1. Research a strike that occurred in the last decade. (examples:
Spectrum, UAW, Chicago Teachers, one of your own choosing) Tell us
what caused the strike – each parties position, length of the strike –
unless it is still going, give us your own thoughts on it – agree/disagree,
why you picked it.
The Chicago Teachers strike took place in 2019 and lasted 11 days, but had
been brewing for months. Over 20,000 teachers and other school workers took place
in the strike, leaving hundreds of thousands of children without organized childcare
for over a week. The teachers’ union leaders said they want written into their
contracts the promise of smaller classes, more paid time to prepare lessons and the
hiring of more school nurses, social workers, librarians and counselors. Other
demands included affordable housing provisions and protections for immigrant
students, as well as wage increase guarantees over 3 years, instead of 5. On the other
side, the city struggled to agree to all this because of tight budgets and financial
struggles. The New York Times mentioned that “Chicago’s finances are deeply
troubled, struggling with huge unfunded pension liabilities and budget shortfalls that
have led to tax increases in recent years.”
In the end, results were mixed, and neither side was completely happy. The
city agreed to spend millions of dollars on reducing class sizes, promised to pay for
more social workers, nurses and librarians, and approved a 16 percent salary
increase over the coming five years. Some teachers wanted to continue the strike to
