UNION WATCH: It is hard for the CTU to move forward after stalling and surrendering for more than a year... Why is the CTU going back to work for the second September without a contract, while hundreds of brothers and sisters are being fired?!...
The 25,000 members of the Chicago Teachers Union still haven't received a full accounting of all of their dollars that went into the "Chuy for Mayor" campaign in 2015 and 2016. Despite an estimated more than $1 million from CTU (and affiliated sources, like the "foundation"), Chuy lost -- losing in all of the city's Black wards to Rahm Emanuel. Substance photo by David Vance.[Editor's Note: The following analysis by David Vance contains a great deal of information challenging the current official line of the leadership of the Chicago Teachers Union. As readers of Substance know, the union's contract expired on July 1, 2015. The union leadership recommended that the membership return to work in September 2015 without a contract, and has devoted a good bit of the time since September 2015 explaining various excuses as to why the union cannot force the Chicago Board of Education to honor its contract demands. The following analysis was shared widely at the email site of CORE, the union's leadership caucus. Both the write of this analysis and the editor here are long-time CORE members and lifetime militant union activists. George N. Schmidt, Editor, Substance].
To me the 'Tele Town Hall" telephone conferences hosed by the leadership of the Chicago Teachers Union in August showed how unprepared the CTU leadership is for leading the next strike. If they take another "strike vote," that vote should be for real and not just hot air. But from where I am, I didn't see strike preparation work over the summer. My opinion is the August HOD meeting (that didn't happen) would have jump started the school organizing that needed to be done.
I think I heard (in the tele conference) CTU Vice President Sharkey say that in mid-October there could be a strike.
Is this real? Too much failure has preceded the CTU leadership especially in the recent 14 months of no contract. Make that 20 months if you include the wasted time and money for the "Chuy for Mayor" campaign.
Instead of strike preparation in early 2015, the CTU was organizing for Chuy [after it became clear that Karen Lewis's health made it impossible for her to run for mayor]. Across the city, it looked like Chuy winning was more important than the CTU contract for 25,000 members.
Do you remember Chuy’s TV commercials called for a 1,000 more cops? It was not what the movement wanted and not what the Black neighborhoods wanted. But, Chuy lost badly -- losing in part because he lost every ward in Chicago's Black Community -- and the CTU that had spent $1,000,000 in support of Chuy was left holding an empty hand of cards facing the new CEO Forrest Claypool in September of 2015. As readers remember, Claypool was moved from his job at City Hall, where he was Rahm Emanuel's Chief of Staff, to his latest job as "Chief Executive Officer" of Chicago Public Schools.
It is no wonder that CEO Forrest Claypool said "no" to the 4th year extension, as it was clear to him there was not going to be a strike.
I believe this time line is important, but the CTU will not discuss it. Has anyone in CTU leadership explained why one year ago (Sept. 2015) why the Union was not prepared to strike?
Why is this important, because we are now in the second year with no contract. Unfortunately, more lack of vision has occurred since the blundering Chuy campaign.
Were there lessons learned? Has there been discussion? I hope my observations will get some opening for discussion. [Readers can comment about this analysis by clicking "comment" and then providing our readers with their full names -- no trolls].
Oh, we had "actions." I am sure everyone remembers the many marches and protests that occurred during the past school year 2015 – 2016 with no contract.
Demanding revenue has been the main focus of the teachers union.
CTU had a November 2015, Grant Park Rally with 5,000 in the evening assembly.
CTU had a “Walk-In” in February 2016.
CTU led a massive one day "strike" (coalition) on April 1st 2016. That was impressive with estimates of turnout as high as 15,000.
But what about a strike for a contract?
Now the summer of 2016 has passed. Has strike preparation begun? Was some organizational strength built up that could sustain itself over the summer and lead the CTU in September or October 2016 to fulfill its purpose to defend the members of the union? In fact, what happened over the summer was that Forrest Claypool and the Board of Education (all appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel) utilized the time to deplete the union's ranks by firing another 1,000 (plus) union teachers and PSRPs.
If there is going to be a long strike as some predict, then where is the preparation for this strike? In the September 2012 strike there were five or six months of strike preparation.
My opinion is that it is hard to move forward when you have wasted a year and a half. It is hard to move forward and look real when you have blundered time and money. It is hard to move forward in strike preparation for a contract when the union's main focus in the recent period has been to demand revenue.
The slogan of “Broke on Purpose” was used to demand more revenue. And while there was a strike vote December, it seemed that it was just a tactic -- not really a plan of action that would mobilize the CTU membership.
In the tele-conference the latest TIF resolution was mentioned several times. That was also the theme of the union members who spoke at the August 24 Board of Education meeting. So? Will the TIF Surplus resolution before the Chicago City Council indicate the possible success of the CTU strategy? But even if $100 million is gained from the TIF Surplus, the CTU’s calculation is that 350 million is needed to fund the schools and pay for teachers salaries.
Did I hear the logic correctly; by finding TIF revenue (if it passes in the City Council) that the union will be in a better position to ask for a raise and for more funding for schools?
To me this is yet another blunder. The CTU will only win the funding for a raise when they go on strike. When the strike day comes only then will the CTU find the money it is demanding for schools.
