kugler High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Great to hear! It should be an interesting, lively and productive meeting.

Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 9:33 PMBy: Kugler Fan High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Anxiously awaiting your next segment Dr. Kugler!!

Sat Mar 1, 2008 at 4:38 AMBy: Unionist High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Hello
Action is necessary.
Marilyn Stewart is betraying and attempts to destroy the Union.
She sent the "solidarity"letter to Arne asking to ignore Ted Dallas actions.
She advertised in the Union paper the AUSL supporting private companies taking over the CPS schools.
She caused the 4 millions debt plus undisclosed loans we have to repay.
She paid 8,000.00 for her trip abroad using Union money.
We have to rid of her otherwise we will face massive job losses in the nearest future and the Union will be eliminated .
She must take a leave until new elections.
Help her to go to hell.

Tue Mar 4, 2008 at 8:58 PMBy: copy cat High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Hey Debbie Lynch!!
Marilyn Stewart is stealing your idea. Last week we got your letter and petition about the NO CONFIDENCE VOTE for Arne Duncan. Maybe this is her way of saying your smarter than her? She plans on passing this along as her original thought. Make sure you let her know at the House tomorrow. Your not going to let her get away with this are you?
How about a NO CONFIDENCE for Marilyn Stewart and her cohorts?

Tue Mar 4, 2008 at 9:26 PMBy: Housekeeper High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Does PACT exist anymore?
Stewart stealing your ideas?
Does anyone realize the power that the House of Delegate's has? We can change all the rules tomorrow if we want too.
We should direct the questions to the chair. Why shouldn't Madame Mumbles know the answers? She wasn't ready for her big performance last August, what makes you think she will be ready in March?

Tue Mar 4, 2008 at 9:52 PMBy: Lois High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Copycat,
Correct me if I'm wrong, but Debbie Lynch tried last year in the house to get the Union to give Arne a vote of no confidence. The house (or rather UPC) nixed the idea. Tommorrow should be interesting if Marilyn does ask for this NO CONFIDENCE vote for Arne.

Tue Mar 4, 2008 at 10:56 PMBy: Hoping High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Good luck to you all tomorrow! Make something happen. Please!!

Tue Mar 4, 2008 at 11:05 PMBy: classroom teacher High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Some of you can't see the Forest for the Trees. Arne is closing schools. What are you doing about it? Attack the Union President now? All this infighting for what? Surely this is not helping things.

Tue Mar 4, 2008 at 11:12 PMBy: to: Disgruntled Delegate High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Why no convention? NO MONEY!!
The delegates should try to pass a motion to increase their monthly stipends from $45 to $100. The extra money should be part of the pain and suffering one must endure month after month listening to Madame Mumbles and crew. Since we are already in the red, what's the difference?

Tue Mar 4, 2008 at 11:29 PMBy: Fundraising Committee High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Suggestion.... Maybe Mark Ochoa and Nick Canella can have a Fotomat booth next to Schmidt tomorrow and sell some of those 8 x 10 glossies of UPC members meeting at the Parthenon last week.

Tue Mar 4, 2008 at 11:47 PMBy: Recap of Events High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union By: George N. Schmidt

Chicago Blogger Critiques High School Transformation
The least you could have done, Nick, is send me some of those photographs you and Mark Ochoa were taking on Halsted St. outside the Parthenon last Thursday, when Marilyn sent you to spy on the UPC meeting. The Chicago Teachers Union used to be a sign of the strength of teachers. With that Spy Versus Spy Mad Magazine you and the financial secretary tried to pull (on company time, no less) the day after the Board voted to whack the largest number of teachers in the history of school closings, you should at least have found somewhere else to be and something else to do.

But now it's part of a long and dismal record. It's only a question of whether satire will do justice to how ridiculous the last eight days of UPC history are. From the debacle at PUSH on February 23 to that stupid press conference on February 25 to the downright stupidity of the CTU presentation at the Board on February 27, this was a real triumph of dumb. As we walked out of 125 S. Clark St. after the Board voted to screw all those schools (none of you bothered to stay, although many parents and some reporters did), we really couldn't think of how you could top the Dumb List with anything more that week.

Then on February 28 you decided the most important thing you guys could do was stand out there playing tough guy games with those big fancy cameras you really don't know how to use. Is it true they were issued to you by John Ostenberg out of the inventory CTU uses to take pictures for the Chicago Union Teacher? If that's the case (and it's easy enough to learn), then you'd better find a way to publish those pictures in the March Union Teacher. It's getting to the point where even your buddies at the IFT and AFT won't be able to keep the pressure off forever.


By: Kugler - How about Me

Chicago Blogger Critiques High School Transformation
do i get a copy of my pic?

Hmmm. CTU equipment for internal political purposes.

You guys left too early we awnted a group shot.
HiHo

Tue Mar 11, 2008 at 8:03 PMBy: Wondering High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union I am a union delegate from a Bowen school - this is the first I've heard of a leadership no-confidence vote. How were delegates or members contacted? I sure would've signed it. Thirty percent of our teachers were let go by a capricious new principal and we'll be looking for positions with about a million other CPS teachers this spring!

Tue Mar 11, 2008 at 11:08 PMBy: you just don't get it High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Is classroom teacher the only person who understands the game being played? OUR problem is weak, back biting members. NOT the president.

