Strike talks in Chicago move toward end game

CHICAGO (AP) — More than 350,000 students remain out of their classrooms as bargaining to end Chicago's teachers strike dragged into today ahead of an afternoon union gathering where a vote could stamp approval on any deal.

Rank-and-file teachers prepared to return to the streets for morning rallies to press the union's demands that laid-off instructors be given first shot at job openings and for implementation of a teacher evaluation system that does not rely heavily on student test results.

Contract talks pushed on for more than 15 hours Thursday with little word of progress until negotiators called it quits close to 1 a.m. today. Chicago School Board President David Vitale said the two sides had worked past the contentious evaluations issue — though he didn't elaborate — and had begun crunching numbers on financial matters.

Karen Lewis, union president, said the two sides had many "productive" conversations but she declined to describe the talks in detail. She and Vitale said they hope students can be back in class Monday.

"It was a long day. There were some creative ideas passed around, but we still do not have an agreement," Lewis said.

The union called a meeting this afternoon of some 700 delegates who would be required to approve any contract settlement with a majority vote. The meeting could be used to present an agreement or merely to update union members on where the negotiations stand.