Chicago Teachers Union vows to shut city down in April 1 general strike

CPS Spry School teacher, Occupy Chicago
anti-NATO rally in 2012

The Chicago Teachers Unions today is all but calling for a general strike on April 1. No, this is not an April Fools' joke, although calling Chicago Public Schools a respected educational institution would be a joke.

On its Facebook page CTU calls for, "Withholding your labor, withholding your dollars," and "boycotting classrooms" that day. A flyer on the leftist union's web site about the strike says "Shut it down." The city, of course.

Call me naïve but I am under the impression that teachers are hired to instruct children and to do that they have to show up for work. And yes, April 1 falls on a Friday this year so it's a school day.

A one-day teachers' strike is probably illegal and if it isn't it should be.

Chicago's unionized teachers have been failing children for two generations. For instance four years ago 79 percent of CPS eighth graders weren't proficient in reading and 80 percent of them weren't proficient in mathematics. I doubt things are any better in 2016.

Parents and taxpayers should be protesting these out-of-touch teachers.