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What a Seven Day Teachers' Strike Can Accomplish: Key Contract Issues

[Demonstrators as part of the Chicago Teachers Union strike on 10 September 2012. Image by Sierraromeo via Flickr.] [Demonstrators as part of the Chicago Teachers Union strike on 10 September 2012. Image by Sierraromeo via Flickr.]

On 10 September 2012, approximately twenty-nine thousand members of the Chicago Teachers Union began a seven-day strike protesting a host of encroachments on their rights as workers and educators on the part of the Chicago Board of Education. While various news reports have detailed the final contract agreement, the chart below (published by the Chicago Tribune on 18 September) highlights the issues that were on the table and the movement in the board's positions that were achieved through the strike and attendant negotiations. Certainly, there remains much to be analyzed regarding the conditions that made such a success possible and the issues that continue to be unaddressed despite the new contract agreement. These dynamics notwithstanding . . .

Syrian Population Regression

Population: ~ 22.5 Million

2011:  5,800+ (killed)

2012:  60,000+ (killed) and 500,000+ (external refugees)

2013:  70,000+ (killed) and 1,000,000+ (external refugees)

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Syria Map and Stats

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Population: 22,517,750
GDP: $107.4 billion 
Unemployment: 8.3%; Youth Employment (ages 15-24): 19.1%
Internet Users: 4.469 million 
Exchange Rate: ~ 98.00 Syrian pounds per US dollar
GDP Growth Rate: 3.2% 
Military Expenditures: 5.9% of GDP (World Rank: 10)
Health Expenditures: 2.9% of GDP (World Rank: 180)
Population Growth Rate: 0.913% 
Age Structure: 0-14 years: 35.2%; 15-64 years: 61%; 65 years and over: 3.8%
Literacy: 79.6%
Religious Demographics: Sunni Muslim 74%; other Muslim (includes Alawite, Druze) 16%; Christian (various denominations) 10%
Ethnic Demographics: Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%