CFL Meeting

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

Note: This was an in-person meeting.1. From the Minutes of the Executive Board, March 6, 2023

The CFL is hosting its 2023 Women’s Luncheon on March 21 starting at 11:30a.m. at the IBEW Local 134 Hall at 2722 S. Martin Luther King Drive. Admission is free but one must register in advance by March 14. Go to: chicagolabor.org/womensluncheon or call 312-222-1000 for more information.

The CFL is having a Labor May Day 5K Walk and Run on Sunday, April 30 beginning at 8:00 a.m.. Contact Gus Fuguitt at gfuguitt@chicagolabor.org or call 312-906-2434 for more information.

The CFL reported that the annual commemoration of the Haymarket Police Riot will take place on Monday, May 1 at noon at the Haymarket Memorial.

The CFL is working with the National Park service to move the annual Labor Day Parade from the East Side, where it has been held for a number of years, to the Pullman National Historic Park and it is planned to be on Saturday, September 2.

2. President’s Report

Pres. Reiter said that 41 of the 42 candidates that were endorsed by the CFL won their election or they are in a runoff. He said the CFL will continue to remain neutral in Chicago’s mayoral runoff in April. 

A number of delegates, Bea Lumpkin and Debby Pope of the CTU among them, urged the CFL give up its neutrality and endorse Brandon Johnson. Reiter said the CFL has a process for endorsement that would have to be used in order to take a position.

Pres. Reiter also said the CFL’s political action committee had a long list of endorsed candidates; most in the upcoming suburban elections but also in a few of the Chicago aldermanic runoff elections.

The president also spoke of the labor peace agreement the City made with Bally’s for a new casino in the City. Besides creating jobs in its construction, those who will be employed there will also be union members. He also said that the revenue from the casino will be used to fund the Fire Department’s pension fund. I asked if the labor peace agreement will also apply to the proposed temporary casino that may be at the old Medinah Temple. His response implied that it would be but also that the CFL legal staff is looking into this concern.

3. Good and Welfare

Colin Smalley, president of Local 777, International Federation of Professional & Technical Engineers, updated the assembly on the lack of support from U.S. Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer. The National Labor Relations Authority is a three-member panel similar to the National Labor Relations Board, but it deals with workers in the federal public sector, not the private sector. The NLBA has been operating for a while with only two members, one of which is an anti-worker Trump appointee.

Consequently, when there are complaints filed by Colin’s union, which works with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, nothing can be decided. Pres. Biden appointed a third member but the Senate, led by Democrat Chuck Schumer of New York refused to bring the appointment up for approval. Consequently, when the Senate adjourned for its term the time limit for the appointment expired.

The National Association of Letter Carriers is sponsoring its annual Food Drive on Saturday, May 13. All are asked to put non-perishable food items in a bag by their mailboxes. The food will be collected and delivered to a local food bank.

Lastly, being Women’s History month, the CFL presented its Woman of the Year Award. The Award’s name for formally changed to Rosetta Daylie Woman of the Year award. Ms Dayleie is the longest serving member on the current CFL Executive Board.

The Award was presented to Kathy Hanshaw of the Chicago and Midwest Regional Joint Board of Working Families.

Kathy has been active for a long time with the CMRJB in helping to organize workers at Starbucks. In her remarks she mentioned that there are now over 7,200 Starbucks workers in 291 stores that are organized; 25 of which are in Illinois. She said that over 1,000 Unfair Labor Practice complaints have been filed against the chain and that the chain has broken numerous federal laws including firing workers who fight for a union, closing or threatening to close stores that are organizing, and illegally offering raises and benefits only to stores that are not organizing.