Organized labor has historically been one of the Democratic Party’s most loyal constituencies, but the fight underway in Chicago illustrates how that dynamic is changing. Led by President Obama, a new generation of Democratic leaders is clashing with teachers unions over how to reform the nation’s education system. Chicago Mayor (and former Obama chief of staff) Rahm Emanuel is one of the president’s foot soldiers in that movement, which focuses on linking teacher pay to student achievement and opening more charter schools. Obama, in particular, needs the support of unions to beat Mitt Romney in November. That, in part, is why you don’t hear much anti-union talk from Democrats -- until something like the Chicago strike happens, political analysts say. The strike “complicates matters,” said Daniel DiSalvo, an assistant professor of political science at City College of New York. “It shows that this is a much more bipartisan issue than previously recognized.” The longer the strike drags on, the more attention it will receive, which could give the public more time to learn about the Democrats' complicated relationship with teachers unions.
