By Doug Cunningham

New York City teachers will strike November first if they don't have a contract by then. The United Federation of Teachers is staging a rally at City Hall today to send a strong message to Mayor Bloomberg that enough is enough and a contract must be reached now. It's illegal for teachers to strike in New York and if that strike happens the union will likely face big fines. But teachers and their families in New York have been without a contract since June of 2004 and they're determined to win a new one. If contract talks with Mayor Bloomberg in October aren't fruitful, the United Federation of teachers will consider striking and also endorsing Fernando Ferrer for mayor. Today's City Hall teachers rally will feature prominent activists and public officials in solidarity with the 80,000 teachers represented by the United Federation of teachers.