Film Review

FILM REVIEW

KALASHNIKOV  {2020}

 

Directed by Konstantin Buslova

Review by Stephen Wilson

 

            Yurli Borsivo plays Mikhail Kalashnikov,  Olga Lerman plays Katya Moiseyeva, Artur Smolyani plays Engineer Captain Lyutyy and Eldar Kalmalin plays Inventor Alexandr

Zuytsev and Sergei Brodov plays a leading general.

 

"I watched the film Kalashnikov on Russian television. You should watch it. It is a nice movie. It is not too long, it's light and good to watch. It tells how a simple man who has little school education has left school at the 7th grade and without knowledge of technical drawing goes on to invent the A.K. 47 automatic. He was a very lucky man!" advised my student Yevgeni who evidently enjoyed the film. 

It was certainly the case Kalashnikov was a lucky man. The stars were on his side. He was born from an exiled Kulak family {an enemy of the people}, luckily managed to illegally escape from his settlement with false papers {a crime which he could have been executed for if the authorities had found out}, luckily survived a tank battle in 1941 where he was badly injured, lucky to find a supportive wife who helped him with the technical drawing of his design and and lucky to finally attain acceptance for his proposed guns. But he did not achieve this without all kinds of trials and tribulations. And those trials are the center of the drama of this film.

 

The A.K. 47 Kalashnikov remains one of the most legendary and proficient automatic weapons which for all its imperfections, surpasses American weapons such as the M14 and M16 in quality as well as practical use. Even the historian Max Hastings is forced to grudgingly admit the gun's merits. He writes in his book Vietnam, {2018} 'The A.K- 47 's inaccuracy was unimportant. It enabled guerrillas to deliver heavy fire, usually semi-automatic or in short bursts. Approaching 100 million copies have been manufactured since 1947 in factories throughout the communist world. The Kalashnikov has proved the most influential firearm in history, the revolutionary's weapon of choice from Angola to the Philippines, instantly recognizable by its banana- shaped magazine.' [Page 351 , Vietnam, An Epic History of a Tragic War, 2018, by Max Hastings.}

 

It is hardly surprising that the life itself of Mikhail Kalashnikov would go on to be dramatized in a recent film by the director who had actually met Kalashnikov and stated he was fascinated by the complexity of the man. The film Kalashnikov covers events from the early life of the inventor up to his success in making the ultimate breakthrough in winning acceptance for his model in 1947. At the beginning of the film we see flashbacks of scenes in his childhood where he is either inventing and testing toy guns on the farm and scenes at the beginning of the war where as a Senior sergeant and tankist he is badly wounded and being driven back in a truck which breaks down. He and the driver are forced to go to a farm to get a horse to pull them and are ambushed by Germans. In the firefight with the Germans the driver's automatic gun jams and the Germans wound him. Kalashnikov witnesses first hand the defects of this weapon and after hearing the complaints of many soldiers about their weapons decides to invent a much superior weapon which will help them. The Kalashnikov who emerges from this film is very honest, innocent and direct with his words. When people ask him what he does he openly tells them, "I invent things. I have invented different things. I want to invent a new weapon which will help soldiers." 

However, often his claims to be an inventor of guns is met with misunderstanding, ridicule and mockery. At times his superiors tell him, "We don't need such testing or experiments with weapons. Please leave us". However, after many appeals and pleading, he receives permission to work on his gun and gets the support of friendly and endearing workers who do the technical work to assist him. Some acutely perceptive officers understand that they have a genius on their hands. He is sent to the Shchuruv Arms Testing facility where he is approved to take part in a national arms design competition. There he is granted scope to invent and test his model gun. He makes the acquaintance of an assistant designer who helps him with the technical drawing involved in designing the weapon. A romantic subplot unfolds where a naive Kalashnikov often ineptly woos his beloved in clumsy dance scenes and he attempts to surreptitiously glance at her through her window like a shy school boy.

 

Kalashnikov doesn't have an easy time. A lot of people don't believe in him, he is often imprisoned and in one over the top scene a drunken officer takes him deep into a forest and almost murders him. When he tries to test his own weapon without permission and he is detained and arrested for insubordination. Despite many setbacks and failing to win the competition, some people offer kind words of encouragement to him. His commander Captain Lyutyy tells him, "I believe that you can make a great gun. A lot of don't believe in you but I do. You have to keep believing in yourself." His wife tells him, "I believe you are the best arms designer in the Soviet Union". 

Finally, the weapon is brought to General Vasily Degtyaryov who  expresses his frank respect for Kalashnikov and allows the weapon to undergo tough testing by being immersed in water and sand. And the film ends happily with Kalashnikov's weapon being approved for manufacture and Kalashnikov winning applause, recognition and a wife into the bargain. At times the film reminds you of a Russian fairy tale.

