Unionized teachers and staff at UNO, a charter network comprising 16 elementary and high schools in Chicago, may go on strike Wednesday. Many local news organizations have incorrectly claimed that a walkout by the unionized charter school teachers would be the first labor action of its kind. But as Jacobin first reported, teachers at a […]
Illinois
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
The Emerging Wealthy White Male Donor Class: A Chicago Case Study
Riding on the coattails of the nation’s bursting wealth gap is another crisis of inequality-political inequality, campaign-finance watchdogs warn. Fueled by unprecedented levels of wealth, rich white men, in particular, have formed an elite political donor class that has gained an outsized influence over policy, reform advocates say. Meanwhile, people of color and women who […]
Posted inEducation in America
Chicago Teachers Join with Fight for 15 and Black Lives Matter in One-Day Strike
Labor leaders and activists unite in opposition to funding cuts, and see a broader fight against anti-union measures pushed by the state’s Republican governor.
Posted inWorking in America
Legislative Primary May Help Tighten Democrats’ Supermajority in Illinois
Illinois Democrats’ ability to thwart Republican Governor Bruce Rauner’s right-wing, union-busting agenda has just been enhanced by the defeat of a state representative who regularly broke party ranks on key union votes. Incumbent state representative Ken Dunkin, a Democrat whose defections on key votes often thwarted the party’s slim supermajority in the house, lost by […]
Posted inEconomic Policy
Clinton Wins Illinois, but Chicago Feels the Bern
Hillary Clinton carried Illinois, swept through three other states, and kept Bernie Sanders at bay in a too-close-to-call race in Missouri. But Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who endorsed Clinton, cannot revel in the presumptive Democratic nominee’s home state victory anytime soon. Instead, he will face questions about the blowout defeat of the incumbent Cook County […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Illinois Governor Pushes Anti-Labor Agenda Amid Budget Standoff
Bruce Rauner’s slate of labor-busting measures has touched off a lengthy budget impasse in Springfield.Â
Posted inEducation in America
Illinois Universities Face Closures, Layoffs as State Budget Impasse Continues
As lawmakers in Springfield fail to pass a 2016 budget, college students are “being held hostage.”Â
Posted inEducation in America
Charged with Firing Teachers for Organizing, a Chicago Charter Network Settles
The deal, which Urban Prep agreed to this week, represents the largest unfair labor practice settlement for charter teachers to date.Â
Posted inEducation in America
Unionized Charter Teachers in Chicago Reject Merit Pay
Last week, unionized teachers at three schools operated by Civitas-a subsidiary of the Chicago International Charter School network-negotiated a new contract that no longer has merit pay in it. This means 31 out of 32 unionized Chicago charter schools have now rejected merit pay. And the one unionized charter that still has it-Rudy Lozano Leadership […]
