Funny … I thought slavery was illegal

July 24, 2007
By Billy Dennis

There’s a movement afoot to make it illegal for Chicago teachers to go on strike:

A proposal is making the rounds in Springfield to make it harder for Chicago teachers to vote to strike. Now, a deadlocked Chicago Teachers Union could strike after it has tried mediation and given school officials a 10-day notice.

Strikes are illegal in New York City, Philadelphia, Boston and Miami. Just 15 states allow strikes, and when they do, they often require a cooling off, “fact-finding” process first. This requires an independent party to evaluate the issues and recommend a contract settlement. After that, teachers can strike.

This is what business leaders want for Illinois. The influential Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, with the backing of Chicago school officials, floated the idea in May. Legislators are now mulling it over.

My two cents: Feh.

1. Teachers are not critical to public safety. While it might make sense to ban strikes by police and firefighters, there is no such need to make it illegal to withhold one’s labor in the classroom.

2. There should not be seperate rules for Chicago teachers and their downstate counterparts. And I am opposed to banning strikes by teachers downstate as well.

3. While I am opposed to banning strikes, I am not opposed to banning tenure. It’s not needed in today’s environment in which union contracts protect teachers from being treated unfairly.

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3 Responses to “ Funny … I thought slavery was illegal ”

  1. Vonster on July 24, 2007 at 3:06 pm

    Not being able to strike is slavery?

    Tenure is wrong and should be banned.

    Unions, for the most part in their current form, are bad for our economy.

  2. Eyebrows McGee on July 24, 2007 at 6:14 pm

    “It’s not needed in today’s environment in which union contracts protect teachers from being treated unfairly.”

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

    Tell that to any one of the teachers suffering under an incompetent principal. Like that one at, where’s it, Roosevelt?

  3. Eric on July 25, 2007 at 5:44 am

    No public employee should be able to strike. If those wokers want to get into that type of extortion atmosphere they should go into the private work force. Striking against taxpayers shows no appreciation or respect for the public.