Chicago teachers vote to suspend strike

The Chicago Teachers Union's House of Delegates met Tuesday afternoon and voted to suspend the strike that began last Monday, after having taken the past two days to discuss a tentative deal with the teachers they represent. Chicago Public Schools will reopen Wednesday, after:

Delegate Mike Bochner said 'an overwhelming majority' voted to suspend the strike.

'I'm really excited, I'm really relieved,' said Bochner, a teacher at Cesar Chavez elementary.

It was standing room only inside Operating Engineers hall at Cermak and Grove for the 3 p.m. meeting.

Hoots, hollers, applause and what sounded like a cowbell erupted multiple times from inside.

Teachers had been fighting for, and have a tentative deal that makes significant gains on, classroom conditions and school staffing, as well as securing a teacher evaluation system less based on standardized test scores than Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his school board had been pushing for and defeating merit pay (an idea that's a proven failure yet continues rising, zombie-like).

The House of Delegates having suspended the strike, the tentative deal now goes to the union's membership for a vote.