Chicago teachers end strike

From The Chicago Tribune: The Chicago Teachers Union’s House of Delegates has decided to end the city’s first teacher strike in 25 years; students will return to the classroom Wednesday. The voice vote was taken after some 800 delegates convened at a union meeting hall to debate tentative contract terms. Union leaders had already signed off on the agreement with Chicago Public Schools.

Earlier...from The Chicago Tribune: Lawyers for Chicago Public Schools have been rebuffed in their effort to secure a temporary restraining order and immediately end the teachers strike. A Cook County Circuit Court judge declined to hold a hearing on the matter today. Instead, Judge Peter Flynn raised the possibility of setting a hearing for Wednesday, if the strike has not ended by then.

STATEMENT from The Chicago Teachers Union: “The Chicago Teachers Union is striking over mandatory subjects of bargaining such as compensation, evaluation procedures and the conditions within our classrooms," says union spokeswoman Stephanie Gadlin. "If this were an illegal strike, the Chicago Public Schools would have sought injunctive relief on day one. The law provides that if a strike is illegal, only the labor board has jurisdiction to stop a strike. (The district) has never filed any claim with the labor board that our strike is illegal....(The) spur-of-the-moment decision to seek injunctive relief some six days later appears to be a vindictive act instigated by the mayor."

From Chicago Public Schools: The district posts a summary online of the proposed contract with teachers.

Earlier...from The Chicago Sun-Times: Chicago public school leaders have asked a judge to issue a preliminary injunction that would stop the teachers’ strike. Board President David Vitale says if the court order is issued, children could be back in school as early as Tuesday. The school system turned to the courts after the Chicago Teachers Union’s House of Delegates did not approve a contract Sunday, as many had expected. The union says delegates refused to suspend the strike because they had not seen the exact contract language of the entire deal.

DAY 5...from The Chicago Tribune: Chicago Public Schools and the teachers union have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract, and classes could resume for 350,000 students on Monday, according to school and union officials. The union’s House of Delegates will review details Sunday and are expected to vote then on whether to end the strike, according to Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis.

Earlier...from The Chicago Sun-Times: Teachers union and Chicago Public School officials say the “frameworks” for a new contract are in place, and a high-ranking City Hall source indicated that a tentative agreement had been reached.

Earlier...from The Chicago Tribune: The Chicago teachers strike has entered its fifth day, and "number crunching" apparently has delayed a deal that both sides hoped already would be reached. Barbara Byrd-Bennett, chief education adviser for Chicago Public Schools, says the two sides are "so close" and could reach a deal before the union's House of Delegates meet later this afternoon. If a tentative deal is reached, the House of Delegates could vote to end the strike, and the union's full 25,000 members could vote on it over the next two weeks. That could mean classes would resume by Monday

DAY 4...from The Chicago Tribune: Negotiators for the Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools say they are confident of reaching an agreement today, but were divided on how soon classes can resume. Union President Karen Lewis says classes may not resume until Monday because the union's House of Delegates would have to approve ending the strike. Barbara Byrd-Bennett, chief education officer with the school district, says she thinks kids could be back in school on Friday.

DAY 3...from The Chicago Sun-Times: The head of the Chicago Teachers Union says teachers and the city school district remain “kilometers apart” as the strike enters into its third day. Mayor Rahm Emanuel has suggested there are only two major issues remaining to work out, but union President Karen Lewis says they have agreed on only six of nearly 50 issues.

DAY 2...from The Chicago Tribune: More than 350,000 children in Chicago remain locked out of the classroom as striking teachers and the school board return to the bargaining table today.

View more videos at: http://nbcchicago.com.

DAY 1...from The Chicago Tribune: Striking for the first time in 25 years, Chicago's teachers were walking picket lines this morning after talks with the school district failed to result in a contract agreement. The district says it has offered teachers a 16 percent pay raise over four years and a host of benefit proposals. A union official says the two sides are close on teacher compensation, but the union has serious concerns about the cost of health benefits, the makeup of the teacher evaluation system and job security.

More: Updates on developments in the Chicago teachers' strike. (The Chicago Tribune)



VIDEO from The Associated Press: Statement from Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel on the teachers' strike: