It might be several days before the Chicago Teachers Union announces the results of its strike authorization vote, but already Chicago Public Schools officials are questioning the integrity of the process.
Attorneys for the district earlier this week asked the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board to ensure that the teachers union preserve all documents relating to the vote count this week to allow for independent verification and "to investigate whether any improper conduct occurred."
CPS attorney James Franczek could not be reached for comment on the district's request, which several people close to the situation said could be the first step toward landing the issue in court.
Brizard and others are claiming the vote is being rushed and "premature," but it only makes sense before the summer retirements kick in and a whole bunch of new hires (who have no ties to the union and a big pile of student loans staring them in the face) come in an make it impossible for the 75% mark to be reached. And that's 75% of the total membership, not 75% of the people casting ballots (that's going to be a hard number to reach).