 

The film is worth watching because of the brilliant acting, beautifully shot scenes, deft dialogue and fast moving drama which manages to avoid the old cliches. But it should be pointed out that Kalashnikov was no uneducated country bumpkin. Though his formal school education may seem rudimentary the man excelled in his own special kind of self-education. Kalashnikov wrote poetry all his life and was the author of many books. He was a devoted believer in the Orthodox church and he felt deep remorse at having invented a gun which killed people. He stated in a letter, 'I keep having the same unresolved question, if my rifle claims people's lives then can it be that I as  a Christian and an Orthodox believer was to blame for their deaths?'

 

The Patriarch Kirill answered that to design a weapon for  a defensive role in protecting your country from invasion and not an offensive purpose was acceptable to the church. What emerges from the early scenes of the film is that Kalashnikov invented his gun to save the lives of his comrades. He did not want to witness any more harrowing scenes where soldiers were needlessly wounded or killed through inept and unworkable weaponry. For many American soldiers claimed that in Vietnam many of their comrades were killed while they were fixing guns that had jammed during combat. At the end of the day, a soldier's best friend is still more often his gun.

Crain's Dope

The Corporate Knives Sharpen Among Anti-Union Journalist Hacks

By Jim Vail

Crain's Greg Hinz pimps for the wealthy

The business owned mainstream media in this city are sharks circling when they smell teachers union blood.

Crain's Chicago Business hack columnist Greg Hinz is paid to write that teachers pensions should be cut because the state can't pay them. Cut the billionaires taxes and make the working class pay. 

So he quickly picked up on my story about turmoil in the Chicago Teachers Pension Fund when I wrote last week that the board president Jeffery Blackwell voted himself in as the executive director, an ethically questionable action.

"The state continues to pony up more and more each year to pay retirement costs for its workers and public schools teachers in Illinois," he writes with indignation. "Pritzker's proposed 2022 budget would allot almost $9.4 billion to pensions just from its operating account, or general funds, up from $8.2 billion as recently as 2020. That's almost a quarter of all general funds operating."

Media blowhards like Hinz puff out their chests and pontificate how workers should no longer be entitled to their pensions, letting off the hook scam artist billionaires like Ken Griffen and their tax breaks.

But Hinz and his smirk goes a step further when it comes to ethics.

Apparently Hinz is challenged himself when it comes to the ethics of journalism. He takes information from my article and writes according to some sources Blackwell is interested in getting the job permanently. If he wrote this paper for a college class, he would be charged with plagiarism. Certainly no self-respecting corporate columnist hack like Hinz would dare to credit Second City Teachers news blog for his information. But didn't he learn in his writing classes that you source your information in any article. Did Hinz talk to "some sources"? No, I did. But he pawns it off like he did. 

What a guy.

The corporate media dude who wears an earring and is real hip.

Hip on behalf of billionaires. Teachers and the rest of us be damned!

Russian Teacher Fired

RUSSIAN ENGLISH TEACHER FIRED FOR EXPRESSING OPINION

By Stephen Wilson

 

 

           "Good day, Dear Governor, why do I earn at school 12,000 rubles and I'm allowed to do half a workload? I am a teacher with a certificate from Cambridge and have work experience in China. Do you consider that this is normal pay to teach your children?" wrote a Russian English teacher at school number Three in Sevastopol Natalie Yelgina on the site of the Governor of the City Mikhail Razvozhaev who had invited people to freely send their comments and views to his newly announced site dealing with problems in 2019. However, after sending this complaint to the site about low pay Natalie Yelgina was summoned into the school head's office, scolded and interrogated at center 'E' and dismissed from her post.

 

The Russian English teacher, like many Russians, felt offended that she and so many other teachers were living on or below the poverty line while the Russian elite were living in great luxury and splendor in their palaces!

She faced many allegations that she supported Navalny, and called on people to attend unsanctioned meetings. She has been accused of extremism. This appears to be the insinuation of the mayor which Natalie refuted. "Can you show me proof that I made such a call?" The mayor answered, "I have come to explain and talk to you about this not to accuse you." She retorted, "I don't support Putin or Navalny, but simply want that I earn better pay."

 

Of course, the reasons for the dismissal presented by the authorities are not her expressed opinion, but 'violating work discipline' and refusing to take on extra classes such as the tenth class, refusing to meet the class manager, and on the grounds that her methodology does not correspond to standards laid down by the school. 

