The head of Chicago Public Schools remains confident a strike can be avoided, but on the eve of a key vote, Chicago Teachers Union leaders say they’re ready for a work stoppage if they can’t get written assurances on staffing and class sizes.

Some 2,200 nurses at the University of Chicago Medical Center walked off the job Friday, citing staffing shortages and forced overtime. “The reason we are striking is for our patient safety and our staff safety,” said one nurse from the picket line.

After rejecting the district’s latest offer, Chicago educators are back at the bargaining table negotiating issues including pay, staffing shortages and class size.

The Chicago Teachers Union on Wednesday set a date for a strike authorization vote. It’s the latest turn in what’s been a contentious round of contract negotiations. CPS CEO Janice Jackson discusses that and more.

Chicago students returned to their classrooms this week, but there are early signs they could be back on break come early October. Our politics team takes on that story and more in our weekly roundtable.

Teachers at Chicago Public Schools are back in the classroom, preparing for the arrival of students next week. But they still have no contract from the district, even though the district is changing its offer to teachers.

As the Chicago Teachers Union and Board of Education continue to negotiate a new contract, an independent fact-finder recommends a 16% pay raise for Chicago teachers over the life of a five-year deal.

The head of the Chicago Teachers Union is using the “s” word as their negotiators return to the bargaining table Thursday to continue working toward a new contract with Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Public Schools.

Chicago commuters seeking a ride Wednesday may have better luck hailing a cab than using their smartphones to call for a car, due to a multistate strike by some Uber and Lyft drivers.

Organizers are planning demonstrations in 10 U.S. cities Wednesday, including Chicago. The protests arrive just ahead of Uber’s initial public stock offering, which is planned for Friday.

A day after walking off the job and 10 hours of bargaining, striking employees at City Colleges of Chicago announced they had reached a tentative agreement with the administration.

Hundreds of full- and part-time employees walked off the job Wednesday. They’ve been working without a contract for nearly three years and are demanding a livable wage.

The Chicago Federation of Musicians says the five-year deal includes a 13.2% increase in salary and protects retirement benefits. The union says musicians unanimously supported it Saturday.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement that Chicago Symphony Orchestra management and striking musicians “have reached an agreement in principle to bring the music back to the symphony center.”

Both striking musicians and management of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra have welcomed an offer by Mayor Rahm Emanuel to help end a nearly two-month work stoppage over pensions and wages.

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra may cancel more concerts after striking musicians rejected what it calls its last, best and final offer on a new contract.