芝加哥教师发动大罢工

 

As many as 26,000 teachers were expected to stay away, with picket¹ lines（警戒线） forming around the city.

 

About 350,000 students were affected² by the strike in the nation's third-largest district.

 

The walkout was called after all-day talks broke down on Sunday, following months of negotiations³.

 

The two sides met again on Monday to continue negotiations, but failed to reach a settlement, meaning the strike will extend into at least a second day.

 

"This is not a strike I wanted," the mayor said. "It's unnecessary, it's avoidable and it's wrong."

 

 

School officials said they had doubled the pay rise offered, for a total of 16% over four years.

 

"This is about as much as we can do," Chicago school board chief David Vitale told the Chicago Tribune. "There is only so much money in the system."

 

Karen Lewis, president of the Chicago Teachers Union, said the two sides were close to agreement on pay issues, but remained far apart on healthcare insurance provisions, job security and teacher evaluations⁴.

 

"This is a difficult decision and one we hoped we could have avoided," Ms Lewis said. 

 

"We must do things differently in this city if we are to provide our students with the education they so rightfully deserve."

 

Teachers arriving at picket lines on Monday morning, the second week of school for most American children, appeared defiant⁵（挑衅的） and ready for a battle.

 

Linda Kim, an English teacher striking outside Lake View High School, told the Tribune: "They said yesterday the strike is our choice. 

 

"It could have been their choice to resolve this a while ago… They could resolve this any day, but they're choosing not to."

 

Officials said about 140 schools opened between 08:30 and 12:30 in order to provide breakfast and lunch to those children on free school meals. 

 

Chicago's transit⁶ officials were offering free rides on buses and trains to students until the strike was resolved.

 

But there were concerns that having thousands of unsupervised children out of school could prompt violence and disorder⁷, especially in areas of the city known for gang issues.

 

"What are these families going to do? Are you going to stay home from work today because of this?" Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, a Democrat⁸, said on CNN on Monday morning.

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