THIS IS THE BIGGEST SMOKE SCREEN AND WE ARE FALLING FOR IT.

The delegates and members make this a strong union or a weak one. It is so easy to blame Marilynn; and no, she is not perfect. And she is not God. In all wars you win some and loose some.

But we voted for her and team, we voted that contract in. If people were so tough (unionist) they would have voted NO to contract. It is the same problem with the last Lynch contract-it was voted in. I voted no on both accounts.

At one time CTU was one of the strongest Unions is the nation. There is a nationwide attack on Unions and we are falling right into it.

When the going gets tough you cannot only blame the Pres., you must look at yourself.

Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 5:44 AMBy: Unionist High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Hello You just....
Dear Colleagues:
As you remember Marilyn counted voters according to her ability.
Do you think that people really voted for the 5 years contract?
Hahah.Do you believe that people have anything to do with the $4millions debt and another $2millions in loans we have to pay?
You just have a such kind of person as your leader.Open your eyes.
Who really supports her?Her group of high paid clowns?They love money not her.In order to be effective you must clean your house first.How much money the average PSRP makes?Their highly ineffective coordinator/field reps collecting $120 000.
Do not lecture us to concentrate on more important issues.
I recognize you Nick..keep doing what you do.

Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 4:56 PMBy: been around the CTU for 7 years High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Let's talk about the big money administrative staff at the Mart. 13 out of the 14 can walk away at any time with six digit pensions. The oddball is the publicist who is not a teacher. Now, the question is, "why are they fighting so hard to keep MS around?" The answer is GREED! Why not milk the members out of all they can. They want to keep the only person who was making them accountable out of the mix. The moral of this blog is that the membership needs to send this administrative staff to a warmer climate, and hire motivated, political savvy field staff in their places. As long as MS is in charge, that isn't going to happen. MS must go.

Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 6:28 PMBy: Unionist High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Hello Kelli and Let's Going..
Please take under consideration that local people took charge against schools closure.People at Orr went to hearings and presented motion.Marilyn was waiting at home.She shows at her office at1:30(her staff decided to wait for her with the b-day cake).
Do you know that secretary at the CPS makes about $30 000 and her coordinator/useless field reps making about $ 120 000?
Do you know that CTU is $4 millions in debt?
Before you decide to post please use your brain or.....knock the next door and report to your boss...she possibly is at work assuming that you are communicating with her after 1:00 P.M.

Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 6:57 PMBy: Unionist High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Let's going-
Read carefully.It is not an attack and not a rumorous information.
As a Union member you have a right to inspect all documents you wish.
Give me your address I will send you copies.
Good luck with your intellectual development .

Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 8:15 PMBy: Unionist High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Dear BY:
Check salary schedule for PSRP you can find online Chicago teachers Union -current contract sorry tentative agreement

Thu Mar 13, 2008 at 6:31 AMBy: Unionist High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Hello.Is it true that Marilyn is hospitalized because of the heart attack?Can not believe.

Thu Mar 13, 2008 at 11:28 AMBy: Bondsman High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union When teaching I tend to give the students the benefit of the doubt when they tell me they did or did not do something or that they we're not involved. I had a mentor teacher that told me the student was lying and I still thought the student sincere. 9 times out of 10 I was disappointed because the student I trusted lied. Marilyn is like that student I trusted. When she says "what letter?"at a house meeting , she is lying. She knows the letter in question. She lied. I for one cannot trust a liar with my future.
Also, this contract is "banta poodoo!"

Thu Mar 13, 2008 at 12:12 PMBy: kelli High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union To Unionist,
There are many people in this world that I do not particularly like. I don't think they do their jobs very well, I think they tend to speak without knowing all the facts just to incite people. I think they can only communicate in the subjective case. No matter who these people are or why I don't like them, NEVER in my life have I been so immature and spiteful as to wish someone ill. What absolutley gets my blood boiling about this situation is that you have said only negative things, yet don't have the courage or decency to give your name. A true unionist speaks the truth and is never afraid to back up what they say.

Thu Mar 13, 2008 at 3:07 PMBy: Bondsman High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union To Kelli,
There are a lot of negatives out there. Wake up and investigate on your own if you must. Don't speak untruths and don't give whole hearted support without knowing the truth. I agree the chit chat about the heart attack is a low blow, but it pales in comparison to the damage our President has done to our Union. 5 years, 5 F#*$@ing years!

Thu Mar 13, 2008 at 8:34 PMBy: John Doe High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Unionist, try to make a little more sense when you write.

Kelli, and how do we know that is your real name?

Thu Mar 13, 2008 at 9:41 PMBy: Let's get going on serious issues High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Did anyone contact their legislators regarding the residency issue?
That is in our hands not Marilyn Stewart.

Stand tall Kelli. A true uniost argues the issue not the people.
It is a sad time people when people stoop so low as to speak poorly about someones health.

Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 2:21 AMBy: and the point is? High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union And the point is.....?

Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 8:36 AMBy: Kelli High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union To All:
My name is Kelli. I am the delegate from Boone School. I have done my investigating and I choose to fight for my members. I attend meetings, go to rallies, write my representatives, and voice my opinions and beliefs. I give my whole heart and support to MY union. Do I always agree with the way everything gets handled? No. Do I express my displeasure--yes. If I believe something needs to be changed, I go about it in the correct manner. Just as I teach my students and my own children--actions speak louder than words. I will work for what I want changed and work harder to keep my union strong and proud. I don't think I could ever be proud of some of the things that have been said on this blog. I have never said that there are not things that need to be changed in our union, however I am not going to just rant about it. I wish that those who are complaining would state who they are and offer constructive help to get the changes they want.

Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 11:08 AMBy: Highly qualified and unemployed now High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Washington High School is in crisis! Fourteen effective teachers have been terminated so far, plus numerous support personal. Our once happy community has nearly been destroyed within three short months by the newly and dubiously elected principal. Immediately the politically affiliated and even relatives of LSC members!! have been elevated to positions for which they are not experienced or qualified. Teachers who do not even live in Chicago have been given lead positions because they helped manuever the new administration in power over the protests of a united staff and despite the hugely disruptive effect this politically motivated bloodbath has had on student learning and community morale. No word from the union. In protest over half of the students stayed at home and parents have begun circulating flyers and contacting responsible parties as well as the press. The kids have been threatened with severe disciplinary measures, including suspension and the witholding of graduation privileges which they have earned, for attempting to advocate for their own education in the face of this self-interested and incompetent administration. Teachers are being accused of outrageous acts and suffering immediate economic sanctions, while egregious ethical violations and gross violations of child safety remain ignored since they involve friends of the principal and alderman. It is frightening how quickly a stable learning community can be destroyed, and it is completely unsafe. Offices and furniture have been moved exposing confidential matters to public view and allowing adults with no background checks or security concern immediate access to the kids. The Board should override the manipulated vote of this LSC and place a responsible and experienced administration in charge before the situation becomes worse. There is zero confidence in this devisive and inexperienced leadership. Second language speakers are being left in the cold, and Black parents are withdrawing their children in numbers. All "non neighborhood kids" are being kicked out, excessively disciplined, and made to feel very, very unwelcome. Anti-black gang graffiti appeared immediately over the entire entrance to the building and was left in place for days by the new administration. The principal never bothered to introduce herself to the student body over the PA, and days passed before she even spoke to the staff and even then no expectations, educational vision, or leadership ability were conveyed. It is a very unethical, unpleasant, and even dangerous situation now, and your support in bringing the truth out would be appreciated. The union has obviously been compromised to allow conditions such as this to exist in a publically funded institution.

Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 2:14 PMBy: The Graduate High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Hello all. About to graduate a certificate program here and trying to understand some things. Novice, who yesterday found it interesting that "revenue-generating not-for-profits" with offices on Park Avenue, NYC; and the wherewithal to pay $55K to a homeworker (See Craig's list this date); and the like, are considered appropriate parties to consult on the qualifications of Chicago teachers. Are they really likewise qualified to analyze or consider the social and community context of Chicago schools, more so than the teachers I somehow doubt they're talking to if they've been hired to assess their, alleged, competence? If it's more training or support that teachers need, well good, but what did these consultants cost again? Couldn't teachers and schools develop many of the same assessments or programs (however with support and collaboration, not inherent threats) for much less cost?
Interesting trends. Teachers are some of the last public servants not already isolated by private contracting, where they would be too weak politically to protest low pay and lack of rights or benefits; as has happened with bus drivers and other support staff. Also interesting that the high-end development we've seen so much of nationally, while it does generate employment, is for positions like ticket taker, parking garage attendant, security guard, or waitress; jobs that the children of the people who fund, plan, and enable that development are unlikely to take. Or know much about.
Just a few brief observations. I don't know, but it seems that there's much at stake. Unfortunately also that at present, whoever is making these decisions does not always have the best of relations with (and sometimes it seems, respect for) its own teachers; who could certainly be developed as the people who accomplish the same turnaround as those now being imposed. Seems that way. Best wishes to all.

Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 7:43 PMBy: wanderer High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union First Marilyn lost her mother, then her sister-in-law. It was that funeral that she was attending on the morning of the board meeting. Mary McGuire spoke in her place. George, you have now sunk to the lowest
of lows. The Union was represented at all of the hearings. Marilyn attended many of the meetings in the schools. These are just lies, lies, lies that you continue to fabricate.

Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 8:14 PMBy: Ministry of Truth High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Marilyn Stewart has now been the President when the most schools have been closed in the history of the union!

Fact or Fiction?

Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 10:12 PMBy: Meanderer High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Can anyone collaborate that Marilyn was at ANY school closing meetings?

Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 11:32 PMBy: judith High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union second line should read pull the wool, not pool the wool.

Sat Mar 15, 2008 at 12:13 AMBy: teacher teacher High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union George, You attacked Jackie Vaughn, then Reece and now it's Marilyn. You will never be happy because you wanted to be President and the members said, "No, No, No!"

Thank goodness for that!

Sat Mar 15, 2008 at 12:24 AMBy: in the know High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Meanderer,

Duh,,,,Marilyn's mother died. Did you ever hear of compassion?
I guess not.

Sat Mar 15, 2008 at 12:48 AMBy: Kugler - Compasion High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union I don't agree with the ugly turn during the day blogging recently, but what compassion has Marilyn shown for the hundreds of fired teachers?


Funny joke

Sat Mar 15, 2008 at 12:56 AMBy: in the know High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union HER MOTHER DIED....

