CHICAGO — Teachers aren't the only group taking a stand Friday.
At least five other causes have piggybacked on Friday's one-day teachers' strike, with all the groups scheduled to protest together at 4 p.m. Friday at the James R. Thompson Center, 100 W. Randolph St.
The Chicago Teachers Union, which is negotiating a new contract with Chicago Public Schools, is speaking out on the school district's midyear budget cuts, surprise furlough days and plan to make teachers pick up more of their pension costs. Teachers plan to picket in front of their schools Friday morning before protesting with local colleges and marching to the Thompson Center.
Meanwhile, Black Lives Matter activists will call for closing the state's juvenile jails at the Illinois Youth Center on the Near West Side, fast food workers will call for a higher minimum wage in front of a North Park McDonald's, and Hispanic groups are leading dual marches from Pilsen and Little Village to Cook County Jail, the latter symbolizing the perceived "school to prison pipeline" in communities of color.
CTU officials say picketing will take place at all schools, but here are protests highlighted by the organization and others: