Chicago teachers OK deal to reopen campuses

CHICAGO — The Chicago Teachers Union has approved a deal with the nation’s third-largest school district to get students back to class during the coronavirus pandemic, union officials announced Wednesday.

The vote ends the possibility of an immediate teacher lockout or strike.

The agreement follows months of negotiations with Chicago Public Schools, which had intensified in recent weeks, with plans that included more teacher vaccinations and metrics to allow school closures when COVID-19 infections spike.

The union said the vote was 13,681 to 6,585. Despite the approval, the union characterized it as the “absolute limit to which CPS was willing to go at the bargaining table to guarantee a minimum number of guardrails for any semblance of safety in schools.”

Union President Jesse Sharkey criticized the deal in an email to members that was released by the union, echoing previous arguments that the district’s safety plans fell short.

“This plan is not what any of us deserve. Not us. Not our students. Not their families,“the email said. “The fact that CPS could not delay reopening a few short weeks to ramp up vaccinations and preparations in schools is a disgrace.”

But in a statement, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and CPS CEO Janice Jackson defended the agreement, saying it “ensures families have options to choose in-person learning and make a plan that is best for them.”

Further, after weeks of pointing to $100 million that has been spent to make schools safe, Lightfoot and Jackson said the union vote “reaffirms the strength and fairness of our plan, which provides families and employees certainty about returning to schools and guarantees the best possible health and safety protocols.”