Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has taken a strong stance against the Chicago Teachers Union in its strike. And he has taken President Barack Obama to task for his support of teachers unions,
The Hill reports.
“I am disappointed by the decision of the Chicago Teachers Union to turn its back on not only a city negotiating in good faith but also the hundreds of thousands of children relying on the city’s public schools to provide them a safe place to receive a strong education,” Romney said in a statement.
Ironically this puts him on the side of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who has suspended his work to help raise money for super PACs working on behalf of Obama in light of the strike.
“Teachers unions have too often made plain that their interests conflict with those of our children, and today we are seeing one of the clearest examples yet,” Romney said.
“President Obama has chosen his side in this fight, sending his vice president last year to assure the nation’s largest teachers union that ‘you should have no doubt about my affection for you and the president’s commitment to you.’ I choose to side with the parents and students depending on public schools to give them the skills to succeed, and my plan for education reform will do exactly that.”
As for Emanuel, his decision to put a hold on the Obama fundraising may have been influenced by a call from Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady earlier Monday to do exactly that.
"Chicago families deserve the mayor’s complete attention this week," Brady said in a statement. "Mayor Emanuel should put aside his Obama super-PAC fundraising work and put Chicago issues first."
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