Thousands of teachers walked off the job Monday in Chicago's first schools strike in 25 years, after union leaders announced that months-long negotiations had failed to resolve a contract dispute with school district officials by a midnight deadline.

Teachers in the nation's third-largest school district voted overwhelmingly to authorize the first strike in 25 years if their union and the city cannot reach a deal on a contract this summer signaling just how badly the relationship between teachers and Chicago school officials has deteriorated, union officials said...

Double-dipping the well-established practice of public workers collecting government pensions and salaries at the same time has become a hot topic for lawmakers around the country during these times of severely strained budgets and increased focus on the benefits provided to government employees.