The first public teachers strike in Chicago in 25 years is over. Yesterday, teachers agreed to return to work after over a week of picketing and protest. The details of a potential contract will now be voted on by more than 25,000 teachers. This brings an end to a bitter battle between Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago Teachers Union. Emanuel initially dismissed the strike as a matter of "choice."
Emanuel turned to the courts for assistance, filing a suit that would force teachers back into the classroom by saying the strike was illegal because it jeopardized the health and safety of students. Furthermore, the suit claimed that the reasons for the strike—layoffs, evaluations, and recall rights— were not significant grounds for a stoppage of work. A hearing was set for today, but with teachers returning to classrooms, the case will most likely be thrown out.
[via NY Daily News]
