Feb. 05--Thousands of protesters took over Loop streets Thursday afternoon in a rally staged by the Chicago Teachers Union to show opposition to the district's decision to slash school budgets and stop paying the bulk of teachers' pension contributions.
As the protesters marched south on Wells Street, they chanted, "Get up, get down, Chicago is a union town!" The protest was closely monitored by a large contingent of police officers, while news helicopters hovered overhead.
"We're going to need to see political seriousness on the part of the (school) board and the political leaders that have appointed the board," CTU Vice President Jesse Sharkey told reporters as the rally got underway. "We'd like to see some real good-faith actions on behalf of revenue and funding our schools. We would like to see more than just empty promises.
"This is going to be a show of force," he said.
A CTU bargaining team on Monday rejected a four-year contract proposal from Chicago Public Schools. The union cited a lack of trust in the district by members. A day later, CPS announced cuts to school budgets and the end of the pension pickup.
Mike Connor, a special education teacher at Dett Elementary on the West Side, said he has seen how the district's budget problems have affected his students during his three years in the district.
"We don't do this for the money or the prestige or the glamour," he said. "We do it for the kids."
In a statement issued Thursday, CPS said it is "committed to building a mutually respectful relationship with the CTU and working at the bargaining table around the clock so Chicago children can remain in the classroom.
"In the meantime, because of our dire financial circumstances, we must proceed forward with painful cuts in the absence of an agreement. We are hopeful we can rescind these cuts by swiftly reaching an agreement."
The CTU demonstration was scheduled to end at City Hall.
jjperez@tribpub.com
