Heritage Education Review: Union Strong-Arming Rewarded in Chicago

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What to Watch The Washington Post documents President Obama's record of overreach into education. Number of the Week Most Americans believe it's too hard to get rid of bad teachers. Quote of the Week How successful was the Chicago Teachers' Union strike? Don't Miss Accreditation: Removing the Barrier to Higher Education Reform

Union Strong-Arming Rewarded in Chicago By Lindsey Burke The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) has ended its seven-day strike, agreeing to a contract negotiated by the union and the school district. At the expense of 350,000 children and taxpayers throughout the state, the union has won big. The union secured a 3 percent salary increase in the first year, a 2 percent raise in the second year, a 2 percent raise in the third year, and a 3 percent raise if the current contract is extended to a fourth year. Prior to the negotiated raise, Chicago public school (CPS) teachers were already among the highest paid in the country, taking home an average of $76,000 per year. When plush pension benefits are included—a $77,400 payment per year, for life, for a 30 year retiree in the system—total compensation is extravagant. Those lavish benefits and salaries are, of course, financed by Illinois taxpayers across the state, whose average family income is $47,000 per year. Notably, the contract protects step increases in pay, which reward teachers based on credentials acquired and length of time served, not on classroom effectiveness. READ MORE >> What To Watch Obama’s Overhaul of Public Education Race to the Top, Common Core Education standards, and NCLB waivers, all contribute to Obama’s track record of overreach into education. Chicago Teachers’ Strike Contradicts Principle of Public Service By James Velasquez Even if we can put aside gripes about the generous salary (at $76,000, it’s among the highest average in the nation) and extravagant benefits afforded to unionized Chicago teachers, a simple question remains: Why would public employees possess the same rights to “collective bargaining” that are possessed by workers in the private sector? One could simply turn to Calvin Coolidge for an answer: “There is no right,” he wrote in response to a strike by Boston Police, “to strike against the public safety by anybody, anywhere, any time.” Coolidge was then serving as the governor of Massachusetts, and his firm response to the strike helped him move on to the national stage. READ MORE >>

Number of the Week 67 Percent of American adults believe that it is “too hard to get rid of bad teachers,” according to a February 2012 Rasmussen Reports survey. About the same percent (66%) believe that teachers unions are more interested in projecting jobs than they are in the quality of education. See 67% Say Too Hard To Get Rid of Bad Teachers   Quote of the Week “Even if the Chicago strike looks successful in the short term, it will inspire reformers seeking to free public education from union control. Karen Lewis and the Chicago Teachers Union may yet learn arrogance has a price.” -Terrence Scanlon, President of the Capital Research Center

Don’t Miss Accreditation: Removing the Barrier to Higher Education Reform Online options and competency-based learning are disrupting traditional higher education and perhaps have laid the foundation for a revitalization of American education. criticism. Read the full report >>

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