The Chicago Teachers Union’s 27,000 members have overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike if ongoing contract negotiations fail, the union announced on Dec. 14.

During three days of voting, 96.5 percent of those who cast ballots voted to authorize a strike. Since almost 92 percent of members voted, that means about 88 percent of the union’s overall membership supports a strike.

The vote does not commit the union to striking but grants the union leadership the authority to call a strike if the two sides cannot reach agreement after fact-finding, a process that takes about 105 days. It is unlikely that workers will walk off the job before May.

“Rahm Emanuel really does not need a teachers’ strike,” Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Jesse Sharkey said of Chicago’s embattled mayor. “If he doesn’t listen to us, that’s what he’ll get.”

The Chicago school system is short $480 million in its current operating budget and has said if the state does not make up the difference, it will fill the gap by laying off thousands of employees and borrowing.

The Chicago Teachers Union last went on strike in 2012, when 92 percent of members voted for the walkout. The strike lasted for seven school days.

Jacobin, Dec. 15

Chicago Sun-Times, Dec. 14