Chicago Teachers Union to flex muscle with downtown rally

Source: Chicago Tribune

By Juan Perez Jr.

The Chicago Teachers Union is set to flex its muscles with a rally in Grant Park on Monday designed to energize members and send a message to the city amid stalled contract talks with the school district.

CTU President Karen Lewis is scheduled to address the crowd during the afternoon rush hour "Winter Labor Solidarity Rally & Community Tailgate." The union has distributed leaflets urging members to "be a part of this striking scene." Buses will shuttle people downtown from some two dozen city schools.

Similar rallies were held by the 27,000-member union three years ago before a seven-day strike ended a quarter-century of relative peace with the city.

City teachers are without a new contract to replace one that expired June 30. After months of fruitless negotiations, the union and Chicago Board of Education in August enlisted a mediator's help, part of a long process that has to play out under state law before a strike can occur.

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Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis, shown Oct. 30, 2015, plans to address a rally Nov. 23 in Grant Park amid stalled contract talks with the school district. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

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