I didn’t read this when it first came out. I figured that
living in Chicago and participating in the rallies and being on the CORE Facebook group gave me a
sense of the strike that would be hard to replicate in a little book. I was
wrong. Uetricht lays out the background and the events of the strike in the
first half of the book in a depth that I was unfamiliar with. For that I’m grateful
that I read it
He then
lays out the future of CTU and unionism as a whole, and I wish I didn’t read it
now, because with Rauner in office in Illinois, the strike now feels like a
high-water mark of what is possible in respect for the service professionals in
Illinois – this book is a reminder of what could be with proper unity (and
voter turnout) against the forces of “reform” that want to marketize every
personal transaction.
Structurally,
there are some issues. Uetrucht likes to repeat scenes, which is odd, given the
brevity of the book. There are multiple events given paragraph-length
treatments more than once. Since It only takes a couple of hours to read,
perhaps that should have been more heavily edited. There’s also three separate points
where the reporting turns to first person. Since so much of it is not in first
person, the inclusion of the authorial “I” is a bit jarring. I do get it though.
I was at rallies for the teachers as a former teacher (nonunion though) myself.
I felt solidarity with them, and the feeling around town was electric. I had my
own red shirt that brought cheers and fives from strangers. It is that feeling of
unity and solidarity that I wish we could feel all the time, and not just as
teachers fight for respect from an elected government. In spite of those flaws,
this is a worthy read.
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