Teacher strike is coming.

Karen Lewis bashes Claypool over 'strike-worthy' contract demand

WRITTEN BY BECKY SCHLIKERMAN AND FRAN SPIELMAN POSTED: 08/07/2015, 12:01PM

CTU President Karen Lewis responds to Gov. Bruce Rauner's proposals for CPS and talks to reporters about contract negotiations. | Rich Hein/Sun-Times

A call for Chicago teachers to pay their full pension contributions is “strike-worthy,” Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis said Friday.

That amounts to a seven percent pay cut for teachers, Lewis told reporters at a downtown news conference.

It’s an effort by new Chicago Public Schools CEO Forrest Claypool to “force us into another
strike,” she said.

The union leader’s statements came after CPS withdrew its offer for a one-year contract.

On Friday, it was clear that all of the post-election fence-mending fell apart with the demand that Mayor Rahm Emanuel made last month and Claypool has continued that teachers effectively accept the seven percent pay cut unless Springfield comes up with aid to the tune of $500 million.

Lewis seemed to be directing more of her anger at Claypool than at Emanuel.

“They could have been the heroes in this, but instead sheriff Claypool has decided to blow things up and show us how tough he can be,” Lewis said.

CPS had ended the attempt months ago to have teachers make their full pension contributions during negotiations for the one-year agreement.

But that contract specified teachers would not get pay raises for one year.

Claypool did not return repeated phone calls or text messages, apparently concerned about exacerbating the tensions.