Upset with contract talks, the Chicago Teachers Union is planning a big rally Wednesday to show unity.
Thousands of Chicago Public School teachers are expected to attend the 4:30 p.m. rally at the Auditorium Theatre and post-meeting march to the Board of Education's headquarters, the union said. Teachers will be bused after school to attend.
Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Jesse Sharkey said during a Tuesday press conference the city is "heading in the wrong direction."
"There is no funding for a longer day," Sharkey said, noting "there are 160 schools with no libraries" and "the city is opening 60 new charter schools."
In a statement, CPS said the union "has deliberately distorted our proposals by misleading their members about the facts on the table."
Jay Rehak, a teacher at Whitney Young, said "we are being disrespected right now" in regard to compensation. The union said it strives to pay math teachers more than art teachers.
The union stressed Wednesday's rally will not include a strike vote, but rather a display of unity to Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
