Chicago teachers' strike looms as contract talks appear to reach impasse

CHICAGO - There are new signs that talks between the city and Chicago Teachers Union may be falling apart.

The clock is ticking with the union's strike date less than one week away.

The union says the city gave them their best and final offer Friday after meeting for eight hours and from the sounds of it, tensions are high and the strike may be inevitable.

The mood at the bargaining table initially appeared to be optimistic, but then the CTU rejected a new proposal from Mayor Lori Lightfoot, saying in some cases there was compromise, but in others the deal was insulting.

"They offered us a paltry $400,000 dollars a year to staff nurses, social workers and case managers. That's barely four positions for the entire district for the city of Chicago,” said special education teacher Katie Osgood.

The mayor says the district made 72 pages worth of proposals to meet the union’s demands and that CTU is refusing to negotiate in good faith.

Mayor Lightfoot and CPS CEO Janice Jackson released the following statement: “Unfortunately, CTU simply rejected our proposals without a counterproposal, and instead is continuing to stand on their $2.5 billion starting proposal from January on nearly all issues."

Stacy Davis Gates says she believes the mayor is upset with CTU and it goes back to December 2018 when they endorsed someone else to run the city.

"Will you jeopardize the school year for 400-thousand students because you're mad about an endorsement?" Gates asked.

The strike date is still set for October 17. The mayor says there is a plan to keep schools open.