Chicago school security officers set to strike with teachers, custodians and teacher aides
Chicago IL October 17 2019
Chicago schools were closed Monday for Columbus and Indigenous Peoples Day, but the big looming question remains whether they will be closed on Thursday for a teachers strike.
School district and union officials said Monday’s talks offered notable progress on two key issues, but there was still little sense whether a deal could land in time to avert the Chicago Teachers Union’s Thursday strike deadline.
“It was only today — today, sisters and brothers, today — that we had a meaningful conversation about class size and staffing,” CTU President Jesse Sharkey said during a rally Monday to hundreds of supporters gathered at the Chicago Temple building in the Loop.
“As of right now, we do not have a contract,” he said. “And as the hour gets later, our chances of getting a contract before there is a strike narrow and become more remote.”
Sources said CPS and the union hope to reach a deal, if one is to be had, during a full day of scheduled negotiations on Tuesday.
If a potential tentative agreement is reached, union delegates could meet Wednesday to consider calling off the strike. But it’s still not clear that the sides can reach a compromise.
If not, teachers, paraprofessionals, school security officers and others could be walking the line in just a few days, shutting down the entire Chicago school system.
About 35,000 teachers, school and bus aides, custodians, security guards and Chicago Park District employees could simultaneously walk out Thursday without new contract deals.
