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LIGHTFOOT
FIGHTS BACK AGAINST CTU, WITHHOLDS PAY AND CONSIDERING LEGAL ACTION
Illinois Policy Institute/
Dylan Sharkey
In the ongoing CPS-CTU feud, Mayor
Lightfoot says teachers on strike will be docked pay, and the city is
considering legal recourse. The union says classrooms aren’t safe, and
they won’t budge until COVID cases drop or demands are met.
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 After the Chicago Teachers Union
voted to return to remote learning, Chicago Public Schools canceled classes on
Jan. 5.
Teachers attempted logging in to Google classrooms Jan. 5, only to find they’d
been locked out at the behest of Mayor Lori Lightfoot. CTU and teachers took to
Twitter, starting the hashtag #LoriLockout.
CPS is considering the union’s actions an “illegal work stoppage,” and Lightfoot
warned teachers who do not show up they’ll be on no pay status. Without a
compromise, the city will pursue a lawsuit alleging illegal labor practices.
“I’m urging teachers: Show up to your schools. Your kids need you,” Lightfoot
said.
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Lightfoot and Chicago
Public Health Commissioner Allison Arwady said that classrooms are
safe. “I don’t want to
make light of the fact that there are children being hospitalized,
but only 15% of the kids in Chicago hospitals today have COVID-19
and the other 85% have other illnesses,” Arwady said. “We don’t
upend school, we don’t stop for influenza.”
The White House commented on the dispute Wednesday, saying it’s safe
for schools “including in Chicago” to safely continue in-person
learning.
CTU President Jesse Sharkey claimed the latest COVID surge puts
students and teachers at risk. The union said they’ll only return to
classrooms if new testing demands are met or if COVID-19 cases
“substantially subsides.” |
