Leaders of the Chicago Teachers Union say that if a deal is not cut with Mayor Rahm Emanuel on a new contract, then a strike will occur beginning Tuesday morning, USA Today reports.
The teachers have been working without a contract for over a year, with the main argument in this dispute involving teacher compensation. The union wants the new deal to include no cuts to benefits, guarantees on job security and an increase in spending on the school district's students by $200 million. The district has about 380,000 students.
According to USA Today, officials from the union and the Emanuel administration continued to negotiate over the weekend.
"There is movement; I think people are listening,” said Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis. “We’ve thrown out ideas about how to land this.”
The state law requires 75 percent of members of the CTU to approve a strike. More than 95 percent of the members voted to authorize their leaders to call a strike.
Read more at USA Today.