Giving Compass' Take:

• The Chicago Teachers Union is potentially organizing a charter school teacher strike which would be the first in the history of charter schools. 

• What are the funding challenges for charter networks when compromising with teacher union demands? 

• Read about the three ways donors can help the teacher strikes. 

The first teacher strike in the 27-year history of American charter schools was overwhelmingly endorsed by staff at Chicago’s largest unionized network in response to what labor leaders characterized as stalled contract negotiations.

Whether more than 500 teachers who work at one of the 15 Acero schools will actually walk out remains uncertain. A strike date has not been set. But the vote reflects the emerging influence in the charter sector of the Chicago Teachers Union, the powerful labor body that merged earlier this year with a smaller local representing charter employees.

But the vote reflects the emerging influence in the charter sector of the Chicago Teachers Union, the powerful labor body that merged earlier this year with a smaller local representing charter employees. As contracts expire for teachers in charters represented by CTU, supporters of school choice warn that CTU hopes to bargain for changes that undercut the viability of the charter model.

Acero educates roughly 7,500 students, more than any other charter operator in the city after the Noble Network, which has fought organizing attempts, and Chicago International, four of whose campuses will hold a strike vote on Friday amid unfruitful negotiations.

Teachers are seeking pay raises and improved benefits, along with smaller class sizes and better support for students with disabilities.

Charter supporters believe the union is disingenuous about the reasons it organized the potential job actions. Andrew Broy, president of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools, says the union’s aim is to “stop charter growth entirely” by forcing charters to accede to pay increases he says they can’t afford or to force a financially ruinous strike.

Read the full article about charter school teacher strikes by David Cantor at The 74