"This person worked in China, and taught children via clap dancing, but children need to read and write," stated the head. The school teacher declared she would take her case to court. In a country with a normal legal system, Yelgina would have a firm and well grounded case for unfair dismissal. Her right to freedom of expression and conscience have been violated by both the Russian governor and the head of the school. Under the Constitution of the Russian Federation, article 18 guarantees freedom of expression. She could claim that Under the legal codex relating to Russian Education, number 273-F3, article 47, point 3, a teacher has the right to freely choose their methodology as long as they stick to the main school program. It is almost difficult to imagine that the teacher was neglecting the importance of reading and writing in teaching English. Many teachers use their hands and all kinds of songs to help students learn vocabulary and speaking. In fact, too many school students are leaving school with a knowledge of grammar but without an idea of  how to speak English in a practical way which would help them secure a job in an international company. They learn how to pass tests rather than how to speak English in a practical and useful way.

 

Some of the allegations against the teacher strike you as absurd. I mean is writing a comment suggesting a teacher is low-paid evidence of 'lack of upbringing?!!' What on earth do those officials define as having a 'proper upbringing'? We can easily guess that a properly brought up person is someone who obeys authority and never asks 'uncomfortable questions.' 

You may as well regard freedom of speech and discussion as a form of rudeness itself if this is their crude definition. Being polite in the classroom means pupils never move, never ask strange questions and always maintain a rigid posture where they completely sit behind desks without moving.

If officials were genuinely interested in building a genuinely improved and caring education system they would not be currently firing so many talented and accomplished school teachers who simply ask awkward questions! Second City Teachers have encountered endless cases in Russia of school teachers being dismissed for whimsical, capricious and petty reasons. And practically all those dismissals grossly violate the Law on Education and the Constitution.

Romance

RUSSIAN ROMANCE

More Russians are celebrating Saint Valentine's Day!

By Stephen Wilson

 

 

"She loves me, she loves me not, She loves me, she loves me not" chant curious British  people as they pluck the petals of a daisy to divine whether their girlfriend genuinely loves them. The last petal plucked with the particular phrase will resolve the issue. If you can't find a field full of daisies or don't believe in this quaint custom then a more proficient or proven test might be  to see if your girl or boyfriend sends you a Valentine Card. But I noticed that some Russians don't  always drop hints or send anonymous cards. I have found that some incurable romantics will paint on the asphalt outside the apartment of their affection emboldened white words such as "I love Katya " with a huge heart. Indeed, I passed three such messages while going on a long walk through Moscow. Whether their expressed love was requited or terrified their beloved remains an intriguing mystery. The mind boggles!

 

It is worth noting that the custom of sending a Valentine's Card almost fell out fashion in Britain for over 20 years because they had begun to turn into cruel pranks. That is from the end of the 19th century to the 1920's. Such a cruel prank is an act which sets off a chain of tragic events in Thomas Hardy's novel 'Far from the Madding Crowd' when a capricious lady sends the luckless landlord Boldwood a card with 'Marry me'. Despite it being 'a joke', Boldwood takes it very seriously and becomes obsessed with the woman who sent it insisting she marry him!

 

The origins of this custom remain quite confusing! It is surrounded by different legends. Some claim that the day commemorated the fact that  two Roman soldiers were executed for violating an edit which forbade them from marrying women. Another stated that the Emperor Claudius the 2nd, in 269 A.D., beheaded a priest called Saint Valentine who secretly performed the sacrament of marriage between Christians and refused to renounce his faith. I was bemused to discover that the relics of this saint are supposed to be kept in the church of Dun John Scotus in the Gorbals, Glasgow, where I worked as a teacher! Despite the claim by some in the Orthodox church that this is not celebrated 'as it is a 'western tradition', the eastern Orthodox church has a day devoted to Saint Valentine in their church calendar.

 

What is significant is that in Russia it has not only become a day which has been commercialized. It is also currently being politicized. The opposition to the Russian government have chosen to mark this very day by appealing to people to come out into their courtyards to shine their mobile phone torches for several minutes making a heart. The aim is to express their love for political prisoners proclaiming 'Love is stronger than fear'. The Russian government have predictably threatened such protesters with arrests and fines! They would much prefer if people sent each other safe and sentimental cards and showered each other with dying flowers. But will people actually be arrested for celebrating Saint Valentine's Day in a particularly unconventional way?

 

But how do Russians relate to this custom? Have they begun to embrace this custom? Judging by the increased commercialized adverts all over Moscow you can be forgiven for believing it has really taken off. Drop into the English Bookshop Bookbridge and you get a 20% discount on buying a romantic novel by Jane Austen and billboards along the Leningradsky motorway promote the celebration. The main restaurants in Moscow are often booked in advance by couples seeking to mark the day. According to a recent survey by Avito Ru, 85% of Muscovites will celebrate the day in contrast to 15% who will ignore it. The figures for Russia as a whole come to 72%. As many as 48% in Moscow will celebrate at home and  43% will wine and dine their partners at restaurants.

