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U.S. NEWS Thursday 17 OcTOber 2019
Chicago teachers to strike in nation's

3rd largest district

Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) — Chica-
go parents and commu-
nity groups are scrambling
to prepare for a massive
teachers' strike set to begin
Thursday, prompting the
city to preemptively cancel
classes in the nation's third-
largest school district.
The Chicago Teachers
Union confirmed Wednes-
day night that its 25,000
members would not re-
turn to their classrooms
Thursday after months of
negotiation between the
union and Chicago Public
Schools failed to resolve
disputes over pay and ben-
efits, class size and teacher
preparation time.
The strike is Chicago's first
major walkout by teach-
ers since 2012 and city of-
ficials announced early In this Oct. 14, 2019 photo, Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey, center right, and
Wednesday that all classes Vice President Stacy Davis Gates, center, left, march with members of the CTU and SEIU Local 73
had been canceled for through the Loop after a rally, three days before the unions could walk off the job on strike.
Thursday in hopes of giv- Associated Press
ing more planning time to
300,000 students' families. activities and school bus- of agreement, find some union's top priorities, but
"We want this to be a short es are suspended in the compromise," Davis said. its negotiators responded
strike with an agreement district serving more than Lightfoot preemptively an- by issuing additional de-
that will benefit our schools 300,000 students. nounced that classes on mands, including some she
and our teachers. We have Janice Jackson, the dis- Thursday would be can- deemed unacceptable.
a ways to go," Chicago trict's CEO, encouraged celed, saying she wanted "The union is still demanding
Teachers Union President parents to send their chil- to give parents more time to shorten instructional time
Jesse Sharkey said during dren to the school that to plan. A clearly frustrated by 30 minutes in the morn-
a union news conference. they normally attend, how- Lightfoot said the city had ing," she said. "We won't do
"We actually want to see ever they will be welcome not only offered a 16% pay that. We will not cheat our
improvement on all the is- in any district schools. raise over the five-year con- children out of instructional
sues we are talking about "We've put together a real- tract, but the city also had time."
here." ly comprehensive plan for agreed to put language Before heading into a
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the students," Jackson said. in the contract addressing downtown law firm for bar-
she was disappointed by "We will make sure they are "enforceable targets" on gaining talks Wednesday
the union's decision to safe and they have a pro- class size and increasing morning, union vice presi-
strike. ductive day." staffing levels for positions dent Stacy Davis Gates
"We are offering a historic Also striking will be 7,000 such as nurses, librarians said there is a "gross discon-
package on the core issues support staffers, whose and social workers — items nect" between Lightfoot's
— salary, staffing and class union also failed to reach a the union said were critical. comments and what nego-
size," she said Wednes- contract agreement. She said the union's de- tiators have put in writing.
day night at her own news Before the strike announce- mands would cost an un- "To say that you have of-
conference, adding that ment, June Davis said affordable $2.5 billion per fered a proposal that re-
school district negotiators if teachers walked out, year. spects what we are asking
will remain at the bargain- she would likely send her Union leaders disputed for, to say you've bent over
ing table and that she 7-year-old son, Joshua, to Lightfoot's characterization backward ... it's absolutely
hopes the union does, too. his usual elementary school of the city's willingness to ridiculous," Davis Gates
During the 2012 strike, the — Smyth Elementary on concede to their demands said.
district kept some schools the city's South Side where on several issues, including Community organizations
open for half days during a almost all students are low- class sizes. have been preparing for
seven-day walkout. District income and minority. "CPS' current class size of- days to welcome students,
officials said this time they Davis, 38, said she would fer falls far short of what's ranging from a $100 per
will keep all buildings open otherwise have to take her needed to address the day camp for elementary
during school hours, staffed son to his grandmother's in sweeping scale of the school kids at the Shedd
by principals and employ- a southern suburb, requir- problem," they said in a Aquarium to all-day pro-
ees who usually work in ad- ing an hourlong trip on a statement. grams run by the Boys &
ministrative roles. regional bus line. Lightfoot said the city Girls Club of Chicago and
Breakfast and lunch will be "Everybody's hoping they agreed to make substantial accessible for a $20 annual
served, but all after-school will come to some kind changes on some of the membership fee.q