Sunday, September 17, 2017

HOD Sept.

HOD Meeting Highlights CTU Accomplishments
By Jim Vail


The Chicago Teachers Union House of Delegates last Wednesday was a love fest that focused on CTU accomplishments.

Could it be because they feel the heat of an opposition group forming?

A group called Members First which has a robust facebook book and is comprised of people concerned about the CTU neglecting its members when it comes to fighting vicious principals and enforcing the contract has formed.

According to sources, the CTU leadership caucus CORE talked about this new group and that competition is a good thing (I agree!). Another person said this group is the same as blue lives matter - a racist movement that downplays the Black Lives Matter group focusing on black rights in the face of continued oppressive racism and police brutality.

One question would be why would the CTU back Chuy Garcia for mayor when he advocated hiring more cops - hardly something black people in this city need.

Anyway, I asked the question why is this union giving House Speaker Mike Madigan so much money, so much support, so much endorsements and invited him at the last meeting - when he totally fucked us! He now made vouchers the law of Illinois land. Vouchers is like right to work - there will be less money for the public schools and unions each year as $75 million of state money each year goes to private and religious schools (exactly what Trump and DeVos want on the federal level).

The CTU's close relationship with the democrats is a tricky one. Now the democrats support vouchers - what next? 

So the CTU boasted at the delegates meeting how great it is that a funding bill was passed and nothing about the horrendous voucher component (that was sent out in half-hearted emails about calling your state rep to oppose it - an absurd proposition when they support Madigan).

The house passed a Resolution to Adopt a Timeline for the Constitutional Referendum Process.

The CTU wants to open up and amend the constitution so that charter school teachers are now represented by the CTU.

I'm torn on this one - on the one hand I agree, we need to support our charter brothers and sisters. On the other hand, will this lessen the opposition to charter school growth in the future.

One of the strong points of our union has been the fight against charter schools. CTU VP Jesse Sharkey said there will for the first time be no new charter schools opening up this year.

School delegates are also encouraged to sign up all their members to the union again as it looks like the Supreme Court could rule soon to restrict the rights of public sector unions by eliminating the right to collect agency fees, people who don't sign the union card even though they are a part of the bargaining unit.

The union pointed out when Wisconsin union workers lost their rights in 2011 which stripped  them of both Agency Fee and collective bargaining rights, union membership fell 38% and workers suffered significant economic and other loses. Milwaukee teachers, for example, were forced to take an immediate $10,000 cut in pay and benefits.

CTU mentioned something about having leads to sublease 15,000 square feet of office space at the Merchandise Mart where they left and paid almost $40 million for a new building. While it appears the move could have been a sound financial transaction to own its property and rent out to others, many are concerned about transparency surrounding the CTU Foundation that has the money after selling the Fewkes Tower which bought the new CTU building on Carrol Street.

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