Chicago teacher contract talks: Will they strike? The latest on the CPS-CTU negotiations

Based on the latest developments, here’s our take on how things are looking regarding whether the Chicago Teachers Union will reach a deal to avert a threatened strike Thursday morning.

Three days remain until Chicago’s powerful, 25,000-strong teachers union could walk out, which would cause the cancellation of classes for 300,000 Chicago Public Schools students.

Based on the latest developments, here’s our take on how things are looking regarding whether the Chicago Teachers Union will reach a deal with CPS and Mayor Lori Lightfoot and avert a threatened strike Thursday morning.

Hard lines softening?

Friday’s talk was all tough, with both sides digging in and blaming each other, as they’d done for months. Lightfoot accused the CTU of “refusing to negotiate in good faith” after the union rejected the city’s “last, best and final offer.”

But Saturday’s talks — the first weekend sessions on renewing the CTU contract that expired June 30 — seemed to shake something loose. For the first time, the two sides agreed at least that they had made significant progress, as they found a way to discuss two top-priority issues: staffing levels and class size.

By Saturday evening, the CTU had eased back considerably on its rhetoric, saying CPS’ latest proposal had provided the union with a “path” toward averting a strike.

Strike preparations continue

But union leaders still are preparing for a strike, taking advantage of kids being out of school for the Columbus /Indigenous Peoples Day holiday on Monday to rally their red- and purple-shirted troops downtown for several hours Monday afternoon. Joining the CTU were 10,000 members of SEIU Local 73 who work as school security guards, custodians and bus aides.

The announcement for the rally warned: “35,000 workers strong are ready to strike on October 17 if Mayor Lightfoot is not willing to stand up for Chicago’s students and families.”

Until it has a signed agreement, the union is trying to keep the pressure on city administrators, or it might lose an edge at the bargaining table.

Rhetoric ramped up at the rally, followed by a march around the loop. Randi Weingarten, president of the national American Federation of Teachers, told the crowd of about 1,000, “We’re about to teach the new mayor a lesson.”

Emergency union vote set Wednesday

Only the CTU’s house of delegates — hundreds who represented teachers at schools citywide — can vote a proposed contract up or down. The teachers union is known for being particularly democratic, preferring to make big decisions as a group. So even as the CTU’s leaders prepare members for a possible walkout, they also have scheduled an emergency meeting for Wednesday night at which the delegates could ratify a potential deal as late in the game as possible.

More transparency from City Hall

Ahead of Monday’s union rally at the Chicago Temple Building, Lightfoot tweeted a new video with the message, “Teachers, we hear you, we see you, and we remain committed to getting a deal done that respects your work. That is what educators, students, and families deserve.”

The mayor’s new strategy of laying CPS’ negotiating cards on the table — with a dedicated website and a rush to address reporters after each round of talks — marks a change from how the city and CPS negotiated in 2016 and 2012. It also boosts CPS’ case with the public, which until now was hearing only from the union.

Sniping back and forth

The two sides have been sniping at each other on Twitter and reading a lot into each other’s messages.

A call Sunday evening that was billed as a “Bargaining Update and Strike Readiness Tele-Town Hall” between CTU president Jesse Sharkey and union members sent rumors flying.

Members reported that Sharkey told them he wasn’t hopeful. Pay and benefits have yet to be settled as the CTU hashes out “non-economic” conditions, though the city has offered salary bumps each of the next five years.

Sharkey said Monday that there’s been progress in negotiations, and though it’s “not impossible” to get a deal in time by Thursday’s deadline, the chances of averting a strike are getting smaller by the hour.

Daily meetings continue

But Monday’s talks were on hold for the several hours that the CTU’s bargaining team rallied with members, and weren’t expected to pick up again until early evening. CTU officials plan a 9 p.m. press conference to give an update.

The two negotiating teams had met all day Saturday. They’re continuing to talk at the same locations, alternating between CTU’s and CPS’ home turfs — unlike talks in 2012 and 2016, when they had to meet on neutral ground.

Who’s in the room hasn’t changed, though last week, Miguel del Valle, the Chicago Board of Education president, made an appearance.

It’s likely that Lightfoot and CPS CEO Janice Jackson won’t join in until a deal is in sight.