The Chicago Teachers Union's second strike lasted for four days -- January 12 through 15, 1971 -- and resulted in an eight percent salary increase for teachers and a seven percent increase for career service staff. The Union also succeeded in forcing the Board of Education to open 600 new positions. The strike was successful in that Union leadership used the media to bring to the public the concerns of its members and the state of public education in Chicago.
CTU President John Desmond (center) on the picket line with members
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Perhaps the biggest gain for CTU members, however, was the Board of Education's acquiescence to the Union's demand for 100 percent payment of premium costs for individual and family hospitalization and medical insurance. The two-year agreement was ratified on a vote of 7,126 in favor and 1,243 against.
The perennial issue of over-crowded classrooms also was addressed in the new contract. Two new programs were created that would work simultaneously to reduce class size. Fifty schools were added to the listing of "maximum class size schools," according to the January 1971 edition of the CHICAGO UNION TEACHER, and an additional 100 schools would benefit from the Board hiring "between 500-600 additional teachers to relieve teachers with large classes." Another major win of the contract was the Board's agreement to observe Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday as an official holiday beginning with the 1971-72 school year. The UNION TEACHER aid the action "was hailed as a victory for both teachers and students."
The Union took to proactive role to prepare and mobilize the membership using the media and Union representative body to prepare for a strike. Clearly it has always been the practice of the Union to have a good faith effort inform the Board and public of its intention and concerns with the working conditions in the public schools before any actions were taken.
During a February 13, 1970 House of Delegates meeting took the first steps to voice its displeasure with eth treatment of its members. a resolution was adopted in solidarity with members that were slated to lose their positions, declaring, “We will not accept the removal of any of the stated programs or discharge of any personnel.
Later in the month, President Desmond warned that “Schools will be shut down” unless 4,500 jobs of elementary school physical education teachers and staff are restored. The threat came after 400 PE teachers where laid off by the Board of Education. Desmond went on to argue of the treatment of PE teachers as “low end of the totem pole,” who are the first commanded to do the worst jobs in the schools.
In a March 4, 1970, Tribune interview Roger Korach, 40, a Laid off PE teacher from Rogers Elementary School, talks of the uncertainty with job loss, “Suddenly, I find I will have no job next year. I have no job security.”
May 1970 brought about a direct mobilization and training of all Union members with the use of a training manual distributed by the American Federation of Teachers as a lesson plan for all teachers to use in their classrooms. The eight page supplement in the May American teacher magazine was titled “Should Your Teacher Strike?” The supplement was subtitled “A Teaching Unit on Rights of Public Employees” prepared by labor historian Will Scoggins. The introduction to teachers was clear:
“This unit … ought to capitalize on the interest aroused by all thses recent events [referring to current militancy among public workers for greater benefits and wages] and promote class discussions on the rights of public workers.” The goal of the first unit was to correct “misinformation, prejudice, and outright hostility concerning organizations of workers into union and their subsequent collective action to improve their lot.”
President Desmond pushed to make the material part of the official curriculum of the Chicago Public Schools by saying:
“More should be included in the curriculum on the teachers’ right to strike if he is unsatisfied with the working conditions and salary. We will definitely encourage our members to use this material in their civics lessons and other kinds of classes”
In a June 4 , 1970 statement CTU President Desmond warned that cutbacks by the Board of Education had and “unsettling effect” with the Union. He later went on to say that if “teachers needs were not met this fall [1970] members would definitely favor a strike.” Again on July 24, 1970, John Desmond CTU President made clear that the Union’s first priority is the restoration of positions and programs which have been cut by the Board of Education and then to get a 10% raise for our teachers.
"Prior to the strike referendum, the Board of Education had not budged in its refusal to offer any kind of proposal for wage and school program improvements - or to guarantee that salary cutbacks would be restored with no strings attached," President John E. Desmond wrote in his regular column in the Union newspaper. "After eleven out of every twelve CTU members voted in favor of the strike, they did both."
President Desmond said the strike, with 93 percent participation by the Chicago Public Schools' employees represented by the CTU, was what convinced Board negotiators that they needed to respond to the Union's demands.
"Hopefully, our unity has one crucial point for all future negotiations: good faith bargaining cannot begin under threats of salary cutbacks," he said.
The Union leader called the class size provisions of the contract "a good start," but asserted that they "do not go far enough." He said approximately 1,200 new classrooms were needed to deal with the class size problem in an appropriate manner.
"When we succeed in establishing the present maximum class size policy throughout the system, we must fight to get that established class size limit lowered - 31 seven-year-olds cannot be taught well by one teacher."
He said the class size issue would be a major component of the Union's proposals when CTU negotiators next met with Board representatives for a contract re-opener in January 1972.
President Desmond praised the Union's membership for its steadfast support through the period before and during the four-day walkout.
"I wish I could thank each of you personally for the long hours and the extra efforts you volunteered to keep your Union strong and effective," he said. "Each Union member performed an essential task during the strike. The cooperation and all-out effort of the Executive Board and the District Supervisors were essential to the success of the strike and the bargaining team's efforts in negotiations."
Mr. Desmond cautioned, however, that the successful strike and new contract did not mean the war on behalf of workers had been won.
"Our united efforts won an important battle-this year, not only because of what we were able to get into the two-year agreement, but also because of what we were able to keep out – 122 school board demands that would have weakened the Union's effectiveness and strength.
"No one should be naive enough to think that we have yet come far enough to sit hack and breathe a sigh of relief that the battle is over." He added, "We shouldn't have to fight the public's battle for good schools - but we do." References: On Strike: A History of Job Actions by the Chicago Teachers Union Schools Face Strike Over Phys Ed Cuts, Chicago Tribune, March 4, 1970; pg. 10 Teachers Seek 10% Cost-of-Living Hike, Sara Jane Goodyear, Chicago Tribune, July 24, 1970, p. 19. Urge Class Talks on Teacher Strikes, Fred Morache, Chicago Tribune, June 4, 1970, p. N1.