Chicago teachers to strike amid no contract deal

CHICAGO — Chicago teachers are set to go on strike after failing to reach a contract deal with the nation’s third-largest school district.

Both sides have been negotiating for months over issues including pay and benefits, class size and teacher preparation time.

The Chicago Teachers Union said Wednesday night that teachers will strike Thursday. Union members held a banner that read, “On Strike,” as they announced it at a news conference that was streamed on the union’s Facebook page.

Roughly 25,000 teachers are expected to participate in the work stoppage. The district preemptively canceled Thursday’s classes earlier Wednesday but plans to keep schools open and staffed with nonunion employees.

The last major teachers’ strike in Chicago was in 2012.

Chicago educators say the district has shortchanged schools after years of budget cuts and they want all the promises in writing. The district says its offer of a 16% raise over five years is comprehensive and “historic.”