Remember when the Chicago Teachers Union went on strike last year, closing schools to more than 350,000 kids just as the school year began? This same union is now featured on the cover of the Socialism 2013 Conference being held in Chicago this summer. The small print below the picture of the CTU striking last year says it all:
“Millions of people have come to the conclusion that capitalism is no longer working. From extreme weather caused by climate change and the relentless drive to slash workers’ living standards to the epidemic of police brutality, the signs of a society in crisis are all around us. The question isn’t whether society has run amok; the question is what to do about it.”
Included in the agenda are the following topics:
#The schools our children deserve
#The fight for teachers’ unions
#More than a score: The fight against standardized testing
#Organizing as a socialist
#How to build an International Socialist Organization
#Organizing in High Schools
Are you concerned yet about what may be taught in our public schools? You should be. Of course, this is Chicago; and this is not all teachers by a long shot. However, it is the union leadership of one of the largest (26,000 members) teachers unions in the country. You should worry when you hear the words “collectivism, collaboration” and any other terms which detract from individualism and personal identity.
This conference will include hundreds of activists who will consider topics such as: can organized labor make a comeback? why is Marxism relevant today? It notes that featured speakers will include teachers on the front lines of the fight to defend public education, trade unionists, Marxists authors, the New Jim Crow,radical historians and more. What more can one ask for? Maybe they’ll have speakers talk about the Gulag Archipelago, The Killing Fields and many other highlights of the Marxist/socialist history.
Will the NEA-AK be sending representatives to this Socialism 2013 Conference? If so, will they be using members’ dues (our taxes) to fund this collectivist effort?