Chicago Teachers Union Suspends In-Person Learning Boycott

CHICAGO — The Chicago Teachers Union voted to suspend its labor action, clearing the way for students to return to in-person learning Wednesday.

After a contentious week of bargaining that kept about 330,000 students out of classrooms for four school days, 63 percent of the union's house of delegates voted to end a work action that City Hall called an "illegal strike."

Teachers, who lost four days of pay during the walk out, are set to return to buildings Tuesday.

Later this week, all union members are expected to take a vote on whether to ratify the decision.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot said that the two sides agreed on coronavirus metrics that would allow individual classrooms and schools to transition to remote learning.

CPS agreed to boost testing and contact tracing and provide N95 masks at schools. Many other details about the safety agreement that the CTU tentatively approved were not available late Monday.

"Some will ask who won and who lost. No one wins when our students are out to the place where they can learn the best and where they are the safest. After being out of school for four days in a row, I'm sure many students will be excited to get back into the classroom with their teaches and peers. And their parents and guardians can now breathe a much deserved sigh of relief," Lightfoot said.