DOWNTOWN — The Chicago Teachers Union strike is officially over.
Classes will resume Friday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced. The city and the CTU reached a tentative deal Wednesday, but the union said it would continue to strike unless the 11 days lost to the strike were made up. The two met in the middle, agreeing to make up five days.
The strike was the longest in three decades. The CTU, CPS and Lightfoot frequently traded barbs, each blaming the other for the holdup on a deal.
That continued Thursday, as union President Jesse Sharkey and Vice President Stacy Davis Gates refused to announce the news at Lightfoot’s side. Instead, they held separate press conferences where Davis Gates criticized Lightfoot for not agreeing to making up all the days lost.
During the 11-day strike, teachers protested outside schools, marched Downtown and rallied at Lincoln Yards. Nine were arrested Tuesday outside developer Sterling Bay’s West Loop office.
The CTU had pushed for smaller class sizes, more special education teachers, more nurses and more prep time, among other issues, after walking out Oct. 17.
The strike from the 25,000-member union meant 300,000 students had no classes for 11 school days.
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