The Chicago Teachers Union suffered a defeat this week when the Chicago Board of Education struck down a 4 percent raise, possibly paving the way for a more contentious relationship between the board and teachers. In the wake of the pay raise defeat, union leaders have vowed to organize more aggressively and to adopt more aggressive tactics, up to and including going on strike. This new, more combative dynamic comes on the heels of years of relative calm between the board and teachers under Mayor Richard M. Daley.
See "Teachers Union Confronts Some Crucial Decisions", Rebecca Vevea, The New York Times, June 16, 2011