School Canceled For Friday; No Deal As Teachers' Strike Continues
As 25,000 teachers walked off the job and hit the picket Thursday, union and CPS negotiators met to resume efforts to hammer out an agreement.
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As 25,000 teachers walked off the job and hit the picket Thursday, union and CPS negotiators met to resume efforts to hammer out an agreement.
The union is calling for a primary school class size reduction, from 28 to 24 students. In high school it would slide from 31 to 28 students max. And unlike passed contracts, this would be enforceable.
The Chicago Teachers Union rally is underway as thousands of protesters march through The Loop Thursday.
Teachers and other staff are on strike at Chicago Public Schools, after contract talks between CPS and the Chicago Teachers Union stalled.
Athletes hoping for scholarships and teams hoping for playoff berths inside Chicago Public Schools are also hoping strike wraps up quickly.
A teachers' strike is going ahead in Chicago on Thursday, after Chicago Teachers Union delegates voted unanimously to go ahead with a walkout.
The Chicago Teachers Union is expected to go on strike on Thursday, as it continues to bargain with Chicago Public Schools to negotiate a new contract.
Barring a breakthrough sometime Wednesday, the Chicago Teachers Union bargaining team has recommended a strike starting Thursday. Meanwhile some agencies are getting ready for an influx of students if teachers walk out.
Delegates will have the final say with a vote on Wednesday, but the president of the Chicago Teachers Union said Tuesday night that the union is recommending a teachers' strike.
Sticking points apparently include class sizes. The CTU said 1,300 classrooms throughout the district are overcrowded. It wants to drop the official class limit from 28 to 24 students in primary schools and from 31 to 28 students in high school.
Ngotiations between the Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union wrapped up for the night with no deal Monday, as the days count down before a strike could go ahead.
This leaves many families in limbo, scrambling to make plans if school is not in session, and some come at a cost.
The Chicago Teachers Union is just three days away from going on strike if a new contract isn't reached with the city. The teachers plan to hold an indoor rally and then march through the city Monday afternoon but say they're not expecting any negotiations before then.
High school athletes could be on the sidelines if Chicago Public Schools teachers go on strike.
The Chicago Teachers Union has yet to reach an agreement with Chicago Public Schools, but CTU officials said they've opened the way to a "path" to an agreement.
The union, however, has called the city's latest offer "a joke." "We're talking about an offer that frankly was insulting to us," CTU President Jesse Sharkey said.
Teachers want a 15% pay raise over three years. The city is offering teachers a 16% raise over five years. Teachers also want smaller class sizes, claiming some have as many as 40 students.
"Oversized kindergarten classrooms, 37 in a classroom, is detrimental to the safety, health and cognitive development of our students."
The Chicago Teachers Union took issue with class sizes Wednesday, while Chicago Public Schools officials said they are working to combat the problem – as the days count down to a possible teachers' strike.
In a statement Tuesday night, Lightfoot said that the union's contract with CPS is "not the appropriate place for the city to legislate its affordable housing policy."
With nine days until a possible teacher strike, both the city and the Chicago Teachers' Union are blaming one another for the lack of progress.
Despite the penalties, parents are still reporting several busing issues so far this year.
Some people in Norwood Park are not happy about a preschool Chicago Public Schools is planning to build in the area.
"CTU leadership is not exhibiting the sense of urgency needed to move these negotiations forward in a substantive way to avoid a strike," Mayor Lightfoot said.
With the threat of a strike, some members of the Chicago Teachers Union are making their push for more pay public.
