Chicago teachers declare victory after 11-day strike

After 11 days, Chicago's teacher's strike is at an end, with the city agreeing to the majority of the union's demands, including: higher pay, limits on class sizes, a nurse and social worker in each school, 120 new "equity positions" (librarians, counselors and restorative justice coordinators), bilingual/special ed educators, and five make-up days for teachers and students to compensate for part of the missed instructional calendar.

The teachers did not win all their demands: most notably, the city did not address the 17,000 homeless students in the system, nor did it give elementary teachers their requested daily 30-minute morning prep period.

The agreement has won tentative support from the rank-and-file, and a formal vote of all 25,000 members is expected to ratify the deal.

In addition to guaranteeing all CTU members a 16% raise over the life of the five-year contract, the offer invests $35 million in reducing class sizes up $10 million from the city's previous offer.

On staffing, the city's offer guarantees that every school will have a nurse and social worker by 2023. The offer includes 120 new "equity positions" for highest-need schools such as counselors, restorative justice coordinators and librarians and additional staffing in bilingual and special education.

Chicago teachers' strike ends after 11 days. CPS will have 5 make-up days of school [Grace Hauck and Erin Richards/USA Today]

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