– George Schmidt publishes Substance News.
It’s actually worse about the 2012 strike. SEIU members were told by their union they had to cross CTU picket lines. As you remember, CPS opened more than 100 schools, claiming that the children would starve if the schools were not opened. After the first day of the strike, most of the kids refused to cross the picket lines, and instead joined their teachers outside on the lines that were set up at the various schools where CPS told people to go. On the first day of the strike, my sons (Sam and Josh) joined their teachers on the picket line at O.A. Thorp on the northwest side. By the strike’s second day, Thorp was shut down completely and pickets were gathering at the scab schools CPS had announced.
The main result of the position taken by Christine Boardman and the Local 73 leadership was that there were always more adults in the buildings that were open than starving children. That went on for all of the remaining five days of the strike. Principals were telling many of us that the waste — from food to salaries — caused by the SEIU scabbing was a scandal. Because they are management, principals and assistant principals had little or no choice about going “inside.” But the SEIU people were all rank-and-file — custodial workers, security people, special education aides, bus aides, etc.
For those of us on the picket lines (I joined my wife on the Steinmetz line most days), we were all too busy to calculate the cost of scabs during the strike. But that cost was enormous — ESPECIALLY for a school district that was shortly to claim it had to close 50 (or more) schools because of the fiscal crisis. Of course, the hypocrisies and mendacities of the Board of Education and its CEOs (remember, Brizard was replaced by Barbara Byrd Bennett by October 2012) are legend at this point in history.
So who is providing union protection to Chicago’s school custodial workers, security aides, bus aides and special education aides?
A sad irony by 2014 is that Local 73 is not providing union representation for a lot of its members still working in CPS. Local 73 has basically gone along with the most recent re-privatization of custodial work, leaving the custodians defenseless or worse (viz., if your union has agreed to let you get screwed, you are unlikely to have “standing” to bring any actions in court). As readers know, more and more members of Local 73 are talking about quitting Boardman’s union and joining the Chicago Teachers Union, which they refer to as “the real union.”
Fred Klonsky 
One big union! My dream is that all workers for our city schools be united in one big union!
Decades back, contracts had a “employees not required to cross picket lines” clause. Now, most contracts have a “no strike/no lockout/no work stoppage during the contract”. If an employee is under a contract, they can be fired for not reporting for work, with NO protection. Also, the contract dates are now staggered, so if one group strikes, the others have to report to work. At one time, teachers did not have to cross picket lines, it was in their contract. What would happen now if a teacher decided to not cross a picket line of striking custodians? Is there protection for that now in the teachers contract? In most school districts teachers would be disciplined and possibly fired.
Also decades back, all the CPS unions contracts expired on the same dates and there was a “no contract is settled until all contracts are settled” agreement among the unions. All the contracts would become effective contingent to ALL other unions reaching agreement with CPS. That got contracts settled in a day or two, non of the long drawn out “working without a contract”. This also prevented CPS from going after the “weakest of the herd”, like what Rahm is doing to Local 73. The contracts were strong back then, now they are much weaker. Now, Rahm and CPS can “divide and conquer”.
I think Ms. Boardman is scared sh__less of Rahm’s threats to privatize most of the jobs she represents, and Local 73 is too weak to do anything about it. So a pattern of appeasing Rahm, and dealing from a position of weakness is what she will do. She might as well have puppet strings attached, and Rahm is pulling the strings.
I think she is just buying time for her members, Rahm will privatize them anyway, a little bit at a time.
IF THE CUSTODIAL STAFF HAVE A CONTRACT IN PLACE, THEY CANNOT STRIKE.
Dear “TRUMP”,
Exactly my point! The CPS contracts, (and many others) used to have, but no longer have a clause protecting union members from being forced to cross picket lines of other unions that are on strike. This drastically weakens unions capabilities to negotiate.
Eventually, most union representation will be gone and the remaining unions and their contracts will be weaker. Many suburban districts have new contracts with small raises for teachers. However, most of these come with higher insurance costs, higher deductibles and co-pays, and reduced coverage. Most times this eats up the pay raises and more.
What about all the other workers in schools and in the private sectors? The 1%ers want workers to be so desperate they will take any work, no matter how dangerous and low paid, and not complain and be constantly afraid of losing their job.
Anon