CHICAGO _ The Chicago Teachers Union, school support staff and park district workers will all go on strike together Oct. 17 if they can't reach contract deals by then.
The joint announcement late Wednesday by the three labor groups sets up the prospect of nearly 35,000 public employees in Chicago walking off the job at the same time.
It also means that the 360,000 children who attend Chicago Public Schools will be out of class indefinitely if CTU and the city fail to settle their differences by then.
But Mayor Lori Lightfoot and CPS top brass announced late Wednesday that all schools would remain open during any walkout by teachers and staff.
"In the event of a strike, all CPS school buildings will remain open during their normal school hours to ensure students have a safe and welcoming place to spend the day and warm meals to eat," the mayor and CPS chief Janice Jackson said in a joint announcement.
They stressed they would also do "everything in our power to reach a fair deal that prevents a strike."
In revealing the plan for a potential three-way walkout, CTU President Jesse Sharkey said: "The schools don't work without all of us, and our unity is our strength."
He added: "We prefer to reach a contract settlement without a strike. ... But I want no one in the city of Chicago to doubt our resolve. We mean to improve the conditions in our schools. We mean to achieve a fair contract."
The CTU represents 25,000 teachers employed by one of the country's largest school systems. But the threefold announcement Wednesday means that another 7,000 Chicago Public Schools workers _ security guards, bus aides, special education classroom assistants and custodians _ and about 2,500 employees of the Chicago Park District could also all end up on picket lines together.
Each of the three labor groups had already authorized separate strikes but had not set strike dates until Wednesday. The teachers could have decided to walk out as early as Monday, but decided to try to harness the collective power of a larger labor coalition.
"We are united with CTU and with workers standing up for themselves," said Dian Palmer, president of Service Employees International United Local 73, which represents both the parks workers and CPS support staff.
While the later date gives the teachers union and the city more time to settle their differences, it's clear the two sides remain far apart, with both accusing the other of stalled responses to demands and offers.
Prior to Wednesday's announcement, Lightfoot and officials in her administration again called on the teachers union to get a deal done without the disruption a strike would cause.
"I'm not naive about the complexities here. But I remain hopeful that if they come to the table in good faith, if they respond to our written offers that are out there, we'll get a deal done," the mayor said Wednesday. "And we should, because it's in the best interests of our children and their families to get it done."
Lightfoot said wasn't surprised to be facing all this labor pressure so soon after taking office. The writing was on the wall with the number of high-profile contract negotiations she walked into, she said.
Lightfoot's administration and the Board of Education she selected, however, are facing a union whose rank-and-file members have indicated strong support for a walkout.
A huge majority of CTU members _ 94% _ voted in favor last week of authorizing a strike.
The teachers union has stressed its demands not just on pay and benefits but also a number of staffing issues, including more librarians, school nurses and social workers.
The city has offered teachers 16% raises over a five-year contract, not including separate raises teachers received for each year of service. The CTU has asked for 15% over three years.
At CTU headquarters Wednesday after the joint strike announcement was made, labor leaders' comments focused mainly their groups' unity. But they also took jabs at city officials.
"I've a question for the mayor and the people who run the parks and schools: Do they feel guilty when they pay workers less than 20K a year?" Palmer, the SEIU local president, said.
