Just after the Chicago Teachers Union released a statement on its website declaring their intent to strike Monday morning, the union published a solidarity statement from feminist and honorary chair of the Democratic Socialists of America Gloria Steinem as the top item on their website. -Anne Sorock Go To Site

There's also something unhinged about framing a strike by government employees as a "grass-roots fight against the plutocracy." The teachers union's adversary is the taxpayers, not just rich ones; and the victims of the strike are parents who don't have enough money to live in the suburbs or send their children to private schools. That excludes many of the teachers themselves. As Breitbart.com's Dana Loesch notes, a study a few years ago found 39% of Chicago Public School teachers send their own kids to private schools. -James Taranto Go To Site

"The CTU stumbled in negotiations out of the gate, asking for a 30 percent raise that made them look just like the mercenary self-seekers right-wing critics always claim municipal unions are: a cash-extorting cartel against the taxpaying public. But Lewis later dialed that down to 19 percent." -Rick Perlstein Go To Site

Democrat, Union, Incompetence, Character, Oops, Education

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan spoke at the National Press Club Tuesday and addressed the Chicago teachers’ strike. Duncan, who was CEO of Chicago public schools from 2001 to 2009, declared the union’s action a success. “I honestly think everybody won. No one wanted the strike, teachers didn’t want that, the administration didn’t want that,” said Duncan. The strikes caused a nationwide controversy as students were unable to attend school for over a week.