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.
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.