Obama needs to tread carefully in Chicago strike

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The Obama camp needs to be careful not to upset the unions, which it needs for campaign funds and to do ground work leading up to the Nov 6 election, while not alienating independent voters who are worried about the Democrats being too close to powerful labor groups.

While not directly involved, Obama is associated in many minds with politics in his hometown, where one of his cabinet members, Education Secretary Arne Duncan, formerly oversaw the schools and now endorses the changes that have angered teachers.

And Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is a former Obama chief of staff.

Some 29,000 teachers and support staff are involved in the strike, the city's first in a quarter of a century, to protest reforms such as performance evaluations for teachers and more authority for school principals.

But the Obama campaign relies on the Democratic legions of rank-and-file union labor to carryout voter drives in key battleground states, which may be their best chance to overcome well-funded Republican attacks over the airwaves.

Obama is expected to win Illinois handily on Election Day, but he needs union help in closely contested midwestern states like Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Monday that Obama was aware of the situation in Chicago.

His "principal concern is for the students and families who are affected by the situation", Carney said. "We hope both sides are able to come together to settle this quickly."

About the broadcaster:

CJ Henderson is a foreign expert for China Daily's online culture department. CJ is a graduate of the University of Sydney where she completed a Bachelors degree in Media and Communications, Government and International Relations, and American Studies. CJ has four years of experience working across media platforms, including work for 21st Century Newspapers in Beijing, and a variety of media in Australia and the US.