Sat Mar 15, 2008 at 6:53 AMBy: George N. Schmidt High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union "...My name is Kelli. I am the delegate from Boone School. I have done my investigating and I choose to fight for my members. I attend meetings, go to rallies, write my representatives, and voice my opinions and beliefs..." blah blah blah...

Look, kid. One of the reasons I recommend blogging in your own full name and with full disclosures is that if your name is Kelli Pfeiffer and you've been a member of the United Progressive Caucus for years you've at least got to take advantage of full disclosure so that you're not lumped in the same nasty little nest of liars as "Porky" and those other UPC piecards who've been popping in and out here.

For three years (2001 - 2004) you and the rest of the Marilyn Stewart cheering section went nuts trying to disrupt the House of Delegates while Debbie Lynch was trying to change a few things in the union.

For the next three years (2004-2007) you and the rest of the Marilyn Stewart cheering section went equally nuts while Marilyn Stewart went full speed ahead with a strategy called "Blame it all on Debbie" and only one objective -- getting the majority of the counted votes after the May 2007 election. (Remember all the people you told all those stories about Debbie and PACT and how much better things would be once we all landed in Wonderland with your version of Alice and the Mad Hatter and they got to negotiate a really good contract because they were the professionals who really knew what they were doing, professionally and all that UPC talking point BS)...

For the past two weeks, across Chicago, under the Marilyn Stewart contract, PATs have been getting ZAPPED. Wasn't that supposed to end when the UPC contract was voted on? Didn't you support that contract with your avid frothing help between August 31 and the kinky September 10 referendum that I watched at a couple of schools -- not yours, by the way?

Now where is that damned contract so that everyone who is (now) paying $870 per year union dues (teachers) to the CTU can read the rest of the bad news? On line?

I was running delegate training in 2004, when the UPC went nuts (yourself included) about how the 2004-2007 contract had not been printed within two months of the final referendum vote. Two months! We were able to do some training that Spring (March 2004) and everyone had the contract by the time we all met.

Now it's 2008. No delegate training (budget problems). No contract book (six months after that silly September 10 rigged referendum vote).

And hundreds of your fellow teachers are being zapped by principals on the basis of a policy that you swore would be ended once the evil reign of Debbie Lynch was corrected by those professionals you've been working with.

Yeah -- they certainly are professionals. But at least have a sense of humor about it. If you wake up on a whorehouse, don't think you haven't been _____.

This is a fill-in-the-blank quiz from a former Chicago cab driver.

Sat Mar 15, 2008 at 9:28 AMBy: Kugler - The Truth High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Tsk tsk

do you know your side was acroos the street on union time using union equipment to take pictures of people going into a restaurant?

becareful who you call "which is composed of professionals who possess common sense, compassion, couth and decorum. And one which is not. I will continue to align myself with those professionals who understand that nothing is perfect. You get out of it what you put in it. If all you add is negativity that is what you will experience."

I was there. I witnessed the event.

Are you calling me a liar or unprofessional because I put this information out for people to become educated how corrupt the current Union administration is?

Again there are only two sides in life: the right side or the wrong side.

those who are lazy and corrupt always choose the wrong side because it is easier to hide.

The right side likes light and fresh air to get new ideas for change.

tsk tsk you need to decide what side you are on and live with the consequences when they happen.

There might be some major fallout going to happen in the near future.

those of you on the wrong side might be on the outside soon.

Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 1:33 AMBy: Tsk Tsk High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union HA HA HA, so what a typo.
See how easily you assume that I am on a side. That is your guilt shining through. Why can't you all just get along. There is no right or wrong. This is still America so people can take pictures and vote how they choose. The negativity continues.....come up with something new to complain about.

Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 6:52 AMBy: Retired Principal High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union "Can't we all just get along?"

Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 11:05 AMBy: the observer High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Sorry. Last post should read "wrongful firing" and "fear of not being an insider".

Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 11:53 AMBy: Jackson Potter High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union I don't quite understand the attack, counter attacks within the UPC cabal. Neither side has adequately addressed the fundamental threat to the union, privatization and charters. When was the last time either side has sought to create transparency -- so that rank and filers could decide if we wanted to keep paying their bloated salaries or rework the budget to reflect new conditions -- namely to dedicate most of that $800 + a month that members pay to organizing and putting boots on the ground.

Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 3:23 PMBy: Unionist High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union By Correction:
Be precise You said" she was paid four times what she was worth"
let's see 4 times 0 =0 is it it?

Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 9:43 PMBy: Unionist High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Dear Union Member:
You are right excuse me ..blame the emotion ..never again
I love you, Man
Amen

Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 5:46 PMBy: kelli High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union To All :
You are correct. My name is Kelli Pfeiffer. However, you are incorrect when you say I was one of the people screaming as a UPCer against Debbie. I did not become a member of the UPC until Debbie started screaming at the members of the house of delegates when they didn't approve the first contract she brought forth.
Yes, when I feel something is not right I do discuss it with the officers. Just like in real life, sometimes things go my way, sometimes they don't.
People have talked about there is the right side and the wrong side. I am amazed that so many educated people can think that our world is a black and white world. I realized that most situations had a lot of gray when I became an adult.
People have talked about "grass roots" movements, but I have seen no posting for rallies or door to door contacts.
If it is true that there were no union employees at some of the school closing meetings, than I agree that is not right. However, before I crucify anyone I would like to know why.
The only reason I can think of that you choose to do nothing but complain and put others down is because that is how you make yourself feel bigger.

