Jesse Sharkey

The rank-and-file "tentatively" ratified a four-year contract, according to a statement from the union.

A last-minute tentative agreement reached Oct. 10 averted the second teachers strike in four years.

A Chicago Public Schools spokeswoman said the deal was "fair to both sides."

 Claypool has "earned the contempt" of parents and teachers, CTU Vice President Jesse Sharkey said.

"We want no cuts to our pay and benefits," CTU President Karen Lewis said.

The Chicago Teachers Union House of Delegates set the Oct. 11 deadline on Wednesday.

Sharkey reacts to Trib editorial comparing the end of secret voting to Saddam Hussein, Kim Jong Un.

"Privatization has led to filthy schools and deplorable conditions for our students."

They instead will focus on pressuring the city and state to properly fund Chicago Public Schools.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel spoke as if a strike had been averted; the Chicago Teachers Union said not so fast.

Karen Lewis earned another three-year term as president when no one ran against her.

The union said it wouldn't strike over furlough days, while CPS said it wouldn't cut pension payments.

The teachers' union threatened a strike if a 7 percent pension pickup is dropped; CPS said it's coming.

Union leaders had called the cuts a negotiating tactic, but CPS officials say they have no options left.

"Teachers around the city are united right now," said Chicago Teachers Union VP Jesse Sharkey.