SUBSCRIPT: 'CORE has has its [sic[ time. Now its [sic] time for teachers to unite'... Unrest begins within Chicago Teachers Union while internal debates are over strategy and tactics in upcoming electoral and contract fights
While the members of the House of Delegates of the Chicago Teachers Union were debating some of the most pressing issues facing the union's 27,000 members inside the large meeting hall at the Operating Engineers union center in Chicago, outside a small group, consisting not of union members but of outsiders, was protesting. One group, organized by a former Chicago Teachers Union organizer who is not a union member any longer, was distributing a leaflet calling for the formation of a new caucus within the union. For a time, they were even allowed inside the large meeting hall, until union officials noticed that none of them was a CTU member.
The group called itself "Coalition Caucus United" was being promoted by former union organizer Rosita Chatonda, whose email address was the main way offered in the leaflet to contact the group. The group also announced that it was holding a "meeting" -- but the location of the meeting was "TBA." In perhaps a deliberate ploy to attract attention, the group even defied good grammar by declaring its opposition to CORE, the current leading caucus within the CTU. "CORE has has its [sic[ time," the leaflet said. "Now its [sic] time for teachers to unite'...
Others also circulated information in opposition to the union's policies outside the meeting. The long history of the Chicago Teachers Union is filled with examples of democrtic opposition to the leadership, and each successive leadership group, organized into a caucus, has eventually been replaced by a new group with a critique of the current administration. For more than three decades, the dominant caucus was the "United Progressive Caucus" (UPC). The UPC was defeated by the "Pro Active Chicago Teachers and School Workers Caucus" (PACT) in the 2001 union election. PACT was led by Debbie Lynch, whose election raised the opes of the union's more than 30,000 members (at that time) for true militancy. Lynch's failure to negotiate a contract that was satisfactory to the majority of the members resulted in her loss in the 2004 union election.
In May 2004, Lynch's PACT caucus was defeated by the so-called "New UPC", consisting of people who had been among those in the previous leadership. The "New UPC" was led by Marilyn Stewart, who served as CTU president from July 2004 through June 2010, when the CORE slate was elected.
By: Amy Gooden
Outside protesters
I think Rosita Chatonda's group is protesting CORE leadership because so many teachers have lost their jobs and it seems they have been forgotten by Union leadership.
As I have stated before, who does CORE plan to have standing on the picket line this year? Displaced teachers are mad as hell. If they are classified as displaced teacher- substitute cadre they are still paying Union dues! What the hell for?
The retired teachers are disgruntled as well due to pension fund issues. Some retired teachers are angry because they were forced to retire prematurely because of pressures by administrators and a hostile climate for veteran teachers.
Last but not least, there are a massive amount of black, displaced teachers who were cast aside. They lost their jobs and their former "colleagues" in their stupidity,(I'm a better teacher) arrogance (they must have deserved to lose their jobs) and fear (I know this is wrong, but I better keep my mouth shut and play nice) have written them off. If black veteran teachers are working in the school, they get to hear from some students that "a good teacher" is non-black, very young and inexperienced. If that is not insulting enough, they have administrators who denigrate them as well in tone, manner and deed.
CTU should have been following up on the hiring procedures of displaced veteran teachers. Are Principals actually following the contract with regards to hiring?
The trend since student-based budgeting came into play, is to get the least expensive employee because the budget is a joke. There is also the game that some principals play of having displaced veterans apply for jobs and not even have the common decency , professionalism or respect to say whether they are going to hire the applicant or not. Eons later, the applicant gets a generic email from CPS saying basically thanks, but no thanks, we encourage you to apply again)How demoralizing is that?
I suggest that CORE reach out to the displaced and the retired and minimize some of the social activism. They need to remember who their "core" membership is: teachers.