Chicago, IL – On May 27, rank-and-file teachers represented by Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) voted by a unanimous vote to strike at three Urban Prep charter schools. They plan to set a strike date soon. Additionally, they filed an unfair labor practice charge against Urban Prep management for multiple unfair labor practices including hiding crucial financial information that would affect bargaining.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR).

Chicago, IL – The murder of George Floyd and the massive rebellion and protest that followed are the most remembered images of 2020. Unfortunately, images of Black people being lynched and murdered by white people in and out of uniform have been the most haunting images of American history. But the images of rebellion in 2020, of millions of people throughout the USA and the world rising up against racist police repression – and the system of oppression that police tyranny serves and protects – have inspired new hope and courage in the struggle for Black liberation.

Chicago, IL – The Coalition for Justice in Palestine (CJP) led 25,000 marchers into the streets of Chicago’s central business area, the Loop, May 16, to demand a halt to Israeli violence and an end to the displacement of Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah. The death toll from the Zionist air strikes, artillery and rubber-coated steel bullets nears 200.

Chicago, IL – The Coalition for Justice for Palestine in Chicago rallied and marched to the Israeli Consulate in Chicago May 12. 10,000 people from the Palestinian community and their supporters chanted, “Free, free Palestine!” And “Netanyahu, you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide!”

Chicago, IL – The movements for immigrant rights, against police crimes, and the labor movement of essential workers united today to mark May 1, International Workers Day in Chicago. Banners read “Legalization for all,” “Stop police crimes” and “Justice for essential workers.”

Chicago, IL – 300 protesters showed up for the first in-person city council meeting in a year, April 21, to demand passage of an ordinance called Empowering Communities for Public Safety (ECPS). Coming out of nine years of efforts by over 100 community organizations, labor unions, churches and other faith-based groups, the ordinance is a merger of two bills: CPAC (Civilian Police Accountability Council, proposed by the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression), and one proposed by GAPA (the Grassroots Alliance for Police Accountability). ECPS combines elements of the CPAC and GAPA bills to create the most democratic police accountability system in the country.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

Chicago, IL – Over the weekend of April 11, the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) was in bargaining with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) over the reopening of high schools in Chicago. The areas of disagreement revolve around accommodations for vulnerable teachers, scheduling to keep staff and students safe, remote work, and access to vaccines for students and family.

Chicago, IL – Last week, Black labor leaders representing seven unions with a combined membership of 126,000 members, most of whom live in the city of Chicago, published a statement, “Community and Faith Leaders Support the Empowering Communities for Public Safety Ordinance (ECPS).”

Chicago, IL – Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has acknowledged that cases on COVID-19 are on the rise again in Chicago, yet she is sticking to her plan to reopen Chicago high schools in two weeks, without addressing ongoing safety concerns from teachers and from the community.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement by the #ByeBrannigan campaign. On Tuesday, April 6th, 2021, the #ByeBrannigan campaign, led by Arab community organizers of the southwest suburbs of Chicago, mobilized hundreds of Palestinians, Yemenis, and other Arabs to the polls to defeat the racist Sharon Brannigan, who lost the race for Palos Township Assessor in a landslide to incumbent Robert Maloney.

Chicago, IL – The racist March 16 murders of Soon Chung Park, Juncha Kim, Yong Ae Yue, Paul Andre Michels, Hyun Jung Grant, Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng and Delaina Ashley Yaun in Atlanta, Georgia have caused a wave of revulsion and anger among the people, especially in the Asian community. The mainstreaming of extreme right-wing politics in the past decade, as the crisis of monopoly capitalism has continued to unfold, coupled with the bipartisan attacks against socialist China and People’s Korea set the stage for this deadly attack.

Chicago, IL – On April 2, Illinois Governor Jay Pritzker signed a bill, in opposition of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, that restores bargaining rights for Chicago teachers over a wide variety of issues that affect teachers and students in Illinois. This bill repeals a previous law from 1995 that limited the teachers’ rights to bargain over things like class size, layoffs, the timing of the school year, and other things. The previous bill had given power over the school district over to the mayor and ultimately was part of setting up disputes between the Chicago teachers Union (CTU) and previous Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, as well as current Mayor Lori Lightfoot, that led to multiple teachers strikes in Chicago.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

Chicago, IL – On March 19, the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) issued a statement, noting, “A coalition of stakeholders – parents, students, educators, community organizations and elected officials – told Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her handpicked Chicago Board of Education for months that parents were choosing to stick with remote learning for their children, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Black and Brown communities that make up the majority of our school district. Today, after a nearly month-long delay, Chicago Public Schools released attendance figures showing that less than 25 percent of students eligible to return have attended school for at least one day, and the district’s push for in-person learning has drawn even less students than the small number initially expected. The pandemic has brought us to this moment, and the numbers speak for themselves. Our families need assurances of safety, and it is clear that the overwhelming majority of the families we serve simply do not trust claims of equity from the mayor and CPS.”

Chicago, IL – An historic agreement has been reached by forces in the fight against police crimes in Chicago. Legislation for the strongest police accountability system of any city in the country has been negotiated between the coalition of forces led by the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR), backing the Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC), and the ordinance backed by the Grassroots Alliance for Police Accountability (GAPA).

Chicago, IL – In late January, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its annual report on union density for 2020. The report’s finding includes some interesting facts – namely, that the union membership rate (the percentage of workers who belong to unions) went up for the first time since 2008, rising half a percent to 10.8% of the working class.