Chicago classes canceled Wednesday as union refuses in-person work
Chicago Public Schools classes are canceled today as the Chicago Teachers Union voted to refuse in-person work, defying district plans because of post-holidays COVID-19 concerns.
The cancellation came despite a last-minute proposal from city leaders that introduced improved testing and safety measures but wasn't enough to avoid upending in-person schooling for about 290,000 students at non-charter schools exactly 12 months after another CPS-CTU fight over pandemic safety measures left families in limbo for weeks.
This is the third time CPS classes are disrupted by labor strife in the past 27 months.
CPS CEO Pedro Martinez sent the offer to meet the union halfway on some of its demands right before a City Hall news conference Tuesday morning, where he pleaded with the union to give his proposal a chance and asked leaders to delay a membership vote Tuesday evening. CTU leaders reviewed the proposal and met with CPS leadership through the afternoon, but an agreement was not reached and the union did not delay its vote. After those discussions, the CTU's House of Delegates voted 555-77 to hold the membership-wide vote.
In an emailed update to members, the union said the vote would call for no in-person work until Jan. 18 or until the city's COVID-19 wave falls below the threshold CPS set last year to trigger school closures, whichever comes first.