 

Second City Teachers decided to ask a few Russians three questions: 'Do you think more Russians celebrate Saint Valentine's Day?' 'How do you relate to this celebration?' and 'What is love?' We received many unanticipated answers. When I encountered my neighbor who told me how she had caught Covid 19 and had just recovered she told me, "I don't celebrate this day, we have our own Russian celebrations. But if some people like to celebrate this day I have no objections," answered Natasha, a pensioner. She also stated, "I have nothing new to say about love other than I think it is about respect, devotion and self-sacrifice for another person." I later dropped into a Kiosk to buy some pens from another pensioner called Tamara. She told me, "I don't celebrate it. It is not written in the Bible that I must celebrate such a day so I am not obliged to celebrate it".

 

I later spoke to Yevgeny, a 42-year-old  manager man, who told me, "Why should I celebrate this day? It is not a Russian holiday! We have enough of our own celebrations! Russians will use any excuse for a celebration. They know how to celebrate. I don't believe this survey which found most Russians celebrate this day. On February the 23rd this is the Day devoted to men who serve in the armed forced but it has become a day where women are supposed to buy all men presents. But they don't always buy men presents because they will tell a man, 'Since you are not in the army I don't need to buy you a present.' Then they expect us to buy them a present on the 8th of March International Women's Day. I tell them, 'Why should I buy you a present? You are not Rosa Luxemburg!' But if they claim they are Marxists? I would answer where is your beard?" When I asked him, 'What is love?" he answered, "I am not good at expressing this emotion in words" and remained reticent. Of course he treats his wife on the 8th of March and maybe even Saint Valentine's Day if she asks him but finds a lot of the logic of those celebrations amusing. He loves to crack jokes about the irony of some celebrations.  

 

I asked Marina Lysenko, a 31 year old specialist in Internal Communications what she thought of it. Marina answered, "I don't take this seriously. I don't celebrate it. I know that the most popular restaurants in Moscow are booked up in advance by couples wishing to celebrate this day and that discounts are made to anyone who orders a meal as a couple. If you want to book a table you have to do this in advance. My school friend Olga takes this celebration seriously. At school she would dress up in her best clothes and place a red flower in her hair. She expected and liked to get Valentine's Day cards from the boys in her class. I don't like love which is too sweetly expressed. Of course, I feel flattered when I get a Saint Valentine's Day card from someone. Everyone likes it when they hear someone likes them!

I agree with the psychologist Mikhail Labkovski that if a man loves a woman he will want her to develop as a person and support them. For instance, my friend Olga runs a very successful blog and her husband Ilya fully supports her and allows her to take time off from the office to work on it.

 

I spoke to Olga Stepanova, 31, a trainer and teacher from Bulgaria who is happily married with two children and lives in Moscow. She told me, "I love this day! It is nice to have people sending each other cards and small presents. It is not useless. I noticed some adults like this and children adore it. My own kids are thrilled by this event. It is nice to have something to celebrate in those colorless gray days. I go to baby shop with my kids and buy heart shaped balloons. In Bulgaria on the 14th of February we can mark two celebrations: either Saint Valentine's Day or the Day of Wine {Trifanzarzan}. So while two lovers will celebrate Saint Valentine's Day, couples who have broken up will drink wine! I am a romantic ... but there are different aspects of love such as helping a neighbor, love of your family, and you can also feel love of life. Then there is loving pets. My mother now loves her dog. When my daughter first brought this puppy home she was not very happy but grew to love it. Now she adores it!"

Pension Fund

Pension Board President Votes Himself in as Executive Director

By Jim Vail

CTPF Jeffery Blackwell elected himself the
new interim executive director

The Chicago Teachers Pension Fund voted to name Board of Trustees President Jeffery Blackwell the new Interim Executive Director.

The vote at Wednesday's special committee meeting was split over giving Blackwell the top job at the fund. 

The trustees who voted in favor of naming Blackwell the new director included teachers trustees Phil Weiss, Jackie Price Ward, and Jim Cavallero, retired teacher Mary Sharon Reilly, principal trustee Jerry Travlos and board trustee Dwayne Truss. Chicago Board of Education President and pension trustee Miguel Del Valle abstained, as he usually does.

The trustees who voted against Blackwell included Tina Padilla, Maria Rodriguez, Lois Nelson and Gervaise Clay. Blackwell has lashed out against Padilla and Rodriguez for obstructing pension board meetings.

Jeffery Blackwell voted for himself!  

Ethics laws apparently don't concern the Chicago Teachers Pension Fund where you can vote to enrich yourself!

It is not clear what salary he will receive, or if he will take a leave of absence from his regular teaching job. He is reported to be meeting with the fund's lawyers to figure out his new salary.

