-- Connecting the dots between our economy, government and business --
CTU president Stacy Davis Gates said, "Our collective bargaining agreement is a tool, a vehicle for transformative change and we are going to up the ante."
Summary and audio linked here.
Chicago’s political leadership is floating a pension buyout program as evidence it is seriously addressing the city’s thirty-six-billion-dollar unfunded pension liability, but Mark Glennon, founder of the Illinois policy research organization Wirepoints, said that the proposal moves debt from one column to another rather than reducing it, and that the broader fiscal picture facing the city continues to deteriorate across every measurable dimension. Audio here.
Expect no retraction or apology. This what they do.
The state’s existing buyout program for its own pensions is the precedent for Chicago, which should be a warning: Look out for similar exaggerated claims and shoddy analysis.
Full interview and summary linked here.
SIGN UP HERE FOR OUR FREE WIREPOINTS DAILY NEWSLETTER
“Cower”??? These strident supersized CTU folks don’t cower from anyone.
Stacy Davis Gates is the real racist who hates her own people and is a proud member of the racist democrat party. She wants people stupid like her so they keep voting for morons like her.
It will be really interesting to see how this plays out over the summer, how long the inevitable strike lasts before Brandon caves, how few of the CTU demands are tossed aside, and the reaction of the sheepole of Chicago to CTU extortion. The morons are generally very supportive of their masters.
Of course you are right, there will be a strike. A great show of a negotiating process, as if they are not all on the same side. The union leaders will even give in on some of their more outrageous demands, to make the show seem realistic.
After much “negotiation”, Brandon will solemnly explain that what the unions want is best for the people of Chicago, and for the children! And so it will be.
Yep, the UAW started out with outrageous demands, too. In the end, it was a win-win-win result; I mean a win-win result. The consumer now gets an even greater version of sticker shock in the car dealership showroom. The Chicago taxpayers will have a similar experience when they see how their PTs have increased not long after negotiations are complete.
Dan M, the democrat party is intentionally making people stupid so they keep voting for morons like her and the other braindead moron corrupt democrat politicians who are the actual real racists
Close it. Fire them all and Start over with new people and new approach.
Total chaos is what you advocate? Where are you going to find literally multi-thousands of legally qualified presumably highly talented people ready, willing and able to work for wages you seem to find reasonably attractive to work with very troubled children from dysfunctional families in some of Chicago’s worst crime infested neighborhoods? Such people in such high numbers are not panting with the anticipation you expect, I’d guess.
There are always teachers, you just get the lower rung, which cannot produce any worse results. What James fails to realize is right now, NO and I mean NO TOP TIER teacher are teaching in Chicago. Why would they? They can do better elsewhere. Bad ALWAYS forces out good. Good NEVER forces out bad. So we have a school system full of inadequate teachers. This would be GOOD to fire them. We can replace them with basically anyone, no matter how limited, because the teachers we have in the system are low level and basic to begin with.
You made an incorrect assumption about my beliefs regarding the quality of Chicago teachers. My true feeling is that some likely are very good, a lot likely are mediocre and some are bad—the Bell Curve at work. But, here you are advocating replacing ALL CPS teachers with unknown skill people who are simply willing to apply for the job where you agree that really qualified applicants generally will only apply elsewhere. It would seem you don’t really expect different results—just different bodies occupying the teaching positions.
Their kids aren’t even in school, they are busy out carjacking and committing crimes
Hi James – we’ve had this conversation before, from another article on Wirepoints. There absolutely would be confusion and pissed off parents. Let the parents have their vouchers and choice, many will figure it out. It won’t be easy and most will complain, but the cycle that CPS and the unions are in with elected officials and ultimately draining the tax payers has to change. This annual routine of extortion is really nuts and so obvious. Kids need an education, but I don’t believe the low level results that we are seeing are acceptable, are worth the current costs and… Read more »
I agree with you as to your immediate argument here. Surprise, surprise! Where we disagree is how to adroitly go from what is the state of the CPS product to what it ought to be. You seem to want to nuke it willy nilly with all the collateral damage that brings while I favor surgical precision warfare.