Wed Mar 19, 2008 at 3:47 AMBy: George N. Schmidt High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union This "let's all be nice" stuff might sound a little different to some of you if you had just been voted out of a job effective last day of school in June. The Board Report read: "Reconstitute _____ School and Remove and Replace the _____ School staff, including the principal, at the End of the 2007-2008 School Year." Eight schools were included in that phrase on February 27, 2008.

They are (so you don't get amnesia):

Harper High School.

Mose Vines at Orr.

AASTA at Orr.

EXCEL at Orr.

Howe Elementary School.

Morton "Academy" Elementary School.

Copernicus Elementary School.

Fulton Elementary School.

In addition to those teachers (and "other staff"), the staffs at a half dozen other schools will be shredded at the end of this school year.

Those are your "brothers and sisters" colleagues.

And I personally watched Marilyn Stewart delay, obfuscate, and finally collaborate on that slaughter. She didn't even bother to show up at most of the hearings between February 4 and February 16, and when she showed up by proxy (Mary McGuire; Mark Ochoa only, since she doesn't trust Linda Porter or Ted Dallas at this point) it was to deliver some ambiguous nonsense (in one case, a poem; on another case, the same prattle about "it takes a village" at several different hearings) instead of telling the Board ...

If you touch those schools, we will walk.

Finally, on February 23 (PUSH) and February 25 (CTU press conference) Marilyn Stewart asked the Board ("please please please") to let Marc Wigler and the QUEST center fire the teachers, instead of the Board doing it.

Yeah. That's the next contribution from your buddies with whom we are supposed to make nice. "Fresh Start" schools are another setup. On February 25, at its press conference, the leaders of the CTU (those who are allowed away from their desks; again, Porter and Dallas were grounded by MOTHER) asked the Board to allow the union 90 days so that the union could "Fresh Start" the "failing" schools (in other words, it would have been OK if the union had been asked to join in the slaughter, as the union agreed to do in Toledo, Ohio).

I dare anyone here who wants everyone to be nice at this point to walk into one of those eight schools wearing a Marilyn Stewart button and talking like you do here. Marilyn Stewart betrayed those hundreds of your brothers and sisters, then she didn't even bother to show up when the deeds were being done.

Wed Mar 19, 2008 at 12:42 PMBy: Unionist High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Great comment, Bondsman.
Wake up and get your leadership to the dumpster where they belong to.

Wed Mar 19, 2008 at 4:48 PMBy: Unionist High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Give too much
Are you a paid supporters?Such senseless comments are difficult to find

Wed Mar 19, 2008 at 6:34 PMBy: Yikes High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union 1. Stolen identity (laptop computers were stolen 1 year ago
2. Peoplesoft-They new deadline for fixing the sick days is March 31st. I know mine is still wrong. Do you have faith they will be fixed by then?
3. Magnet school Letter Mishap
4. 150 schools becoming charter schools in the next few years
5. Special ed scandals
6. Board of Ed alleged bribes (Levin trial)
7. CTU broke
8. Fixed LSC's
9. Teachers terminated/non-renewed
10. Fresh Start affecting tenured teachers
11. Residency rules (only 2 districts have this-why buy in the city knowing that you can lose your job?)

These are real issues that Monster Daley and Lap-dog Arne are doing to us. What can we do to protect us?

Wed Mar 19, 2008 at 7:45 PMBy: Obsolete Residency requirement must go High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union We are so short of administrators possibly due to the residency requirement that we're hiring principals with rap sheets.

We are short of special education teachers due to the residency provision. Remember the residency waiver can be rescinded at any time. Some of the special education personnel that CPS is hiring have been let go from one, two or three suburban districts. I know there is one in a southside high school who was let go from five suburban districts. We need the best and the brightest to teach and to administrate not castoffs from other districts.

Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 7:08 AMBy: George N. Schmidt High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union For those who say that Marilyn Stewart couldn't do "anything"...

Would that were true.

Had she merely done nothing, things would not be as bad as they now are. Instead, just about everything she did was to help the boss screw more schools and teachers. Marilyn Stewart and her administration tried, right down to the day of the February 27 Board of Education vote on the 18 school screwings (most of them closings), to sabotage the resistance. Her work was actively on the side of Daley, Duncan, and their clones.

The absence of Marilyn Stewart from the hearings between February 4 and February 16 was only added to by the insult of the publicity stunts she and her brain dead brain trust tried just before the Board meeting.

On February 23 (PUSH) and February 25 (the CTU "Let us fire the bad teachers" press conference, featuring Dal Lawrence and other union "experts" on how to sell out teachers) the Chicago Teachers Union announced just how far (and how cravenly) it was willing to go selling out its members. Instead of "An injury to one is an injury to all" CTU members got "Fresh Start" and "Let us find and fire bad teachers..." That, plus brain dead publicity stunts to distract what little media attention there was from the upcoming massive protests on February 27. (Compared with that silly protest Stewart organized against the payroll mess, the outpouring of people February 27 -- with hundreds turned away from a public meeting of their school board by armed police -- was monumental. And Marilyn Stewart, during the previous week, had done everything in her feeble power to distract attention from those demonstrations and to keep teachers away from those actions.

