Watch how parents, teachers and community confront the prinicipal - Ali
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XmOfAyMLBQ (this is when they confronted Ali the principal, they hate confrontations the Turks play dirty and underhanded)
Chicago Charter School Teachers, with Community Support, Draw Close to Winning Union
By Shelly Ruzicka
Created Nov 15 2010 - 1:35pm
by Shelly Ruzicka | Mon, 11/15/2010 - 1:35pm
A highly regarded public charter school in Chicago has leveled a series of union-busting tactics at its teachers this fall—which has been met by a community-union partnership that’s fought back.Chicago Math and Science Academy hired a union-busting law firm and fired a leader after school administrators decided to fight the teachers’ desire to form a union.
CMSA [1] is located in a north side neighborhood of Chicago that prides itself on and is known for its racial and socioeconomic diversity. The school’s website touts that its first senior class “experienced 100 percent college acceptance and 100 percent college bound” and that it is rated one of the “top three charter and non-selective high schools in Chicago.”
The school is run by Concept Schools [2], which operates 24 other charters in the Midwest. Concept Schools is a participant in the Gülen Movement [3], an international, interfaith educational movement of “understanding and respect” that comes from Turkey.
But considering the progressive politics of the area, and the supposed philosophy of the school, teachers and community members were disappointed when the teachers found neither understanding nor respect when it came to their decision to organize.
When the CMSA teachers decided to begin organizing, they contacted the Chicago Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff. Chicago ACTS [4] is a joint program of the Chicago Teachers Union and the state and national American Federation of Teachers. CMSA teachers and Chicago ACTS began meeting, often using nearby space at Arise Chicago [5], a local interfaith workers’ rights organization.
This past summer, 67 percent of CMSA teachers signed cards indicating their desire to unionize. When they approached the principal with a request to recognize their union, CMSA fired one of the lead organizing teachers (claiming budgetary reasons) and later filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board, arguing that the teachers should not be able to unionize because the school was not a public employer (even though the school’s own website lists CMSA as a “public charter school”).
The NLRB rejected CMSA’s claim, ruling that the school was clearly part of the public education system, meaning its teachers and staff are public employees, who have the right to unionize. Once the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board certified the union, Chicago ACTS would be able to begin collective bargaining. Or so it seemed.
School administrators filed an appeal, and community partners stepped up their support for the teachers.
When Chicago ACTS learned that the Gülen Movement was having its international conference in Chicago, teachers began strategizing how to boost their campaign. The conference was being supported by several sponsors—including the Niagara Foundation, which helps fund CMSA.
Chicago ACTS asked Arise Chicago to support a prayer vigil and action outside the conference’s opening event on November 11. Arise Chicago activated its network to turn out supporters.
Teacher and union leaders asked the Niagara Foundation for a meeting in the hopes that it would intervene and convince CMSA to recognize the union. When word of the planned vigil spread, the foundation’s position improved considerably.
Acknowledging the widespread community support, foundation leaders wrote to the school’s board of directors, objecting to the school’s refusal to accept the NLRB ruling and invoking the Niagara Foundation’s own principles of promoting dialogue, civic engagement, human dignity, and workers’ rights. They cited these principles in calling on CMSA to recognize the union and negotiate.
Now, Concept Schools will meet with teachers and union and community leaders during the week of November 15. The vigil was called off, as the sustained support of community allies brought victory one step closer
learn more about Niagara Foundation and Hakan Berberoglu http://gulencharterschoolsusa.blogspot.com/2010/12/hakan-berberoglu-gulen-soldier-is.html
Brian Chelmecki (Math department head) was leading the union efforts at CMSA. His proud pictures were at the union’s web site and press releases…In union supporting literature that teachers designed he consistently stated they were doing this for the students of CMSA and it was all about the students and other cliché jargon. GUESS WHAT? Brian left in the middle of the school year and hung his students out to dry, first chance he got. He found a job at another charter school. So "we are doing this for students" was a big lie?
ReplyDeleteRhonda Hartwell is another prime example of how manipulative the union and their supporters can get…She claimed that she was let go due to his involvement in union organizing at CMSA. She was "dying" to get back to "her students." But she settled her case with the school for $40,000 WHEN in fact she currently HAS a job and even makes more than she did at CMSA.
So the $40,000 that she scooped from the CMSA was not the students’ money?!!! She was "all for students" when she did not even blink siphoning $40,000 from the school. Such a HYPOCRAT! These people are all HYPOCRATS! No on buys their argument…NO ONE!
Another union supporting teacher who proudly wore her union button around the school again left her students in the middle of the year. What happened to her pride and commitment to the students…I guess she forgot ALL about it and her already wide, scary wide, eyes got even wider when she saw more money at another school.
You ALL need to wake up to such hypocrisy and BS by the union and union supporting teacher at this school…
Anonymous thank you for your commentary from the point of view of the Gulen Movement.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all Brian was forced out of the school CMSA as Rhonda Hartwell was. Lets be honest here, you have replaced both of these American teachers with teachers from Turkey.
The fact that excellent teachers like Rhonda and Brian have moved on to other charter schools making more money is a loss to CMSA but the gain to the other schools. When you are harassed by management and "managed out" they have no choice but to move on. The fact that Hartwell received a payout from CMSA of $40,000 speaks for itself as wrongful dismissal. A cheap price for CMSA to avoid a public litigation and public attention.
BTW the word you are looking for in English is Hypocrite (not HYPOCRAT) The only one not "buying their argument" is CMSA and your board of directors aka known members of Hizmet.
These Teachers didn't "leave" CMSA but were forced out by your Turkish Management (which is disorganized and uneducated to American laws)
Thank you for your spin on the truth, but
it is already known by the courts in Illinois via depositions and declarations regarding the circumstances surrounding their "removals".
But nice try my little deceptive cheeky monkey. Try some of that transparency that Dr. Hendricks is asking for and maybe your Gulen Managed charter schools might make it past 120 schools instead of getting denied expansion and new charter applications. Stop with the excuses and assume some responsibilty.
Until you can be truthful to Americans about your schools, you will get more of the same that is happening every day in American news regarding the Gulen Movement and the schools.
AND you will not intimidate, threaten or jail
American journalists!!!!
Keep posting your stories, it is getting more and more interesting
Spin it the way you want, I would be nervous too now that the NY Times has picked up on the CMSA story. Not looking good for your group.
Still waiting for straight answers about the money and your obvious affiliations with the Gulen Movement. Stop the lying NOW.
I know some of these teachers personally. Neither of those teachers wanted to leave. The pregnant teacher was fired and deserved more than $40,000. I hope that all of the women who work for Concept band together, form a class action discimination lawsuit and put them out of business for good. If you want to live by your rules--do it in your own country. We are more advanced than you in many ways. Women have rights here.They are considered equals. If you do not like it, go back!Their is no room for advancement if you are not Muslim, Turkish, and a man. Also, the administration is horribly incompetent. They received $40,000 from Motorola and the students have not received any of the science and technology supplies that were supposed to be purchased with that money. The personal attacks are so childish and awful. Did you really need to insult her looks? I really hope that this charter is granted to another operating company. The board needs to step down and allow other people who care about these kids to take over. I will not stop until you are shut down or you step up and evolve to the level of decent human beings that you need to be to operate a business in our first world country. We will no go backwards for you. Women are EQUALS in the US. This means---pay women and men equally, promote women to leadership positions, buy supplies for students, show some respect for the students that you are stealing from. There is a saying in English "What goes around comes around." You will not be successful here if you do not change your ways.
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