For the first time in a quarter century, Chicago teachers walked out of the classroom Monday, taking a bitter contract dispute over evaluations and job security to the streets of the nation's third-largest city - and to a national audience - less than a week after most schools opened for fall. AP
The walkout forced hundreds of thousands of parents to scramble for a
place to send idle children and created an unwelcome political distraction for
Mayor Rahm Emanuel. In a year when labor unions have been losing ground
nationwide, the implications were sure to extend far beyond Chicago,
particularly for districts engaged in similar debates. AP Teachers were up early picketing at their schools before many headed
downtown for a rally outside CPS' Loop headquarters. Some teachers brought their
children, who stood on shoulders and joined in the chants. Nearly everyone was
wearing a red T-shirt. Police, some on horseback, lined the sidewalks and
blocked intersections. wgnradio.com For a second straight day Tuesday, 30,000 Chicago Public Schools
teachers will be on the picket lines instead of in the classroom, CBS Chicago
station WBBM-TV reports.
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