CORE Candidates Debate Members First Candidates at HOD
By Jim Vail
The Chicago Teachers Union will vote May 17 to elect its next group of officers to lead the 26,000 plus members for the next three years that includes bargaining for a new teachers contract.
The Coalition of Rank and File Officers (CORE) will face its first significant challenger Members First since it upset the long-time ruling party UPC in 2010 when five caucuses ran in the election that forced a runoff. Core did not face a challenger in the previous election three years ago when Karen Lewis was still president.
CTU Vice President Stacy Davis Gates, who is running on the Core ticket, first debated Members First Vice President candidate Victor Ochoa at the House of Delegates meeting May 1. Ochoa said he is a 23 year veteran who had worked as an art teacher and is currently the counselor at Schurz High School.
"We're not members only," he told delegates when introducing himself. "But we've gotten the short end of the stick in the last few contracts. We need to lower the stress level for teachers. The classroom is a more and more difficult place to be. When you tell someone you had a win, you should feel it."
Gates introduced herself by stating she has three kids and lives in Chatham. She said teachers all over the country are wearing red because they were inspired by the Core led first teachers strike in over 25 years in 2012. She said they had two successful strikes against Mayor Rahm Emanuel and they've organized teachers in charter schools.
Gates said the union is bargaining for a better school day and smaller class sizes. She said there is now a funding formula in place and they restored the pension levy.
Ochoa countered that teachers now have a longer school day but have not been compensated for that. He said they need to fight for the best salary and win back what they lost.
The CTU leadership has been criticized for holding lengthy delegates meetings and Ochoa said they should shorten the speeches and rah rahs, and just focus on giving the most important information to delegates to take back to their schools. "I won't take up most of your time with long speeches, we'll just get the answers you need."
Gates said the delegates receive information in their packets, including bulletins, and she pointed out that the HOD had a member driven discussion on health care that was beneficial.
Gates defended the unions focus on charter school teachers and the current rash of strikes to get better pay and benefits. "Closing the door on other laborers never benefits others," she said.
Ochoa said charter schools are a way to break the union and that they need a strategy to stop the charter system. (Editors note: Core has been very effective in fighting charter schools and even put a clause in the contract to limit the number of charters opening up in the city that have resulted in closing public schools.)
"We need affordable housing," Gates said. "Fight for justice. We have a union that leads nationally. Speak truth to power and we will win cause we're right!"
The next debate featured CTU President Jesse Sharkey and Members First President Therese Boyle.
Sharkey opened up by saying the union has a vision to win and "we're going to make the wealthy pay for it."
"Our kids deserve a social justice union," he said. "Karen united this union and (prevented) our disagreements from dividing us."
Boyle introduced herself by stating she has been a 35 year educator, taught for seven years and has worked as a clinician for 28 years. She has worked in over 100 schools, and served nine years as a delegate. She comes from a family of educators that date back to the 1900s. She said Members First started when in 2016 she saw how the clinicians demands were not supported by the union, and the losses from the last two contracts.
"I'm concerned how they are managing the finances," she said. "I'll fight for the best contract."
A couple of questions asked by the moderator Cliff Kelly, a radio personality and former alderman, appeared to be softballs for Sharkey. What do you think of white nationalism? How important a priority is racial and social justice for the union?
"It's important to our union," Sharkey said, matter of factly.
"I agree with Jesse that we need to address this," Boyle said. "White nationalism has no place in our country or in our union."
What do you admire most in your opponent? (This question was also asked at an earlier mayoral forum.)
"Jesse is very respectful of me," Boyle said. "I appreciate that. I wished he'd answer my questions more. He's a good unionist. I voted for Core the first time, but I feel they lost their way."
"Leading a movement on bread and butter issues I respect," Sharkey said. "She's a great unionist."
Boyle said it is important to take social justice issues into the classroom. She said one school she visited had lost four students to violence. They need grief counselors. (The CTU is demanding more counselors in the next contract.)
Boyle, who has a financial degree, has looked closely at the budget and noticed problems. A deficit has been revealed. She said she requested a five year cost analysis in the union to better understand the costs but has not gotten an answer.
Sharkey noted that after Core was elected in 2010, (President Barack Obama was forcing school reform and privatization down the throats of public schools) Mayor Emanuel cancelled the last year of the teachers' four percent raise, was trying to force merit pay on teachers, and wanted a 16-page contract that would have obliterated the rights of teachers.
"They wanted to roll us," Sharkey said. "We struck for seven days. We got as much as we thought we could. We weren't strong enough to go on an extended strike." (My school Hammond voted to continue the strike when the leadership got the union to end the strike.)
"It's upsetting that we lost a lot of what we fought for," Boyle said in response, noting the numerous teacher strikes in the 1980s that resulted in better teacher compensation and rights.
In closing, Boyle said she promises to put in a lot of checks and balances "to put the union back on solid footing." She said she would work with Core.
"We have a vision for the base of our union power," Sharkey said in his concluding remarks. "The vision of public schools is the heart of our political power ... Our hard work helped put $1 billion back in the schools. I agree with Therese on this - we need to be united."
