How Class Size Demands Could Trigger A Chicago Teachers Strike
Lowering class size is a key demand for the Chicago Teachers Union. Teachers plan to strike Oct. 17 if there’s no deal by then.
Lowering class size is a key demand for the Chicago Teachers Union. Teachers plan to strike Oct. 17 if there’s no deal by then.
The mayor wants counterproposals from the CTU — but neither side appears willing to budge over the key issues of class size and staffing.
Mayor Lightfoot says if Chicago teachers strike, the missed days won’t be made up, cutting into teacher pay. The union dismissed the threat.
If all three unions strike at once, as many as 35,000 workers could walk. CPS says it can still keep school buildings open during a strike.
A Payton teacher said black students are called the N-word. And, among other incidents, she has seen bananas thrown at black students.
The union plans to set a strike date next week. Teachers will likely walk out in mid-October if no deal is reached before then.
A decade after a desegregation order in CPS ended, students are mostly bused to schools racially similar to their neighborhood schools.
The teachers union accuses CPS of peddling in “misleading half-truths” while CPS says CTU isn’t bringing a sense of urgency to negotiations.
More high schoolers are earning college credit than ever before, exposing them to college early but also raising questions about quality.
Union members will take a strike authorization vote starting Sept. 24 if there’s no deal by then. The earliest strike date would be Oct. 7.