But this particular string of sellouts goes back to long before the summer of 2007 (selling out on the contract) or September 10, 2007 (stuffing the referendum ballot boxes, especially at the schools that had no delegates).

From its beginning in August 2004, this union administration had only one objective: patronage jobs at the union. Spending the dues dollars on themselves. Stewart's 2007 income, because of her new "job" at the Illinois Federation of Teachers, was more than $200,000 -- higher than Arne Duncan's.

They had no plan to do anything else, and they didn't do anything else. It's been sellout after sellout.

But the most amazing thing about this past winter (now ending) is that teachers, parents, and children mobilized across the city against the cuts. Every one of those hearings Marilyn Stewart ditched (on orders from Richard M. Daley?) was an amazing feat of determination, intelligence, organization, and, in many cases, heartbreak.

Hundreds of people attended each of the hearings on Andersen, DeLaCruz, Edison, Orr, Fulton, Copernicus, Abbott, and Irving Park Middle. Hundreds of people. Lesser numbers at the other hearings. And every one of them made an intelligent point against the lies of Arne Duncan and the Daley clones standing at the front pretending to be the "Board of Education".

So people were organized.

The crime of Marilyn Stewart and her administration was that they were doing everything they could -- from months before the attack began -- to sabotage, undercut, and betray all of that energy, all of that hope, and all of that truth.

Now that it's all a matter of history -- and slowly being told in video and in print, despite the tyrannies -- people have to decide how to treat the traitors. It's clear who did what, when, and where. I'm not myself interested in "Why" since their praxis is now a matter of record.

Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 7:38 AMBy: Residency affects teacher quality High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union As a teacher who is not affected by the residency requirement I am saddened that our students are not getting the best teachers or administrators because of the residency requirement.

We are not city employees and do not have any of the city benefits such as early retirement, tuition reimbursement, paid maternity leave and we do not pay into the same pension system. Our medical benefits are sustandard compared to city employees. No city employee is required to have a four year degree to apply for a job yet a four hour a day crossing guard has better medical coverage than I do.

So you are exempt for three years. This will entice new teachers to come to Chicago? What is happening is that new, usually right out of college teachers rent near north with 3 room mates, kind of what they were used to in college. Slowly, they plan to get married and then they realize that they can not afford to live in Chicago on a teacher salary or the significant other works in Aurora or near O' Hare and wants a home midpoint between the places of employment. Since teaching jobs are now plentiful and often better paying elsewhere guess which person leaves CPS especially with the residency issue, waivers or not? This is not rocket science-get rid of the residency requirement.

Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 9:57 AMBy: kelli High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union To Unionist: I am sorry if I don't spend all day at the computer to respond to you. I do have things to do that make a difference. I can't really respond to you because I don't truly know who you are. I have given my name, how about you?
I am a delegate. I get a stipend just like every other delegate. I do not work for the quest center or the union. I really can't believe that if someone disagrees with you -you assume that they are a paid employee. It really could be that people have their own opinions and beliefs. As of yet, I still have not seen you write anything constructive for our union members. Have I gotten to the mics at the meetings? Yes. Will I continue to do so? You bet. The difference when I get up will be that everyone will know who I am and what I believe. I am not hiding behind a fake name. I am willing to get up in front of everyone and say exactly what I have said here on this blog. I don't know if you can make the same claim.

Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 8:11 PMBy: member High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union I really think that we are experiencing " learned helplessness" symptoms with extreme fustration. Why? because we can not change the existing situations with the board, they keep plowing right along doing whatever they please. Parents, teachers, students and the union are powerless! to effect a change or even a pause from the board. Parents say "we don't want our children sent all over the city. However they have not decided to find or develop an alternative form of education, one activist suggested keeping the students out of school, which would mean a lost of funding from the state to CPS, well the last time I saw him, he was running for office. I was a victim of the first "shock and awe" the 1100PATs that were laid off three years ago, So I have empathy for the turnaround teachers. However we need real solutions, before we declare independence from or label the union impotent.

Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 11:12 PMBy: The Watcher High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union As I read through this blog I feel compelled to respond to numeous comments made.
Giving too much credit-You have evidently not been keeping a close eye on the school closings. The 2010 Ren. could have been stopped! It wasn't a done deal . Stewart could have easily said to the Board that the Union would not negotiate a new contract unless the Board put a halt to the school closings. The idea that there much be some sort of criteria that the Boards chooses simply isn't true.
The North Lawndale school closing last year is such an example. The area is under gentrification as many of the selected schools are. Michael Scott, the former school board President, abruptly resigned last year. Rumors had it that he owned quite a bit of property in the North Lawndale community. Coincidence?

Kelli- You are just a delegate not an elementary school functional vice-president/ executive board member elected under Stewart? From your loud mouth at the House Meetings, to your loud mouth on this blog. The way you support Stewart's every move, you are one election closer to a parking spot at the Merchandise Mart.

Tsk, Tsk- Porky's II? "Union Members Have No Humanity?" You've got a lot of nerve. Stewart's mother passed away. She of course needs time to grieve. If at this difficult time she cannot meet her obligations to the 30,000 members she represents, then the Vice-President should! Remember Ted Dallas? I believe he would have some choice words for the Board, showing support to the members, as it was well documented at the Orr closings.

