2012, said a strike has repercussions.
“We got spanked for it,” she said, noting the closure of 50 public schools.
“So I want people to walk into this not romanticizing what we did, because I think that’s something I run into,” said Lewis, who added she “gets freaked out” when people recognize her on the street.
“We shouldn’t have any delusions about it,” said Lewis, who deflected praise for her role in the strike. “That strike was so not lead by me. It was lead by rank-and-file members saying they’d had enough, and they wanted some respect.”
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, which includes the Chicago Teachers Union, also spoke at the event at The Drake Hotel.