The Chicago teachers' strike: By the numbers

Union members are looking over a proposal to settle the dispute. A vote might be looming, but the impact of the strike is already being felt

Striking Chicago teachers and their supporters attend a rally at Union Park on Sept. 15 in Chicago. An estimated 25,000 people gathered in the park in a show of solidarity.
(Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Chicago's public school teachers are weighing a tentative proposal to end their strike, now in its second week. Leaders of Chicago Teachers Union first called the walkout in protest of a longer school day, the linking of evaluations to student performance, and job losses caused by school closings. School officials on Monday asked a judge to declare the strike illegal, because state law forbids the union from striking over "non-economic issues." Union officials say the city, led by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, is "bullying" them. A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday. In the meantime, the effects of the strike are piling up. A statistical look at its impact:

350,000

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