By Ben Joravsky
Ironically, Walsh once seemed destined for a similar career, having left the classroom in the 70s to work for the union’s national office. In 1991 she returned to Chicago to work for the local union’s research center. But in 1995 she went back to the front lines–she now teaches eighth grade at a school on the southwest side–where she’s been ever since.
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
She also says he hasn’t protested as the central office has put greater pressure on teachers to raise scores on standardized tests, even though it’s uncertain how educationally significant these tests are. High school students now take three standardized tests a year, losing at least a month of regular class time in preparing for them.
In contrast, the top salaries for suburban teachers range from $65,000 to $90,000, according to a recent analysis by Substance, a monthly newspaper put out by teachers that opposes Reece and Vallas. In Cook, Du Page, and Lake counties, wrote the paper’s editor, Sharon Schmidt, in the April issue, “all 57 high school and unit [elementary] districts paid veteran teachers more than Chicago in 1999-2000.”
It was during a recent strategic bargaining session that Vallas agreed to raise salaries by 1 percent, even though two years remain on the current contract. “The money was there for the increase because they hadn’t increased pension payments, so they had about $5.5 million in the bank,” says Reece. “So I said, ‘Hey, the teachers are working like hell. How about we do something for the people who deserve it the most?’”
Reece contends he represents the silent majority of teachers who happily do their jobs and don’t want to be bothered by militant activists, but his support has declined. After the last few major elections Walsh and her backers filed complaints with the U.S. Labor Department against Reece and his backers, accusing them of mishandling ballots. The Labor Department found that there had been some violations, though not enough to reverse the outcome.
