With a potential strike looming, unionized Chicago teachers at the UNO Charter School Network (UCSN) rallied with their allies Thursday afternoon in their push for a "fair contract."
They picketed outside the charter network's downtown headquarters, 209 W. Jackson Boulevard, with signs that read: "We don't want to strike but we're ready" and "We will fight for a fair contract."
"Our students are all low income, and (UCSN has) offices down here in this fancy building, and they're not willing to make cuts at the top" to improve the quality of education for students, said Erica Stewart.
The Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools district have yet to reach a contract agreement to avert a potential teachers strike this Tuesday.
A coalition of Chicago parents and community groups is backing the Chicago Teachers Union's decision to strike next Tuesday if the union and school district fail to reach a contract agreement by then.
Contract workers at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport are allegedly facing "rampant wage theft," and they are calling on the city and state to investigate the issue.
O'Hare workers and SEIU* Local 1 officials discussed the wage theft allegations Wednesday morning and announced filings of wage theft complaints with the Illinois Labor Department and Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection.
The charges include 60 Chicago minimum wage ordinance violations and 20 Illinois Labor Department violations, according to the union.
At issue are security officers, baggage handlers, cabin cleaners, wheelchair attendants and other workers who are employed by O'Hare contractors, including Universal Security, Prospect Airport Services, and Scrub, Inc. The union recently conducted a wage theft survey of about 300 contracted O'Hare workers, finding that they collectively lost $1 million in wages last year.