CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Members of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) expressed frustration Thursday after spending the day at the bargaining table with fired CEO Pedro Martinez.
The conflict started months ago when Martinez refused to take a high interest loan for a CTU contract. It led to Martinez's dismissal this past Friday.
The people who ousted him were a temporary school board. The district's first ever publicly elected board members are just weeks away from taking their seats.
CTU President Stacy Davis Gates said there was progress when Martinez wasn't there.
“Most people who have been in negotiations know that momentum creates more momentum, and, so, to come to the table today and to see…momentum slowing down…It doesn’t give me a lot of hope today,” Davis Gates told reporters.
The CTU’s goal was to have a new contract by Christmas.
Martinez was able to be a part of Thursday’s negotiations after a judge stepped in on Tuesday, honoring the CEO's clause that keeps him the district's CEO for the next six months, even after being fired.
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