Teachers in the country's third-largest city have cranked up the heat in contract talks, threatening to go on strike in less than two weeks. The Chicago Teachers Union and school district officials are clashing over cost-of-living raises, pension contributions and health care costs in negotiations that have stretched into a second year.
The union says it's prepared to strike Oct. 11, claiming that teachers face worsening conditions and that district proposals equal pay cuts.
Chicago Public Schools officials insist a strike could be averted as the two sides have come close to a deal before. Yet they have also made contingency plans, authorizing $15 million to shelter and feed roughly 400,000 students.
Both sides will negotiate several days each week until the deadline.
