First-ever charter school strike hits Chicago

“We see students. They see dollars!” chanted the 30 strikers, parents and students in front of the Paz school in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, December 4. More than 500 teachers and other professionals, members of the Chicago Teachers Union–Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff, are on strike this morning in the UNO/ACERO charter school network. CTU is again leading the way in the first strike in the country against a charter operator.

The strike by these educators is over resources for the students, such as classroom size, and hiring enough special education positions. ACERO teachers are also demanding better wages, as they make $13,000 a year less than teachers in the public schools, and work more than 100 hours a year longer. At the same time, the charter school network received over $10 million more from tax payers this year, but spent $1 million less on the students.

ACERO has continued the reputation of corporate greed and corruption of its predecessor, UNO. According to Dina Fennerty, a striking teacher at the Paz school in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, “The name changed, but not the way they treat teachers or students.”

The union is vowing to continue the strike until their demands are met.