CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Members of the Chicago Teachers Union spent Saturday driving around the city in caravans, rallying support for their position that Chicago Public Schools need to be made safer before they’ll return to classrooms.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, joined members and leaders of the teachers union during a Zoom press conference with some in cars and some at home.
Weingarten said they’re fighting a righteous fight.
“The demands from the CTU are what science says we need to do. It’s the pathway to safety. And so we are going to fight like you know what," she said.
CTU President Jesse Sharkey said talks are at a delicate stage. He said progress is being made on some issues, but not others.
"One has to do with the idea of vaccination, trying to get our members vaccinated. The second issue has to do with the people who are themselves medically fragile or who live with someone in their household who is medically fragile,” Sharkey said.
Related
He said the union is looking for compromise.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot was not happy when talks with the union broke off Friday. She said leaders were sabotaging negotiations and another day passed with the union agreeing to nothing.
The teachers union accuses the mayor of standing in the way of progress, saying in a statement, “The boss stepped in at the 11th hour and blew it to pieces."