Blackwell told Second City Teachers by phone that he was concerned with a proper succession of power. He did not respond to further questions about why he did not abstain from the vote and what his future plans are.

"The Board of Trustees has developed a transition and recruitment strategy for Fund leadership," he said in a press statement. "This new role is a short-term bridge to ensure continuity of service to our valued members as we continue the search for a permanent Executive Director."

Inside sources say Blackwell wants the position to become the permanent director despite having no financial background. Blackwell did not respond to questions to confirm this. They say the fund is spending $100,000 in its search for a new director.

Former CTPF President Jay Rehak was also named the interim director of the $11 billion pension fund after the director had to leave for health reasons. *Rehak took a leave of absence from his teaching job for a few months. His short reign was marred by an unfortunate snafu that resulted in angry pensioners storming his office in search of their pension checks that were never sent out. Rehak and Lois Ashford, who were first elected teacher pension trustees in 2009 on the Core ticket, both abruptly left in 2018.

Is real democracy functioning in today's pension fund or complete chaos?

Unlike the Chicago Board of Education where no dissent is expressed because the trustees were named by the mayor and they vote for whatever the mayor wants, the CTPF is a quite vibrant beacon of opposition.

Epic battles ensue as trustees like Rodriguez and Padilla ask important questions. The fund's leadership team has filed numerous whistle blower complaints against trustees, while trustees have filed complaints against fellow trustees.

In the case of voting in a controversial director who has invited the mayor's wrath with his incendiary comments, the vote did not follow party lines.

Blackwell's support, besides himself, came from newly elected member Phil Weiss, who ran on the Members First ticket. Weiss criticized the fund's disfunction under Blackwell's leadership during his campaign. However, he made the motion for Blackwell to be the director. Blackwell made Weiss the head of the investment committee to replace Tina Padilla who he has battled with. Insiders say Padilla also wanted to be president of the fund.

Blackwell was also supported by a CPS board trustee who represents a mayor who has publicly battled the Core lead Chicago Teachers Union leadership over re-opening the schools. Three Core teacher and retired teacher trustees also voted in favor of Blackwell.

But trustees who voted against Blackwell included fellow Core members Tina Padilla, Gervaise Clay and Lois Nelson. Maria Rodriguez, an independent retired teacher trustee who was a member of the old UPC party that Core ousted in 2010, also voted against Blackwell.

Blackwell is the first African American male to lead the 100 year old Chicago Teachers Pension Fund.

What happens next is anybody's guess. Stay tuned!

*Correction:  Jay Rehak stated that he had no intention to stay on as the permanent director of the teachers pension fund and the CTPF minutes will show this. We apologize for any misunderstanding.

HOD Meeting

Report on the Two Special Meetings of the House of Delegates on February 7 and 8, 2021

By George Milkowski

    February 7, 2021 Meeting

The meeting began at 4:35 p.m..

The CTU held an all-member meeting earlier in the day to present and discuss details of the framework agreement with the CPS over the return to in-person learning in the schools.  Pres. Jesse Sharkey said that the Union felt that there was no more to be gained; that we either accept it or go on strike which would be hard to conduct due to the winter weather and also it would be difficult to determine who would be a scab since the CPS could have them work via remote learning.  He also said court challenges to a strike may be successful which could lead to fines against the Union and against individuals.

Jesse then went through the summary of the framework quickly. It does not have a return date for high school teachers but “there is a commitment to bargain for high schools” in the agreement. 

  February 8, 2021 Meeting

Pres. Sharkey began with the announcement with this morning’s death of former President Karen Lewis.  Our elected officers, Christel Williams Hayes, Maria Morino, and Stacy Davis Gates all added comments and remembrances of Pres. Lewis.

All of the officers then made comments about the return to in-person work framework agreement.  Jesse summarized our ability to get and apply public and political pressure on Mayor Lightfoot and the CPS Board.  He stated he did not feel we would be able to get anything more from them.  He said if the proposal presented to the House of Delegates and the membership were rejected, we would probably be on strike by Thursday, February 11.

The official wording of the proposal is “Do you authorize the CTU conduct a referendum among our CPS membership to ratify or reject the proposed framework”?

At this point the meeting opened up to comments and questions from the floor.

Jackson Potter (Back of the Yards H. S.) supports it but questioned the plans of the CPS to continue its expressed plans to carry through with already started discipline procedures on about three dozen members.  CTU counsel Thad Goodchild said that the CTU will challenge any attempt to take action against some of the Union activists but not others who are accused of doing the same thing.  He also said that the CPS lawyers feel that the Union would win on this.

Erin Murphy spoke against the proposal.  She is concerned as to whether the CTU can actually protect and win its case against those teachers who have had disciplinary proceedings started against them.

