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pink_distro's review
4.0
solid, concise book that gives a recap of the 2012 Chicago Teachers Union strike, the Caucus Of Rank-and-file Educators that reshaped the union, and the impact it could have on the broader politics of education, neoliberalism, and labor.
new to me was learning about the frustrating austerity contracts that preceded & fueled the rise of CORE, all the organizing they did with community groups to fight school closings before they even ran for leadership, and some of the context of CTU compared to other teachers unions. his points about the specific struggles of public sector unions, and their need to build deep partnerships with working class + POC communities if they want to win transformative demands was also insightful.
it's a teeny bit repetitive at times, and wish it included a few more quotes or stories from CORE or CTU members because i want to know more details lolol, but i get that that's not the point of this book.
new to me was learning about the frustrating austerity contracts that preceded & fueled the rise of CORE, all the organizing they did with community groups to fight school closings before they even ran for leadership, and some of the context of CTU compared to other teachers unions. his points about the specific struggles of public sector unions, and their need to build deep partnerships with working class + POC communities if they want to win transformative demands was also insightful.
it's a teeny bit repetitive at times, and wish it included a few more quotes or stories from CORE or CTU members because i want to know more details lolol, but i get that that's not the point of this book.
dilloncolum's review
4.0
A breezy summary of the CTU’s historic strike for the schools of Chicago. I enjoyed this book, but found that I didn’t learn much from it, being a CTU member. For anyone outside of union teaching and outside of Chicago, I highly recommend to gain familiarity with the topic. But for those on the inside of the community, I don’t think you’ll learn anything you haven’t seen in local media and union politics in the last ten years.
matthew4's review
4.0
Useful account of the Chicago teachers' strikes and the organising behind them. A lot of lessons to be learned, arguably a must-read for those interested in organising in the education sector!
qarsem's review
5.0
Clear, concise analysis of the 2012 CTU strike and why it won the victories that it did - a model of organizing beyond a union's self-interest to win battles against neoliberalism for the good of an entire community
piccoline's review
4.0
Great, inspiring stuff. I knew very little about the Chicago teachers strike of 2012 before picking this up. After reading, I'm not only encouraged that perhaps broad-based, community-oriented worker action can actually start to turn the tide against our mad rush to dismantle and privatize all our public goods.
If you're a die-hard Gates Foundation fanboy or fangirl, this book probably isn't written to change your mind, though I'd hope that reading it would at least give you pause when you see how many racist and intellectually dishonest actions are being carried out in this process of closing down public schools to start charter schools. It's vile, actually. That part of the book is awfully depressing.
But there's hope. Maybe. Maybe things need to keep getting worse for a while. (Does anyone not see that things are getting worse and have been for a while?)
I'm loving these short Jacobin/Verso collaborations. _Playing the Whore_ and _Utopia or Bust_ are also great quick reads.
If you're a die-hard Gates Foundation fanboy or fangirl, this book probably isn't written to change your mind, though I'd hope that reading it would at least give you pause when you see how many racist and intellectually dishonest actions are being carried out in this process of closing down public schools to start charter schools. It's vile, actually. That part of the book is awfully depressing.
But there's hope. Maybe. Maybe things need to keep getting worse for a while. (Does anyone not see that things are getting worse and have been for a while?)
I'm loving these short Jacobin/Verso collaborations. _Playing the Whore_ and _Utopia or Bust_ are also great quick reads.
kshim's review
3.0
Almost a whole month on this book is embarrassing, but I had a lot going on and...I'm not going to lie, it was just hard to read about a strike with members that worked so hard together while also working with my union and feeling frustrated by my members.
I don't have a lot to say about this book other than Uetricht brings up great points about how you have to work together with the community and make those strong relationships in order to win the battle with a union. It's so frustrating how universally hated unions are when they do so much to protect the everyday man and not big business--why are people rooting for big business? It's never done anything positive for the every day man. Unions are the reasons we have great things like weekends and vacations and anything you've ever liked. Whatever, I'm missing the point.
By making strong ties with the community, you prove the worth of unions not just on the members itself, but the communities they serve, so when the big bad men from the top try to turn the community against the union, the community knows better.
Looking back on the latest effort with my union, I suppose that was an issue we didn't deal with...but I'm struggling to think of how my rep and I could have gotten our members to interact more frequently with the community outside of work hours (since it obviously can't be done during work hours). It was already so hard to get people to wear shirts/pins, let alone do anything above that. This book has left me kind of spinning, in that regard.
Unlike Jeff Hobbes, Uetricht didn't make the book feel weird or disrupt the flow when he is actually involved in the narrative. It's not an unnecessary introduction of himself.
Uetricht uses the word "neoliberal" way too often. It's absolutely distracting. There are occasions it's on a page three or more times. I understand there aren't a lot of synonyms for it, but shit, was he getting extra money for every time he used it? If so, he was very successful.
No dogs barking, because why would there be?
I don't have a lot to say about this book other than Uetricht brings up great points about how you have to work together with the community and make those strong relationships in order to win the battle with a union. It's so frustrating how universally hated unions are when they do so much to protect the everyday man and not big business--why are people rooting for big business? It's never done anything positive for the every day man. Unions are the reasons we have great things like weekends and vacations and anything you've ever liked. Whatever, I'm missing the point.
By making strong ties with the community, you prove the worth of unions not just on the members itself, but the communities they serve, so when the big bad men from the top try to turn the community against the union, the community knows better.
Looking back on the latest effort with my union, I suppose that was an issue we didn't deal with...but I'm struggling to think of how my rep and I could have gotten our members to interact more frequently with the community outside of work hours (since it obviously can't be done during work hours). It was already so hard to get people to wear shirts/pins, let alone do anything above that. This book has left me kind of spinning, in that regard.
Unlike Jeff Hobbes, Uetricht didn't make the book feel weird or disrupt the flow when he is actually involved in the narrative. It's not an unnecessary introduction of himself.
Uetricht uses the word "neoliberal" way too often. It's absolutely distracting. There are occasions it's on a page three or more times. I understand there aren't a lot of synonyms for it, but shit, was he getting extra money for every time he used it? If so, he was very successful.
No dogs barking, because why would there be?
8little_paws's review
4.0
Here’s the story of the Chicago Teachers Union strike of 2012. Informative and fast for educators, Chicagoans, and those interested in union history.
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