Back to school in Chicago…for now | Strike rundown

While the rest of us were taking Labor Day off, probably the hardest-working employees in the Loop on Monday were the red-shirted members of the Chicago Teachers Union, rallying in Daley Plaza to call on Mayor Rahm Emanuel and CPS brass to offer a fair contract. While both sides say they're working hard to avoid a strike (which could happen as soon as Monday), there doesn't seem to be much optimism among parents. It would certainly help if the public had greater access to the negotiations. As someone with a kid on his way to CPS next year, I'd like to know more about the specific sticking points, rather than the platitudes being issued from either side. Here's a rundown of what people are saying about the strike.

• Rahm will have to take a back seat at the Democratic National Convention to get back here for negotiations.
• Andrew Broy lit a long-burning firestorm over at Catalyst Chicago with a very short op-ed piece.
• CPSObsessed doesn't have much to say on the topic, but there are more than 1,000 comments on her post, and they're of a quality far exceeding what you might expect.
• Raise Your Hand has started collecting child care resources for parents, in case of a strike.
• Lisa Hazen's strike tracker feels the pessimism.