Charles Beavers (Citywide Instructional Leader) asked how his category of teachers fit in to the framework.  Jesse said he thinks they will be going back to in-person learning under the K-5 return schedule.

Luisana Regidor (Kennedy H.S.) was not re-assured that high school teachers will get a decent deal.

Margaret Taylor (Chappel) said her faculty is confused.  A CPS e-mail they received that morning assumes the framework has already been approved and requires them to commit to returning to work by 5:00 p.m. today (February 9).  Jesse told her that they are wrong if they assume that accepting the deadline with jeopardize their ability to request and receive an Americans with Disabilities Act accommodation.  Jesse added that all parts of the framework would be grieveable.

Alex Forque (Carver) was concerned about returning to work after getting just the first shot of the vaccine.  Jesse said that problem is getting enough vaccine for everyone to have the second shot so the agreement is to return after one shot.

Quentin Washington (Sadlowski) has been locked out since January12 and said that if we vote this down we would have to be prepared for what comes next.

Karen Soto (Waters) supports the framework as the newly established safety committees in each school would give teachers new powers to possibly shut down individual schools and she urged all to make use of this power.

Dennis Kosuth (School Nurse) opposes the framework.  He cited the disparity that exists between those nationwide who are now getting the vaccines, mostly white people, while the death rates are so much higher for people of color.  He thinks the framework re-enforces this disparity.

Linda Perales, locked out for a month, feels the framework is not what we deserve but is probably the best we can get.

Leticia Chevas (Daley) opposes the vaccination schedule and other aspects of the framework but will vote “yes” on it.

LaTanya Waters (Parker) is in favor of the proposal as she feels we may lose all that has been gained so far if we reject it.

Samantha Williams called the question, i.e., motioned to end debate.  The debate ended and the House voted 526 ayes, 82 noes, and 12 abstentions.  As a retiree member I am not permitted to vote on an issue such as this.

Question and Answers/New Business

Michael Smith (Englewood STEM) motioned to allow House delegates to donate their stipend to those who have lost pay from the lockouts.  Jesse referred this to a Union committee as there may be legal and/or tax problems if this is done.

Andrew Chen (Gillspie) asked for a vote of no confidence on Lightfoot and the CPS Board.  This motion was approved and the vote was 90% yes, 7% no, and 3% abstain.  I voted “yes” on this.

Ariel Stewart (Bright) said there were four confirmed cases of the Covid 19 infection at her school and questioned how effective the framework will be.  Jesse said that under the framework her school may be shut down for two weeks if the cases are unrelated, i.e., not people from all in the same family.

Quetzalli Castro described this as a “shit deal” and said we deserve better.

Erin Kelley (Nathan Davis) questioned the ventilations reports that use CO 2 levels as a metric for classroom safety.  She said her father is an environmental scientist and called this method “bullshit”.   

The meeting adjourned about 8:28 p.m.

Karen Lewis RIP

Karen Lewis was a Courageous Leader for Public Education

By Jim Vail

Karen Lewis was a courageous fighter who led a resurgence of the teachers union at a time when the attack on public schools and teacher unions was at the top of the ruling class agenda.

Karen Lewis died this week at age 67 after battling brain cancer for the past six years. She was forced to vacate her post as the president of the Chicago Teachers Union in 2018 and hand the reigns over to current President Jesse Sharkey. Sharkey defeated Members First President candidate Therese Boyle in the last election.

She became a populist in her epic battle with Mayor Rahm Emanuel over privatizing the schools and explored the idea of running for mayor until her illness stopped her. She infuriated Mayor 1% by repeating what he said behind closed doors.

She told George Schmidt, the founder and editor of Substance News who passed away two years ago, and myself about her meeting with billionaire Penny Pritzker who favored privatization over public education. Her brother J.B. is now Illinois Governor.

Lewis was an outsider who joined up with the Coalition of Rank and File Educators or CORE that was formed to stop school closings and fight back against Mayor Richard Daley's Renaissance 2010 privatization plan. The UPC leadership was doing little to stop the onslaught of charters and school closings.

I first met Karen Lewis when the Core party founded by Jackson Potter organized a small protest in the Merchandise Mart to demand the reinstatement of CTU Vice President Ted Dallas, who President Marilyn Stewart had removed because he allegedly sympathized with teachers who were upset with the latest contract. 

With their house divided, the UPC lost the election to Core as their supporters split and formed different caucuses to run in the historic 2010 election. That split allowed Core to win in a runoff after former CTU President Debbie Lynch and her PACT caucus backed Core.

Lewis endured union scorn when she endorsed the disastrous anti-union legislation known as SB7 or Senate Bill 7 that removed seniority protections, the bedrock of a union contract. She met behind closed doors with politicians paid by billionaire education reform consultants to make a deal that sold out the union veterans. She said she made the deal to "save the strike." The SB7 deal Lewis made was criticized by the union leadership's executive board who wrote a resolution later denouncing the deal.

