Chicago Teachers Union Boss Blasts the 1%, Owns 3 Houses and Makes $200K
Maybe teachers union presidents who live in luxurious glass houses shouldn't throw stones at the one percent.
Maybe teachers union presidents who live in luxurious glass houses shouldn't throw stones at the one percent. Chicago Teachers Union boss and generally unpleasant person Karen Lewis recently criticized Mayor Rahm Emanuel, calling him a corporate tool and "Mayor 1%." (She has previously joked about killing rich people.)
Such populist screed is undoubtedly groundwork for an eventual mayoral run. It is also hypocritical. Lewis isn't nearly as wealthy as Emanuel, but she's no vagrant either. Her two union salaries bring her total compensation north of $200,000 a year, only about $15,000 less than the mayor's salary. She owns three homes and vacations in Hawaii every year. She doesn't quite crack the one percent, but her earnings put her in the top five percent of all Americans, according to the Chicago Sun-Times:
Regarding her pay, Lewis said, "I'm not going to apologize for it. I don't think that's wrong. I did what we are told to do. You are supposed to go to school, become educated. I have an Ivy League diploma. I have two master's degrees. I'm a board-certified teacher."
No teacher in the Chicago schools system makes as much as Lewis, although a few union officials make even more.