Waukegan Alderman Calls Teachers "Lazy" For Not Removing Strike Ribbons
CHICAGO (CBS) -- More than a month after a month-long teachers strike in Waukegan, tempers were still flaring at a City Council meeting, with one alderman calling teachers "lazy" for not removing solidarity ribbons they placed around Waukegan during their walkout.
Monday's Waukegan City Council meeting ended on a sour note, when Ald. Harold Beadling said, "Let's take another whack at the teachers."
Upset that he's still seeing blue ribbons strung up around town, Beadling unloaded on the city's teachers.
"Not all teachers. The ones who were on the picket lines. You go by Glen Flora and Lewis [avenues], their stupid blue ribbons are tied on our traffic signal poles," Beadling said. "It looks like crap."
The aldermen said the blue ribbons – which were posted in support of Waukegan teachers during their strike – are no different than graffiti.
"They wanted to put the stuff up there. Can't they get their lazy butt out there, after school tomorrow? Take your ribbons down, please. It looks like crap. That's all I have to say. Thank you," Beadling said.
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Ald. Greg Moisio, a high school teacher who was on the picket lines during the strike, offered to do it himself.
"If it would make you happy, give me a list of the places, and I'll go do it this weekend," Moisio said. "if it will make you happy, I'll take care of it myself as a lazy a** teacher. Thank you."
Ald. Larry TenPas, who was a wrestling coach at Waukegan High School for nearly 30 years, offered to help Moisio.
"As a former student of mine, you really learned well," TenPas said.