The privatization forces were in full throttle gunning to emasculate the teachers union by outlawing the ability to strike. Now the union needed a 75 percent vote from all its members - somebody not voting would equal a no vote.

Lewis later led the first teachers strike in Chicago in 25 years that captured the attention of the world.

Her populist appeal, strong speeches and loving personae resonated with teachers and the public. She was beloved by many. 

Her critics would argue that she was a bit too close with the bosses. While one activist was jeopardizing her job to protest the punitive PARCC exam, Karen Lewis was at a hearing in support of Barbara Byrd Bennett, the first Chicago Public Schools chief to be convicted for getting kickbacks from consultants.

Karen and Core forged a powerful alliance with the Democrat Party to push a progressive agenda that includes fighting racism, passing favorable teacher bills in the legislature and supporting the union's battles with City Hall. 

Karen will be missed by friends, foes and all! RIP Karen Lewis!

CFL Meeting

Report of the Chicago Federation of Labor (CFL) Delegates Meeting

By George Milkowski

 

1. From the Minutes of the Executive Board, February 2, 2021

The CFL’s Executive Board met on February 1, 2021.  The new Speaker of the House, Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch addressed the meeting and pledged to be a friend of working families of Illinois and will continue to oppose any “right to work” (for less) laws.

The E-Board unanimously passed a resolution “celebrating the speakership of Speaker Michael J. Madigan”.

The CFL has been assisting in helping numerous food distribution drives and the CTU’s back to school drive with school supplies for students.  Special thanks was given to the Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 73.

The CFL is sponsoring virtual fundraisers for Chicago Alderpersons Cardona, Hadden, Rodriguez, Vasquez on February 10 and for Ald. Nugent on March 3.

The E-Board approved a measure to increase the number of people on its Finance Committee from 3 to 5 and on its Executive board from 25-27.

2. President’s Report

President Bob Reiter presented a resolution to honor recently deceased member Bob Simpson.  He was a leader of his union and a key figure in the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists.  This passed unanimously.

Pres. Reiter presented the resolution “celebrating” the speakership of Mike Madigan.  Although it passed, I and fellow CTU delegate John Kugler voted “no” on this.  I do not feel Madigan was a friend of the CTU. He kept a brick on the bill to establish an elected, representative school board in Chicago and did nothing for 25 years to restore full bargaining rights to the CTU by working to repeal the 4.5 Amendatory Act.

A number of changes to the CFL constitution were approved, including the expansion of the number of members on the Finance Committee and the E-Board.

Pres. Reiter spoke of the ongoing conflict between the CTU and the CPS over in person learning.  He said, “we got your back” and gave kudos to Jesse Sharkey for how well he represents the workers.

Reiter also lauded the Biden administration for the nomination of a pro-labor Secretary of Labor and a pro-labor counsel for the National Labor Relations Board.  He said that now that Biden is in office we need to keep up the pressure to get a raise in the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour (it is currently $7.25) and to get enactment of the Protect the Right to Organize (PRO) Act.

Pres. Reiter announced that John Sweeney, former president of the AFL-CIO had died.  Also, Joel Daly, former well known Chicago newscaster and strong unionist, had passed away, too.

3. Good and Welfare

Scott Marshall, retired union steelworker and head of the local chapter of Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees (SOAR – of which I am a member) stressed that with the change in administration in Washington that we are at a “tipping point” to win on labor issues so we need to keep pressure on the politicians.

Robert Bartlett of the West Suburban Teachers said that Cicero teachers are facing the same issues as the CTU is.  He said the CTU is setting important precedents for all.

Andy Grimm of the Chicago Newspaper Guild urged everyone to subscribe to the digital version of the Chicago Sun-Times, which is partially owned by the CFL.  A year’s subscription is only $30.  He also said that the Chicago Reader (backward letter R), which concentrated on bars, restaurants and entertainment, is hurting because most bars, restaurants and entertainment no longer exist due to the pandemic.  He asked if people would make a contribution to it because, as a non-profit, it would be tax deductible.

CTU Delegate Debby Pope said schools are unsafe for faculty, staff and students.  Many students come from multi-generational homes that could be impacted if a student brought the virus home.  Also, a large number of students are homeless (about 15,00 the last I heard) and are living in homeless shelters where contagion could quickly spread.  She asked the CFL for backing if we feel we have to strike.

Sheila Gainer – UniteHere Local 1 –asked for support of a proposed ordinance which would require hotels to rehire laid off workers first with their seniority intact once the pandemic is controlled and hotels start getting business again.

