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School closings

As CPS prepares to close a record number of schools, the fate of students and communities is in question.

contract negotiations

September 25, 2012

In the wake of the recent teachers’ strike, the September board meeting started out as mostly a congratulatory session among board members, district officials and the union leadership, who lauded each other for working long hours to craft a deal.

But when Chicago Teachers Union Recording Secretary Michael Brunson came up to the podium, he issued a bit of a warning, saying the television ad featuring Mayor Rahm Emanuel touting the supposed wins in the contract is not helpful.

August 29, 2012

The Chicago Teachers Union has filed an official 10-day strike notice with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board, union leaders announced.

No date for a strike has been set. The earliest teachers could walk out is Sept. 10. The union’s House of Delegates will meet tomorrow evening to discuss next steps, the union said in a press release.

August 27, 2012

Mayor Rahm Emanuel is preparing to “ratchet up” negotiations with the Chicago Teachers Union to seal a deal needed to guarantee an on-time Sept. 4 opening of Chicago Public Schools and preserve his signature plan for a longer school day and year, City Hall sources said late last week. (Sun-Times)

August 24, 2012

You could say we're officially on a strike watch as Chicago Public Schools and the teachers union go back to the negotiating table Friday morning in another effort to reach a contract and squash the threat of a walkout.

August 23, 2012

During a meeting at Lane Tech High School on Wednesday, delegates of the Chicago Teachers Union gave its president the go-ahead to issue a 10-day strike notice at her discretion. Contract negotiations have been slow-moving and major proposals have yet to be resolved, CTU said in a news release.

August 09, 2012

With the start of the regular-track school year quickly approaching, CTU President Karen Lewis is sounding the warning bell that the union and the district still need to resolve many issues before a strike can be ruled out.

Without some movement, "we are preparing for a strike," she says. “You prepare for war, pray for peace.”

July 31, 2012

As Mayor Daley did nine years ago, Mayor Emanuel realized he had to compromise with the Chicago Teachers Union in an effort to avert a strike. Whether it worked, we won't know for a few more weeks.

July 24, 2012

CPS and CTU announced a partial agreement in ongoing teacher contract negotiations on Tuesday, with the union accepting the lengthening of the school day and the district saying it will hire 477 teachers, giving preference to teachers displaced over the past two years.

With these extra teachers and some scheduling changes, such as eliminating a morning prep time and putting lunch for teachers back into the middle of the day, the workday for elementary school teachers won’t be lengthened and will be only slightly longer for high school teachers.

July 19, 2012

Now that CPS and the CTU have both rejected an outside fact-finder’s recommendations for a settlement in teacher contract negotiations, a resolution will have to come at the bargaining table. The report offers a glimpse into the issues at play--and sounds a clear warning of a looming strike. 

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