Chicago Teachers Union House of Delegates Ends with Sparks!
By Jim Vail
A quorum was called at the end of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) House of Delegates (HOD) meeting on Wednesday December 5.
A quorum is a tactic to end a union meeting that is usually called when somebody does not want certain resolutions passed or business to continue.
Quorums were called regularly when the CTU was divided politically as union parities CORE, PACT and the UPC would battle over union issues.
But it is constitutional and the union has to stop the meeting and take a roll call vote, and if less than 50 percent of the members are present, then the meeting must end.
CTU President Jesse Sharkey said that they were only a couple of delegates short in the vote, but he noted there were other delegates in the building, so he ruled that there was a quorum and the meeting would continue. He asked if anyone wanted to challenge the ruling, but nobody did.
The issue that possibly sparked the unexpected call for a quorum (this delegate can only remember one quorum called in the nine years that CORE has led the CTU) was a vote to endorse five state reps (Aaron Ortiz, Nidia Carranza, Delia Ramirez, Lakesia Collins and Celina Villanueva) and two state senators (Rob Martwick and Robert Peters).
CTU member and former Political Action Committee PAC Chair Froy Jimenez said he should have been endorsed as well for the state senate.
CTU delegate and executive board member Michelle Gunderson said that the CTU wanted to table and wait til the next meeting to have an endorsement vote for him.
The vote to endorse those candidates then passed.
A resolution to support the striking teachers in Chile also passed.
CTU delegate Frank McDonald demanded an apology from VP Stacy Davis Gates for comparing delegates who wanted to separate PAC union dues from regular CTU dues to former IL Gov. Bruce Rauner paying Janus to attack the unions. President Sharkey said no apology is necessary since unions need to play the political game.
I noted as the delegate from Hammond School that the early childhood teachers are getting hit with too many demands from not only CPS, but also the Dept. of Early Childhood. The teachers say that they had to be observed five times last year - three for REACH and two for the Early Childhood Dept. They also wanted the pre-K teachers to register late students, something the school does. The teachers say they have to use their unpaid time, either preparation time or after school to fulfill the extra demands.
There is an early childhood committee at the CTU to look into these problems.
Several delegates during the question and answer period in the beginning of the meeting asked when CTU members will receive retro pay and veteran pay. Sharkey said they are still waiting to hear from CPS on this. He noted that it took a few months after the 2012 strike to get retro pay. He said after CPS privatized the payroll department, there are less employees working on the these issues and thus the delay.
One Taft High School associate delegate complained that PE teachers are being required to get yet another life guard certification, in addition to the two certificates they already have. Sharkey said the extra hoops CPS is making PE teachers go thru is in response to the tragedy at Kennedy High School when a 14-year-old student drowned in the school's pool in 2017. But he agreed that extra lifeguard certifications will not make it safer. They said these extra regulations will just drive teachers out of teaching.
During the time of remembrance of teachers who passed away, one teacher who just died was about to retire in January. Several died from cancer.
Financial director Kathy Catalano stated that they sold $200,000 worth of CTU merchandise and $600,000 in strike loans were made available to about 1,000 members. Teachers will get $50 reductions in their paychecks to pay back the loans.
They said 92 percent of the teachers voted for the contract (much higher percentage then who voted for the president!) and 80 percent voted yes.
The officers kept repeating that the teachers have to enforce the new contract.
VP Gates said the Los Angeles teachers union UTLA already endorsed a presidential candidate in the democratic primaries. She did not mention his name - but it was Bernie Sanders. She suggested that delegates poll their fellow members about who they think the union should endorse. She noted that all the democrat candidates mentioned the Chicago teachers strike.
When it comes to filing grievances against contract infringements, the CPS policy is to deny all the grievances, which forces the union to go to arbitration or appeal. It is a costly process in which there are about 1,000 grievances filed per year.
President Sharkey said the Chicago Federation of Labor (CFL) was upset that the CTU protested the Sterling Bay Lincoln Yards $1.4 billion TIF project because they employ union laborers. The CFL even set up a committee to investigate the teachers union. TIFs are a corrupt practice where the city takes tax monies that should go to the schools and instead subsidize wealthy developments like Lincoln Yards on the North Side, rather than support blighted areas.
The CTU earlier ran into problems with the Chicago police union that was upset the teachers were protesting police brutality.
The CTU officers said Chicago is one of the only big cities that has a school rating policy called SQRP which focuses almost entirely on student test scores. (Research shows the higher the parents income, the higher the students test scores.) The CTU encouraged its members to fill out the survey on SQRP, but one delegate noted that the survey is skewed toward supporting SQRP. The union said to then just put your comments in the comments box.
CPS has a new portfolio manager (set up to close schools) and a senior data analysis specialist (focus on standardized test scores that is a harmful measure for low-income children).
Sharkey said there are 18 CTU joint committees that are comprised of five CTU members and five CPS members in areas such as early childhood, student discipline, budget, sanctuary schools, diversity, special education, air conditioning and heating, etc. There are also regular CTU committees such as human rights, school finance and taxation, etc. He encouraged members to join the committees.
