Chicago Teachers Union Approves Going on Strike

CHICAGO, IL — Educators in the Chicago Teachers Union overwhelming approve a strike with 95 percent of its members giving the go-ahead to walk out, the union said Monday.

Union officials will meet in a special session Wednesday, Sept. 28, to decide how to proceed and whether to give the Chicago Board of Education a 10-day strike notice. The earliest teachers could go on strike would be Oct. 11.

The union had a 90.6 percent turnout over the strike vote, and 95.6 percent of its members approved of a work stoppage, the third one since Mayor Rahm Emanuel took office in 2011. By state law, only a 75 percent is needed to authorize a strike.

Although contract talks continue, the union has been upset over school-based cuts that have hit special education students hard and eliminated teaching positions. Union officials will discuss a possible strike and other matters after Wednesday's special session.

photo via Shutterstock

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