Lol – Willy-nilly…I like that one… Yeah, I know, not necessarily the cleanest idea, but the surgical approach you mention takes forever and requires point by point delays and extended legal battles and arguments with politicians weighing in and it becomes…what it is today again. Closing it certainly gets everybody’s attention and makes clear – change is here…not just coming someday in the next 6 decades. There are no other effective reform or restructuring ideas on the table except of course…rinse and repeat.
To the extent you think low academic performance results to a large extent upon teacher work product indifference I think that could be addressed for teachers willing to take some financial risk to accept that idea. If it’s more a matter as to their academic preparation that can be addressed to a lesser degree, but many are long-timers likely not so receptive. Then, literally nothing can be done in any sort-term sense as regards the quality and general academic readiness of new students or parents. So, overall I’d say your overall approach is too gloomy a prospect but maybe more… Read more »
Agreed Daskoterzar, shut down the racist democrat party too while we are at it, most racist corrupt party in history of the world. The racist democrat party wants the kids stupid so they keep voting for moron racist democrats when they get older.
During Pritzker’s and CPS’s Covid lockdowns I advocated for a full lockout of CTU, i.e. no pay or benefits, with replacements being hired in Asia to teach online. Figured with the lavish spending of most CTU members they wouldn’t hold out for more than 3 months. Lightfoot should’ve and could’ve pulled it off – but in the end even she showed she had no balls.
Many schools, assuming my reading is correct, are of a very low population ad should be closed for efficiency reasons. The teachers demanding full staffing of low populated schools is simply a waste of money. We have this same issue downstate as well that can be seen by a recent announcement of a 47,400-square-foot, $26 million school for a urban district that has less than 100 students. Currently the students attend an adjoining district’s school that has declining enrollment so common to Illinois schools these days. Fine, fully staff the schools but institute cuts to close inefficient schools with a… Read more »
“vowing not to cower” why would you have to cower when you have the ability to extort whatever you want by threatening to strike. Good opening round, when do you play the victim card.
From a 30,000 foot point of view, our era of the victimization as a form of strength is really a first. Throughout history, parties have tried to negotiate from a position of power. The commie’s slogan: “Workers of the World Unite!” is a slogan advocating that workers united are strong and powerful compared to weak employers. But today’s strategy of “I’m a victim so you need to give me what I want” flips that upside down. There’s a sense of moral and emotional play to every negotiation and they believe that being a victim gives them a sense of moral… Read more »
CPS – A well-paid taxpayer funded jobs program for deadbeats it seems. If CTU members dug a hole, and then filled it in every day that would be more productive work than many of them do now.
Does that include schools that are grossly underutilized? No closures, full staffing for all! Unions will not cower before reality; they know what they want and they intend to get it.
Hmm, is transformative change like Obummer’s fundamental transformation?
““We’re inviting everyone in our city, in our communities to step up and make every student in Chicago a priority,” said Natalia Segura, a high school Spanish and bilingual teacher.That includes critics of the public school system and the Building Owners and Management Association, which recently organized to defeat the CTU-backed Bring Chicago Home ordinance, which would have generated funds to address homelessness through a real estate transfer tax on property sales topping $1 million. “We are going to invite them to join us. You don’t have to throw rocks from the outside. You can actually come in and engage,”… Read more »
All CTU members are parasitic scum.
Mo money, mo money, mo money! But it’s all about the kids, of course.
I’m confused about what’s included in state funding formula? Does $1.4 state funding formula gap Martinez claims include; 1.) all of the outside of normal items usually contractually negotiated that CTU won right to strike over in Springfield over–i.e. student housing, nurse and social worker in every school, etc, etc? 2.) what $ amount does state funding formula include for additional cost for normal items contractually negotiated over; salary pay raises, pension payments, changes in contract work requirements, etc, etc?
Their game is confusion….the less you know the better for them