Chicago teachers ready to strike, union says

Chicago teachers ready to strike, union says

But in to order strike, new Illinois law says the union needs 75 percent of its eligible voting members on board. There are 675 schools in CPS.

Lewis said CPS wants to lock in a five-year contract and is offering teachers a 2 percent raise in the first year, with salaries based on performance in later years.

CPS officials would not comment on the on-going negotiations, but CPS CEO Jean-Claude Brizard said talk of a strike is premature and problematic.

“We shouldn’t be talking about the ‘S-word,’” Brizard said at a news conference Thursday. “Let’s talk about finding a way to work together to improve a system that will benefit nearly a half million children.”

Emanuel reacted strongly to the possibility of teachers walking out of their classrooms.

“Any time anybody’s not focused on their first priority, which is teaching our children, that’s where I get angst,” he said. “Don’t take away from your main mission, your job, what the people of the city of Chicago, the parents, the taxpayers expect of you, which is to teach our children.”

LP - We understand that the teachers' first priority should be on educating the children but apparently that isn't a priority for the governor. This is a problem when elected officials think that they have nothing to do with educating the kids in the cities they run. The buck really doesn't stop with the teachers if the kids aren't being educated it is the mayor's fault, no questions asked, and no amount of campaign funds should get you out of that.