Elijah Edwards – AFSCME – urged everyone to get the COVID 19 vaccine from whatever company is producing it as soon as they can.

Lastly, Keith Richardson wants us to push Biden to quickly appoint members to the U.S. Postal Service Board to start rebuilding and improving the system.  There are currently four vacant positions on their board.

Mass Arrests

MORE BATONS THAN BRAINS

By Stephen Wilson

 

The unprecedented en-mass arrests of over 10,000 protesters in Russia has often been arbitrary and absurd.

                           'To be prosecuted in a case like  means that one has already have lost it'. 

                            The Trial, by Franz Kafka.

 

 

Joseph K, a hard working conscientious banker, finds his privacy invaded by two guards who place him under arrest and proceed to plunder his room. The guards claim to represent an unknown court. They don't explain to him what the charges against him are. Joseph K claims his innocence and refuses to recognize the authority of the court which has summoned him. When he attempts to find out the location of the court he finds himself lost and bewildered by an intricate and complex labyrinth where paths go on forever and 'courts' are hidden in attics and claustrophobic corridors where the accused are made to queue up for hours and a case can continue for years. Nobody can give Joseph K sound advice about his case. He is ensnared in an endless maze which is designed to torture people. His uncle declares, 'To be prosecuted in a case like this is to have already lost it'. It sounds so familiar. Just replace attics and corridors with special buses and remote and distant detention centers which disorientate the accused and arbitrary arrests and you have Kafka.

 

One Russian Journalist told me that the court case where Navalny was sentenced to 2.8 years for violating the rules of probation was 'a circus'. It represents a travesty of justice! In recent days Moscow and other cities were shaken by the eruption of mass protest demonstrations against the unfair detention of Navalny on the 23rd and 31st of January. The crack down on demonstrators was harsher than on previous occasions and the scale of arrests unprecedented. According to OV INFO, 1400 people were arrested in Moscow on the 23rd of January and then on the 31st of January, 16,000 were arrested. So many people were detained that the police stations throughout Moscow could not cope and many were sent out to a special detention center where illegal migrants await deportation. The conditions of this detention center are deplorable. Lack of space for many to sleep, no access to a decent toilet as well as no access to water and food. This is literary torture. One 21-year-old girl had her head thrust into a plastic bag and was threatened with suffocation unless she confessed her password to access her mobile phone.

 

The authorities claim that the demonstrators were arrested for breaking the law and that they had paralyzed the city. Unless the Russian state enforces the rule of the law then a scenario of what happened in Ukraine could unfold. Without strict law enforcement, chaos and disorder can erupt. The problem with this claim is that unlike the Ukraine, the vast majority of protesters were peaceful and well ordered. In fact, it is the police overreaction which has created most of the disorder and chaos. Last Sunday they drove and dispersed most of the demonstrators from the city center to others parts of the city. Many people who had nothing to do with this demonstration were arrested. For example, a young school student who was on his way to a tutor for a music lesson was detained. A 23- year-old graduate, Emin found himself held and detained for ten days. He stated, "In general, I had not participated in this demonstration. I was simply walking to the city center and they didn't even hold me when I went past the demonstration. When I was going past the meeting, several policemen approached me, changed their mind and went for another person. But he did not suit them for some reason and they returned to grab me and put me on a bus. Nobody could have imagined this ... I did not do anything and this is the first time I have been put in this situation. I felt bad and was unable to sleep. A doctor called me just before I was released and found my blood pressure was 170." 

Denis Bondarenko had to visit the detention center in Sakharovo which is 80 km from Moscow to help his detained cousin. His cousin was working at the Lighthouse Children's Hospice near the city center and had just finished his late shift. He had simply stopped to ask which metro stations were closed. No helpful explanation was forthcoming. They simply arrested him. When his cousin attempted to explain to the court the situation they were not interested. Why do so many solitary walkers get arrested? It is easier for the police to detain a person than wade into a dense crowd who might prevent or resist arrest. A solitary person on his way to work or a tutor is a sitting duck for a policeman hoping to make a swift and easy arrest. The police are often assigned a quota of people they have to arrest. If someone happens to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time, it can be regarded as irrelevant. The main thing is not guilt or innocence but to fulfill your quota. Two girls on their way to a shift on MacDonalds had to plead loudly, 'We are on our way to work, not a demonstration".

 

Some people have been arrested for writing a joke or a message on a social network. I heard that a friend of my family, Lucy Shrein, a 24-year-old local politician and journalist is presently under house arrest for writing a post on Twitter supporting the call of protest. She has been charged with violating Covid 19 restrictions. Her boyfriend Roman Volobuev stated, "In Spring she will be judged for a post on Twitter".

One of the most passionate demonstrators, Marina Nazareva, an editor, told Second City Teachers, "We have to make a stand against corruption."