Chicagoans Express Relief, Support for Teachers Morning After Strike Is Avoided

CHICAGO, IL — Teachers and students might have been drowsy Tuesday morning, but they were back in Chicago public school classrooms, something that wasn't a certainty 24 hours earlier.

At the 11th hour, the Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools were able to come to terms on a tentative agreement for a new contract late Monday night. If a deal hadn't been reached by the midnight deadline, Chicago teachers were prepared to go on strike Tuesday, the second time they would've walked off the job while Mayor Rahm Emmanuel's has been in office.

Despite the tentative agreement, both sides still need to iron out a vareity of details. The framework of the deal involves CPS commitments to a layoff recall provision, a pension pickup and other areas. Regarding teacher pensions — an item that had been a sticking point during negotiations — the city will continue its 7-percent pay-in for current teachers, but it will be dropped for new hires, who will have to contribute the full 9 percent.

The union posted a copy of the signed tentative agreement to its website early Tuesday morning after the late-night bargaining session had ended.

RELATED: Chicago Teachers Strike Averted as Union, CPS Reach Tentative Agreement

Because the deal wasn't reached until late, most of the reaction from parents, educators and other community members didn't come until Tuesday morning. Relief that a strike was avoided was the underlying feeling in most Chicagoans' responses:

Even with the strike called off, some individuals went forward with their plans to wear red in support of Chicago teachers:

But not everyone had such a positive outlook about the deal. Some criticized shortcomings with the agreement and the negotiating process that brought both sides to the brink of a walk out. And given how happy union officials were with the results of Monday night's bargaining session, others wondered what CPS and the city were getting out of the deal.

Before it becomes an official contract, the tentative agreement must go before CTU's House of Delegates for approval. After that, the union's membership needs to vote on it.

photo via Shutterstock

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