I don't think Stewart realized the ups and downs of being the CTU President when Dallas asked her to lead HIS slate. But she realizes now...
She realizes that Ostenberger isn't right all the time either...
Isn't that right?
HiHo

Fri Mar 21, 2008 at 2:14 AMBy: George N. Schmidt High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union I might be the last person around here to defend Ted Dallas, but when I saw the line up at the February 25 Chicago Teachers Union press conference (the one at which Marilyn Stewart begged the Board to give the union 90 days to propose how to help CPS fire teachers and close schools), the second most interesting thing was that two of the CTU's officers -- Dallas and Porter -- were not there. It was as if Marilyn Stewart (and her media advisors?) decided they didn't even want Dallas and Porter on TV!

Same Same two days earlier at PUSH.

Now, if it's true that some of the union's staff (Dallas) have been ordered by the union's president not to meet with members in the schools during working hours (or risk what? "insubordination" charges?), then you've got to ask who's out there working for the members.

Three weeks ago, the Chicago Board of Education voted to close (or significantly modify, to the detriment of the teachers and other staff, including the principals in most cases) 18 public schools -- the largest number in history. Largest number both in number of schools, and number of staff, students, and others affected.

Marilyn Stewart was not there. The CTU's response was to roll over and beg. Marilyn Stewart led the begging. The begging went through "Fresh Start" and all the way through that PUSH thingy (February 23) and that ignominious media event (February 25).

As we've discussed here before, there was sufficient militancy and intelligence in the schools that were under attack to maintain the honor of the teachers, parents, children, and communities. Even, in most cases, the principals, who risked Arne's ire (again, neglected by their "union") by speaking out forcefully for their schools. Hundreds of them, from Edison on that first Friday night all the way to Gladstone on that last Saturday of the hearings.

All those people needed was a coherent plan to fight back, but instead they got sellout from the CTU and sellout from the CPAA (which didn't even speak out either at the January 23 or the February 27 Board meetings). Those are now the facts of history in this town.

Renaissance 2010 could have been stopped dead at any point with the number of people -- organized citywide -- who protested across the city against this year's round of school closings. Instead, everyone was sold out, isolated and allowed (by their leaders, like Marilyn Stewart) to be picked off one by one.

Fri Mar 21, 2008 at 8:04 AMBy: kelli High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Once again,
I have seen quite a bit of name calling and snide remarks, but these come from those people who do not use their real names. If you truly believe in what you say and you are being honest in what you portray, why are you so afraid to use your real name?

Fri Mar 21, 2008 at 9:19 AMBy: Member High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Watcher: you see solutions that could have been implemented to at lease get the boards attention,in regards to closing schools. Maybe you should run for President ! Yes Micheal Scott has property in North Lawndale and so does his brother. Enrollment is very low in schools in that area, new principals enter schools straight out of inhuman treatment boot camp. These principals have no human resource training, all they want is to" drive out the teachers," If you teach 8th grade on the third floor, they force you to move to 2nd grade on the 1st floor. These practices need to be made public. The union says "they can do that". great! eventually we will be replaced by dream team teachers from out of state, "young and talented" with bonuses for working in the ghetto, where's my bonus I've been teaching inner city schools for years? Is that fair? Lets ask the Union, "They can do that". New Black Principals we call Willie lynch principals they divide and conquer the staff, using age, gender, any bias, it's interesting to see that spanish principals have had the same training.

Fri Mar 21, 2008 at 1:17 PMBy: Hello Alexander High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Hello Alexander It seems like you are blocking Unionist from posting...

Fri Mar 21, 2008 at 8:47 PMBy: kelli High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Incongnito,
When Ms. Lynch was the president, I disagreed with her. I was not affiliated with any group. I did not join the UPC until afterwards. I went on tv against Ms. Lynch. I disagreed and I went and said what I felt I had to say. I did it in a professional, above-board atmosphere. I was worried about going against the president of the union at that time, but I felt that if I believed in what I was saying I had to be willing to own my words in public. I wish you and the others would do the same. I think if we could have actual constructive discussions we could solve so many problems. We are all teachers who want fair treatment for ouselves and our students. We have a common enemy and it is the mayor and the board.

Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 5:14 PMBy: Tsk Tsk High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Well watcher aka Barack Obama,

Wouldn't you love to be as wise as Mr. Obama!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is a shame that whenever someone disagrees with you (and many others) I have to be "paid and bought". Such a cheap shot. This is still America and everyone is entitled to their opinion-including me.

As for insulting the house, oh please. If you have been present at a house meeting in the last five years you know that I am truth telling. The fighting, nit picking, back stabbing, disruptive behavior, and other silly antics has taken over to the point where business cannot be conducted.

Instead of watching, how about taking some positive action. Do something that will effect a positive change.

Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 6:13 PMBy: Janet High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union There are bigger issues here that people posting their names. Let's not waste anymore time arguing over that!

Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 7:41 PMBy: The Watcher High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Well Tsk, Mr. Obama is not as wise as of late. Anyway, all the groups have been guilty of what you are calling in-fighting. I call it politicking over the last five years. Effective politicking! Look at what has happened. The UPC dynasty ending when Reece lost. Three years later, the Lynch machine got beat, whether it was 600 votes or not, it should have been harder to beat an incumbant.

