I'd like someone to tell me how it is possible to be a liberal and not support striking teachers.

[lumberjack_jeff]

228. The purpose of unions is to bargain collectively.

Those Public sector unions bargain with representatives of the public: us. I expect those representatives to seek the best possible deal.

A public sector union that wants my support in their strike must convince me that my interests are aligned with theirs, or that the risks of not accepting their demands outweigh the costs.

In the case of CPS teachers, it's not at all obvious that;
a) the education of students will be meaningfully harmed by closing schools temporarily.
b) student outcomes will be improved by protecting incompetent teachers and giving them a 16% raise.
c) education would be significantly harmed by bringing in new teachers at the existing pay rate.

If 40% of CPS teachers couldn't afford to send their own kids to private school, they might have some incentive to improve.