School Year Just Begun, Teachers Strike Looms in Chicago

[Honeycombe8]

7. If there is a strike, many people will start thinking, "Maybe that Scott Walker had something...

in his state. Maybe this public workers' union thing has gotten out of hand."

Fair or not, I guarantee you that will cross a lot of minds. And that will possibly begin the downfall of govt unions in Illinois.

Maybe the unhappiness among the teacher's union in Chicago is warranted. But we are coming out of a deep, deep recession, where millions lost their jobs, lots of businesses went out of business, and federal and state funds bank accounts have run dry. Everyone will be experiencing decreases in pay and benefits. I have, friends I know have, everyone has. Teachers will, too. Maybe they have taken pay cuts already, so that's why they're unhappy? Maybe so.

Just sayin'. That is one reason that unions have taken such a hit in recent years. AA workers went on strike after 9/11, when airlines' business went way down because lots of people quit flying. And here in my city, AT&T union workers were picketing downtown and talking strike in the midst of the recession a few years ago. I was aghast when I saw that: hundreds of thousands of people losing their jobs every month, companies folding, even the AT&T CEO had not taken his bonus or something that year. And AT&T workers were picketing because they were being asked to contribute, in their retirement package, to the cost of their health insurance that they get in their retirement years. Not pay in full, but contribute. It doesn't look good, other people resent it, and it affects the public perception of unions.