Chicago Teacher Spends Night In Jail After Bank Sit-In
(CBS) – Contract talks got emotional for Chicago teachers this week, with several getting arrested following a sit-in at Bank of America.
CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker talked to one teacher about a night behind bars.
Some teachers staged Thursday's sit-in within the heart of Chicago's financial district to protest what they call the Bank of America's bad investments of Chicago Public Schools funds.
"It was intense. They called police immediately," says Sarah Chambers, special education teacher.
She and 15 others were booked, charged with misdemeanors and spent hours in jail before being released. Hundreds of other teachers took the streets, disrupting rush hour traffic.
These acts of civil disobedience come days after the union's bargaining unit -- of which Chambers is a member -- rejected the Chicago Board of Education's contract offer. They said the raises offered were offset by increased payouts to pensions and healthcare.
Members of the mayor's staff along with CPS leaders met with union leaders today. Chambers and the union bargaining will be called in, if and when there's another offer.
Both sides are back at the table next week.
Also next week, if there is no agreement, principals are expected to find out Tuesday how much their school budgets will be cut.