The Massive Teacher Strike in Chicago Is Finally Over
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Nov. 1, 2019 | STRIKES | After 11 days, the Chicago teachers’ strike is finally over. On Wednesday night, a week and a half after tens of thousands of teachers walked out of classrooms to demand more support staff, higher pay, and smaller class sizes, Chicago teachers’ union leaders and city officials announced they had come to an agreement. The strike was the longest in the city since 1987 and echoed the frustrations of recent labor battles in both conservative states like Oklahoma and West Virginia and progressive cities like Los Angeles, Denver, and Oakland. Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) vice president Stacey Davis Gates told Mother Jones ahead of the strike that the contract battle was about equity in the city’s schools: “It is not fair for us to go into school communities and to manage poverty. It is not fair for our teachers to go into these school communities and manage the lack of resources and to manage white supremacy and to manage low expectations.” Mother Jones
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