By Jim Vail
 |
| Members First slate Victor Ochoa, Debbie Yaker, Sharon Davis & Therese Boyle |
The Chicago Teachers Union will vote May 17 to elect its next group of officers to lead the 26,000 plus members for the next three years that includes bargaining for a new teachers contract.
The Coalition of Rank and File Officers (CORE) will face its first significant challenger Members First since it upset the long-time ruling party UPC in 2010 when five caucuses ran in the election that forced a runoff. Core did not face a challenger in the previous election three years ago when Karen Lewis was still president.
CTU Vice President Stacy Davis Gates, who is running on the Core ticket, first debated Members First Vice President candidate Victor Ochoa at the House of Delegates meeting May 1. Ochoa said he is a 23 year veteran who had worked as an art teacher and is currently the counselor at Schurz High School.
"We're not members only," he told delegates when introducing himself. "But we've gotten the short end of the stick in the last few contracts. We need to lower the stress level for teachers. The classroom is a more and more difficult place to be. When you tell someone you had a win, you should feel it."
Gates introduced herself by stating she has three kids and lives in Chatham. She said teachers all over the country are wearing red because they were inspired by the Core led first teachers strike in over 25 years in 2012. She said they had two successful strikes against Mayor Rahm Emanuel and they've organized teachers in charter schools.
Gates said the union is bargaining for a better school day and smaller class sizes. She said there is now a funding formula in place and they restored the pension levy.
Ochoa countered that teachers now have a longer school day but have not been compensated for that. He said they need to fight for the best salary and win back what they lost.
 |
| CORE slate Jesse Sharkey, Christel Williams, Stacy Gates & Maria Moreno |
The CTU leadership has been criticized for holding lengthy delegates meetings and Ochoa said they should shorten the speeches and rah rahs, and just focus on giving the most important information to delegates to take back to their schools. "I won't take up most of your time with long speeches, we'll just get the answers you need."
Gates said the delegates receive information in their packets, including bulletins, and she pointed out that the HOD had a member driven discussion on health care that was beneficial.
Gates defended the unions focus on charter school teachers and the current rash of strikes to get better pay and benefits. "Closing the door on other laborers never benefits others," she said.
Ochoa said charter schools are a way to break the union and that they need a strategy to stop the charter system. (Editors note: Core has been very effective in fighting charter schools and even put a clause in the contract to limit the number of charters opening up in the city that have resulted in closing public schools.)
"We need affordable housing," Gates said. "Fight for justice. We have a union that leads nationally. Speak truth to power and we will win cause we're right!"
The next debate featured CTU President Jesse Sharkey and Members First President Therese Boyle.
Sharkey opened up by saying the union has a vision to win and "we're going to make the wealthy pay for it."
"Our kids deserve a social justice union," he said. "Karen united this union and (prevented) our disagreements from dividing us."
Boyle introduced herself by stating she has been a 35 year educator, taught for seven years and has worked as a clinician for 28 years. She has worked in over 100 schools, and served nine years as a delegate. She comes from a family of educators that date back to the 1900s. She said Members First started when in 2016 she saw how the clinicians demands were not supported by the union, and the losses from the last two contracts.
"I'm concerned how they are managing the finances," she said. "I'll fight for the best contract."
A couple of questions asked by the moderator Cliff Kelly, a radio personality and former alderman, appeared to be softballs for Sharkey. What do you think of white nationalism? How important a priority is racial and social justice for the union?
"It's important to our union," Sharkey said, matter of factly.
"I agree with Jesse that we need to address this," Boyle said. "White nationalism has no place in our country or in our union."
What do you admire most in your opponent? (This question was also asked at an earlier mayoral forum.)
"Jesse is very respectful of me," Boyle said. "I appreciate that. I wished he'd answer my questions more. He's a good unionist. I voted for Core the first time, but I feel they lost their way."
"Leading a movement on bread and butter issues I respect," Sharkey said. "She's a great unionist."
Boyle said it is important to take social justice issues into the classroom. She said one school she visited had lost four students to violence. They need grief counselors. (The CTU is demanding more counselors in the next contract.)
Boyle, who has a financial degree, has looked closely at the budget and noticed problems. A deficit has been revealed. She said she requested a five year cost analysis in the union to better understand the costs but has not gotten an answer.
Sharkey noted that after Core was elected in 2010, (President Barack Obama was forcing school reform and privatization down the throats of public schools) Mayor Emanuel cancelled the last year of the teachers' four percent raise, was trying to force merit pay on teachers, and wanted a 16-page contract that would have obliterated the rights of teachers.
"They wanted to roll us," Sharkey said. "We struck for seven days. We got as much as we thought we could. We weren't strong enough to go on an extended strike." (My school Hammond voted to continue the strike when the leadership got the union to end the strike.)
"It's upsetting that we lost a lot of what we fought for," Boyle said in response, noting the numerous teacher strikes in the 1980s that resulted in better teacher compensation and rights.
In closing, Boyle said she promises to put in a lot of checks and balances "to put the union back on solid footing." She said she would work with Core.
"We have a vision for the base of our union power," Sharkey said in his concluding remarks. "The vision of public schools is the heart of our political power ... Our hard work helped put $1 billion back in the schools. I agree with Therese on this - we need to be united."
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