Old Town School of Folk Music Teachers Enter First Round of Bargaining

Author: 
Arise Chicago (CIMC Repost)
Locality: 

Old Town School of Folk Music union teachers’ announce they are entering into the first round of union contract negotiations with Old Town School management on October 1, 2019. The teachers are represented by the Illinois Federation of Teachers, Local 909. Teachers are optimistic about working with the school’s administration to negotiate their first contract.

Said Lindsay Weinberg, co-president of Local 909 stated, “Our union is really about grassroots democracy, using collective action for the betterment of the whole. We are proud to be teachers at the Old Town School of Folk Music. By having a strong contract, we will preserve and advance the legacy of community that makes up the school we love.”

Rev. C.J. Hawking, Executive Director of Arise Chicago, the local workers’ rights organization that supported the teachers’ initial organizing, asserted, “From day one, the teachers focused on getting the school back on its mission to serve the community. Smooth negotiations and a strong first contract from management will signal that the school is ready to thrive once more.”

“Old Town School of Folk Music has its roots in the labor movement, and its founders traveled the country singing for workers’ rights,” said IFT President Dan Montgomery. “We are proud to stand with our members at the Old Town School and as they take their next step to securing their first contract.”

Background: A group of teachers from the Old Town School initially contacted Arise Chicago about workplace issues in October 2017. Arise trained the teachers on their rights and options for taking action to improve working conditions at the beloved city institution. After the initial group organized more teachers and formed the “Old Town Teachers Organization” or OTTO, they eventually decided the best way to make lasting improvements on the job was through union representation. The teachers rallied massive community support for their union effort as well as organizing to stop the sale of the 909 W. Armitage building. In January 2019 the faculty voted to join Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) by a vote of 141-7. They are now IFT Local 909.

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