Why did this happen? This level or intensity of politicking comes from being deceitful to the delegates. You miscalculate the knowledge and the power they possess, while they manipulate the votes in their schools.

Is this an acceptable analysis for you Tsk? Do you think your boss learned anything from the past 5 years? Stewart forced this contract down everyone's throat in a worst fashion than Lynch did!

Take your blog beating like a man Tsk and don't reply anymore! I don't like to be cocky, but your no match for me. The more we go back and forth, the more embarrassing it will get for you and your boss.

Last but not least, it has been your supporters (UPC) adjourning the meetings early over the last four years. Talk about silly antics and disruptive behavior. You wrote the book.

Sun Mar 23, 2008 at 10:29 AMBy: LV High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Are there any updates about the residency requirement bill?

Sun Mar 23, 2008 at 11:39 AMBy: Kugler - It's a Done Deal ................................................................................... I have someone being wrongfully terminated and CTU says that is all they will do for him(I have filed all the grievances and appeals) When I said he needs a lawyer they said since he is a PAT he probably will not get one.

It's a Done Deal

He will be terminated @ Wed Board meeting. If the Union wants to show how much power it has it would make sure it does everything in its power to protect this members job. the president should herself go to the hearing and advocate for each and every member being terminated!

That is a union.

That is what we pay our dues for.

To protect each others jobs.

Not to write contracts and have meetings.

EVERYTHING!

Sun Mar 23, 2008 at 5:20 PMBy: Free credit monitoring ending soon High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Just got an e-mail - our "complimentary" credit reports (for all that signed up last year with the SS number mess will be gone soon). Any chance- heck who am I kidding- I was going to say any chance this will be extending- Anyway- just reminding you all to keep an eye on your credit. If the laptops did have SS numbers on it and they were taken off- About now would be the perfect time for the people who stole them to use the numbers knowing that CPS paid for 1 year of monitoring (and that was posted widely). So be careful- no one watching your back in this system if you aren't!

Sun Mar 23, 2008 at 8:54 PMBy: Oscar Mayer High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Residency Bill Bologna!
This is a Pam Massarsky/Speaker Madigan scam. We should not have a problem with CTU political money going to our state democratic leaders, after all, that's what that money is for. But do we have to listen to "old upc" Massarsky try to convince the delegates it has a chance to pass.

This is a favor by the Speaker to justify his CTU money. Everyone knows it will not go to vote in the senate. Even if it passes the senate, which it certainly won't, Daley's buddy Blago will veto it.

Massarsky and her scab sidekick(Stewart's best friend) Cobb-Evans need to cut the crap. We are smarter than that.

Sun Mar 23, 2008 at 11:20 PMBy: new wave High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Marilyn STewart is a turn coat and a cheat. Why can't we recall her like they recalled Grey Davis former California governor. Or can we just fire her? GIVE MARILYN THE BOOT. WE NEED REAL LEADERSHIP WHO IS WILLING TO FIGHT DALEY/DUNCAN. RESCIND THE RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT !!!!!!! ITS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE DA MAYOR IS INDICTED PF IS WORKING HIS WAY TO HIM ONE CORRUPT POL AT A TIME...

Mon Mar 24, 2008 at 1:19 AMBy: Tsk Tsk High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union The Residency Bill is HB 4375. You can read it in it's entirety at www.ilga.gov. You can look up your legislators at the same address.

Challenge: Everyone who reads this blog contact your legislator this week and tell them to vote yes to HB 4375.

Mon Mar 24, 2008 at 11:29 AMBy: Retired Principal High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union According to the "Agreement" Between The Board Of Education Of The City Of Chicago And Chicago Teachers Union Local 1 American Federation Of Teachers AFL-CIO, July 1. 2003 To June 30, 2007, pgs.87 & 88, 23-A3. Probationary Teachers: 23A-3.2.- A probationary teacher who is completing his/her first, second or third year of probationary service shall receive written notice at least thirty (30) calendar days before the end of the school year as to whether the teacher will be reappointed for the following school year. Such notice does not need to provide a reason for the non-renewal of the teacher's employment. A teacher who does not receive such notice shall be deemed reappointed for the following school year. A teacher's reappointment for the following school year is subject to the "20th Day Rule" set forth in 105 ILCS 5/34-84. A probationary teacher who is displaced in accordance with the "20th Day Rule" will become a cadre substitute for the remainder of the school year. 23A-3.3.- A probationary teacher who is completing his/her final year of probationary service prior to earning tenure shall receive written notice at least thirty (30) calendar days before the end of the school year as to wheter or not the teacher will be reappointed for the following school year. A probationary teacher who is not reappointed shall be provided a reason in the notice for the non-renewel of his/her employment. A teacher who does not receive such notice shall be deemed reappointed for the following school year and shall become a tenured teacher effective at the start of the next school year. Is this "Article" in the "New" Five-Year Agreement? Is there a printed copy of the "New" Five-Year Agreement? When was the "New" Five-Year Agreement signed by the CTU and the Board Of Education?

Mon Mar 24, 2008 at 4:44 PMBy: Retired principal High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Thank you rodent face!

Mon Mar 24, 2008 at 10:31 PMBy: You Go Watcher! High-Level Strife Inside Chicago Teachers Union Could not be more sick of the Tsk right now!