Palermo Workers Union in solidarity with Chicago teachers

The following press statement was released on Sept. 11 by Wisconsin-based Voces de la Frontera. At a Sept. 15 mass rally in solidarity with the striking teachers in Chicago, the Palermo Workers carried signs that read, “Palermo Workers Stand with Teachers” and “Palermo Pizza Workers in Support of Teachers.”

On Monday [Sept. 10], 29,000 Chicago public school teachers, represented by the Chicago Teachers Union, walked off the job. They went on strike for the first time in 25 years after failing to reach [an agreement in] contract negotiations with the city.

Serious concerns over job security, compensation, and educational procedures, such as teacher evaluations based on standardized test scores, have led to this action. The CTU is an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, and is the third-largest teachers local in the United States, and the largest local union in Illinois.

Workers at Palermo Villa in Milwaukee — who are in the midst of their own three-month strike for union recognition and safer working conditions — have come out in support of the Chicago teachers’ struggle.

“As workers who are also fighting for a greater voice on the job, we know how difficult this decision must have been for CTU to make. We stand in full support and intend on marching with Chicago teachers on the picket line, in the same spirit of solidarity that so many people across the country have shown us,” says Raul de la Torre of the Palermo Workers Union.

For more information on the Palermo Workers Union strike, visit sliceofjustice.com.