1933 Chicago Teachers Walkout: That Time Teachers Rioted With Textbooks and Rulers

American Federation of Teachers archivist Dan Golodner tells guest host Bart Bealmear about the 1933 Chicago Teachers Walkout, when Chicago teachers joined together to demand that they be paid in actual money and on time, rather than in scrip that wasn’t honored by local businesses and banks during the Great Depression. Paid only nine times in four years because property taxes meant to fund Chicago schools were withheld by corrupt businesses, banks, and school board members, students and teachers staged public demonstrations on the streets and in bank lobbies, ultimately shaming the banks into releasing school funds and the school board into issuing consistent paychecks. Related Collections AFT Inventory Part I Records AFT Inventory Part II Records American Federation of Teachers Publications Mary J. Herrick Papers Episode Credits Producers: Dan Golodner and Troy Eller English Host: Bart Bealmear Interviewee: Dan Golodner Sound: Troy Eller English With support from the Reuther Podcast Collective: Bart Bealmear, Elizabeth Clemens, Meghan Courtney, Troy Eller English, Dan Golodner, Paul Neirink, and Mary Wallace