Chicago - A message from the station manager

The [Wednesday] Papers

By Steve Rhodes


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#SpiteStrike?
I don’t think I’ve written anything about the city’s contract negotiations with the CTU up to this point, as I haven’t really been interested in the daily posturing and trading of insults, particularly when it was evident early on that this thing was going down to the wire if not by design than by the CTU’s wishes. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t followed it, and discussed it with people at least semi-close to the action. Now that a strike is upon us, I’ve drawn my conclusions, which you can find in this series of tweets:


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Read this thread for a summary of my views.


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Additionally:


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A strike is for when things are completely unacceptable, not for when you haven’t gotten everything you want.
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The idea of trying to squeeze every last drop out of the city is noxious – especially if you’re “bargaining for the common good.”
After all, there is a finite, fungible pie of money.
Now, surely I believe the way local, state and federal governments spend their money is upside-down, always taking care of the wealthy and powerful first while telling the rest of us that there’s just no money left for basic life services.
At the same time, a strike doesn’t solve that basic problem. In fact, it distracts from it by arguing over things a little lower down on the list of priorities, like whether teachers should get paid for unused sick days. C’mon.
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I’m sure, by the way, that the CTU will support the FOP when they bargain for the common good, going out on strike until the city rejects its sanctuary city status and takes its gun control laws off the books.
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A workplace contract is a workplace contract, and as much as a fair swath of CTU wants to change the world – in many ways in which I want to change the world too – the union and the collective bargaining process isn’t really the appropriate way to do that. The CTU is free – and encouraged – to propose, press and support affordable housing policies (both related to students and teachers and not) outside of the collective bargaining process all it wants. The mayor might even welcome the CTU’s support in that regard. It’s only something to strike over if the whole city strikes. (Then count me in.)
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It’s one thing to have policy disagreements with the mayor – though it seems to me the mayor is on the same page as the CTU regarding policy and it’s just a matter of how to slice up the pie at this point.
Even issues like class size are financial issues; do you really think the mayor doesn’t want smaller classes? Or a nurse and librarian in every school?
She’s not Rahm, despite CTU’s rhetoric. Rahm truly didn’t give a shit about a lot of these issues. He cared about the politics (the optics) of showing he was a tough dude cracking down on these lazy union layabouts, much to the delight of his financiers. And he cared about exuding, leveraging and gaining power by beating down one of the city’s chief segments of dissent.
That’s not Lightfoot, no matter what other flaws she has.
Also, a reminder: The alternative, whom the CTU supported, was Toni Preckwinkle. That’s who the CTU was vociferously in favor of, and on whose behalf they spouted disingenuous nonsense. I’ve seen a bit of disingenuousness coming from City Hall during these negotiations, but nothing like I’ve seen from the other side.
Rahm was a true villain, and the CTU was in the right in its battles with him. But that doesn’t mean the CTU is right in its battles with everyone else. To me, they’ve taken a wrong turn.
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When the other side of the table opposes policy goals, you fight. When the other side of the table agrees with your policy goals, you cooperate to find a way to reach them – even if you have to do that step by step.
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I’m willing to be persuaded otherwise, but so far the pushback I’ve gotten is only hurting the CTU’s case. I’ll just say this: The hypnotized never lie.
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Also some interesting views in this thread:


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Exploiting children to pimp an issue you can’t solve by going out on strike. This sort of thing just turns me the fuck off.


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Thing is, I probably agree with the CTU on 99 percent of the issues. I don’t always agree with their political strategy and, certainly, their bullshit.
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When CTU allies and insiders tell me propaganda is okay in pursuit of political goals, I’m outta here.
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Beware a movement that assumes a certain kind of righteousness, zeal and religiosity. It’s Trumpsterland, where facts are disregarded and questions are not allowed.
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My guess is they’ll be back Monday.
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Also, you can be right on all the issues and still not strike. Sometimes that’s just not the way to go.
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I’d also advise the rank ‘n’ file to look closely at what their leaders are saying and doing, and apply the same kind of bullshit meter to them that they do the folks in City Hall. It might be eye-opening.
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See also: About that Sun-Times/ABC7 Chicago teachers’ strike poll.
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The Book of Illinois Exodus
The Tribune also published an editorial about the so-called Illinois Exodus and continue to cite their own paper’s reporting on it despite the fact said reporting bucked, not backed, their views. They see what they want to see, and no amount of reporting will change that. And that’s just another reason why we should eliminate editorial pages and their boards, sharply reduce punditry and greatly increase reporting.


Now, there were certainly holes in the Trib’s reporting, as well as structural and framing issues in its presentation, as I wrote about here. But its conclusion was unmistakable.
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This gives me the opportunity to mention a huge omission by the Trib in its piece that I’ve meant to go back and mention. Here’s the lead:

Perhaps you’ve seen the memes, the ones that poke fun at Illinois and encourage thoughts of moving away. In one, a marijuana plant appears alongside the message, “Illinois: We’ll keep you as high as our taxes.”
An “Escaping Illinois” Facebook group has more than 39,000 followers. One man even wrote a song called “Goodbye Illinois,” lamenting the state’s taxes and political corruption and expressing his desire to leave.

In the interests of accuracy and fairness, the Trib should have mentioned that the notion of an Illinois Exodus isn’t merely driven by memes and Facebook groups but by the paper’s editorials. Or is the paper itself off-limits, even when it participates in and influences a news topic?
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ChicagoReddit

Can you purchase tickets for an Aragon Ballroom show at the venue? from r/chicago


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ChicagoGram


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Chicago Tube
Jimmy Dawkins / Sounds Of West Side Chicago.

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BeachBook
Beverly “Guitar” Watkins Dead At 80; Didn’t Record First Album Until She Was 60.

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Early 20th Century Women Architects In Chicago.

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TweetWood
A sampling of the delight and disgust you can find @BeachwoodReport.
Mini-thread!


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And Ken Griffin thinks rich people don’t have enough influence in politics . . .


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Jesus Fucking Christ.


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Let’s face it, this is just the tip of the tax iceberg. But as long as he hates immigrants and cuts rich people’s taxes, the GOP is okay with it.


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And this.


But hey, the world respects us again!
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The Beachwood Tip Line: Walkie talkie.

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Posted on October 16, 2019