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According to TribuneThink, the "knottiest issue in the strike is whether Chicago will stay on the national reform path. Or will Emanuel and CPS, under pressure to restore normalcy, cave to teacher demands".?"
They want their just due. Parents want public, not corporate run schools. Kids want futures. Education isn't a commodity. It's a societal right. It's workable form is headed for the trash bin of history unless heroic efforts save it.
On September 14, the Tribune headlined "Both Sides still optimistic as Chicago teachers strike enters 5th day," saying:
Number crunching delayed a Thursday deal. Details remain unresolved. Lewis called discussions "ebb and flow." CTU lead attorney Robert Block said negotiations go up and down. "There are many areas, facets to be worked out."
One CTU representative said CPS negotiators don't play fair. They're "stopped bargaining and dug in their heels." How can teachers reach an equitable deal without a willing partner? They have none in Emanuel and his cronies.
Negotiations resume Friday. Plans still call for kids back in classrooms Monday. Lewis hopes so but isn't sure. Her body language shows how much she's bent.
CPS psychologist Elizabeth Chapin-Palder claims teachers are cautiously optimistic. Why who knows when behind their backs they're being betrayed. When they find out it'll be too late to matter unless they take matters in their own hands and carry the fight on their own.
Chicago's Substance News editor George Schmidt provides accurate information on issues related to city education. He forthrightly supports teachers. They "know more about the city, its schools, and its children" than city officials, bureaucrats, and CPS and Board of Education bosses combined.
"Will Rahm try to put out this fire with gasoline," he asked? He and officials around him "hint darkly that the strike is 'illegal' because teachers are talking about issues the Board refuses to allow into the union contract."
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