Vote could push Chicago closer to teachers strike

CHICAGO (AP) — Angry that one promised raise disappeared and that they’re being asked to work longer days without what they consider to be an adequate pay increase, Chicago teachers are considering authorizing their first strike in a quarter-century.

In a signal of their mounting anger, teachers are voting this week — before a summer of negotiations and a recommendation from an independent fact-finder — on a strike that wouldn’t happen until the next school year starts. If they do authorize a strike, teachers in the nation’s third-largest school district would be leaving the final decision in the hands of union leaders.