Will CTU Endorse Bernie Sanders
By Jim Vail
There is talk that the Coalition of Rank and File Educators or Core who helped elect the current Chicago Teachers Union leadership is ready to make an endorsement of Bernie Sanders for president and put pressure on the CTU leadership to do likewise.
However, for that to be effective there would have to be a special House of Delegates meeting scheduled before the Illinois primary March 15.
Currently the delegates will only meet in March for a training session as is customary this time of year.
Why do Core activists want an endorsement of Sanders? The so-called self-proclaimed socialist, though he rarely mentions this on his campaign stops, has taken on Wall Street and supported the working class against big-money interests.
He has called for universal health insurance, free college tuition, union rights, corporate sanctions and financial regulations.
While his rhetoric is fiery and many young progressive people support him, he still supports the US war machine.
His position on education reform in the past is not clear, though he probably is against education privatization and testing mania today.
If the CTU would endorse Sanders it would be a significant statement since its parent union the American Federation of Teachers or AFT endorsed Hillary Clinton - Wall Street's favorite dame.
The CTU endorsed Obama, despite his attack on public schools via his Race to the Top, in the last presidential election.
Core held a general meeting Mon. Feb. 22 to discuss the Sanders endorsement.
By Jim Vail
 |
| Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders may be endorsed by CTU main caucus. |
There is talk that the Coalition of Rank and File Educators or Core who helped elect the current Chicago Teachers Union leadership is ready to make an endorsement of Bernie Sanders for president and put pressure on the CTU leadership to do likewise.
However, for that to be effective there would have to be a special House of Delegates meeting scheduled before the Illinois primary March 15.
Currently the delegates will only meet in March for a training session as is customary this time of year.
Why do Core activists want an endorsement of Sanders? The so-called self-proclaimed socialist, though he rarely mentions this on his campaign stops, has taken on Wall Street and supported the working class against big-money interests.
He has called for universal health insurance, free college tuition, union rights, corporate sanctions and financial regulations.
While his rhetoric is fiery and many young progressive people support him, he still supports the US war machine.
His position on education reform in the past is not clear, though he probably is against education privatization and testing mania today.
If the CTU would endorse Sanders it would be a significant statement since its parent union the American Federation of Teachers or AFT endorsed Hillary Clinton - Wall Street's favorite dame.
The CTU endorsed Obama, despite his attack on public schools via his Race to the Top, in the last presidential election.
Core held a general meeting Mon. Feb. 22 to discuss the Sanders endorsement.
No comments:
Post a Comment