Sharkey said there are three priorities for the union: 1) Enforce the new contract, 2) The need for a unified voice for education in Chicago - includes organizing the charter schools. Currently 32 of the 130 charter schools are unionized. And 3) How schools are funded in legislature - elected school board.
By Jim Vail
 |
| The LA teachers union endorsed Bernie Sanders. Will CTU? |
A quorum was called at the end of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) House of Delegates (HOD) meeting on Wednesday December 5.
A quorum is a tactic to end a union meeting that is usually called when somebody does not want certain resolutions passed or business to continue.
Quorums were called regularly when the CTU was divided politically as union parities CORE, PACT and the UPC would battle over union issues.
But it is constitutional and the union has to stop the meeting and take a roll call vote, and if less than 50 percent of the members are present, then the meeting must end.
CTU President Jesse Sharkey said that they were only a couple of delegates short in the vote, but he noted there were other delegates in the building, so he ruled that there was a quorum and the meeting would continue. He asked if anyone wanted to challenge the ruling, but nobody did.
The issue that possibly sparked the unexpected call for a quorum (this delegate can only remember one quorum called in the nine years that CORE has led the CTU) was a vote to endorse five state reps (Aaron Ortiz, Nidia Carranza, Delia Ramirez, Lakesia Collins and Celina Villanueva) and two state senators (Rob Martwick and Robert Peters).
CTU member and former Political Action Committee PAC Chair Froy Jimenez said he should have been endorsed as well for the state senate.
CTU delegate and executive board member Michelle Gunderson said that the CTU wanted to table and wait til the next meeting to have an endorsement vote for him.
The vote to endorse those candidates then passed.
A resolution to support the striking teachers in Chile also passed.
CTU delegate Frank McDonald demanded an apology from VP Stacy Davis Gates for comparing delegates who wanted to separate PAC union dues from regular CTU dues to former IL Gov. Bruce Rauner paying Janus to attack the unions. President Sharkey said no apology is necessary since unions need to play the political game.
I noted as the delegate from Hammond School that the early childhood teachers are getting hit with too many demands from not only CPS, but also the Dept. of Early Childhood. The teachers say that they had to be observed five times last year - three for REACH and two for the Early Childhood Dept. They also wanted the pre-K teachers to register late students, something the school does. The teachers say they have to use their unpaid time, either preparation time or after school to fulfill the extra demands.
There is an early childhood committee at the CTU to look into these problems.
Several delegates during the question and answer period in the beginning of the meeting asked when CTU members will receive retro pay and veteran pay. Sharkey said they are still waiting to hear from CPS on this. He noted that it took a few months after the 2012 strike to get retro pay. He said after CPS privatized the payroll department, there are less employees working on the these issues and thus the delay.
One Taft High School associate delegate complained that PE teachers are being required to get yet another life guard certification, in addition to the two certificates they already have. Sharkey said the extra hoops CPS is making PE teachers go thru is in response to the tragedy at Kennedy High School when a 14-year-old student drowned in the school's pool in 2017. But he agreed that extra lifeguard certifications will not make it safer. They said these extra regulations will just drive teachers out of teaching.
During the time of remembrance of teachers who passed away, one teacher who just died was about to retire in January. Several died from cancer.
Financial director Kathy Catalano stated that they sold $200,000 worth of CTU merchandise and $600,000 in strike loans were made available to about 1,000 members. Teachers will get $50 reductions in their paychecks to pay back the loans.
They said 92 percent of the teachers voted for the contract (much higher percentage then who voted for the president!) and 80 percent voted yes.
The officers kept repeating that the teachers have to enforce the new contract.
VP Gates said the Los Angeles teachers union UTLA already endorsed a presidential candidate in the democratic primaries. She did not mention his name - but it was Bernie Sanders. She suggested that delegates poll their fellow members about who they think the union should endorse. She noted that all the democrat candidates mentioned the Chicago teachers strike.
When it comes to filing grievances against contract infringements, the CPS policy is to deny all the grievances, which forces the union to go to arbitration or appeal. It is a costly process in which there are about 1,000 grievances filed per year.
President Sharkey said the Chicago Federation of Labor (CFL) was upset that the CTU protested the Sterling Bay Lincoln Yards $1.4 billion TIF project because they employ union laborers. The CFL even set up a committee to investigate the teachers union. TIFs are a corrupt practice where the city takes tax monies that should go to the schools and instead subsidize wealthy developments like Lincoln Yards on the North Side, rather than support blighted areas.
The CTU earlier ran into problems with the Chicago police union that was upset the teachers were protesting police brutality.
The CTU officers said Chicago is one of the only big cities that has a school rating policy called SQRP which focuses almost entirely on student test scores. (Research shows the higher the parents income, the higher the students test scores.) The CTU encouraged its members to fill out the survey on SQRP, but one delegate noted that the survey is skewed toward supporting SQRP. The union said to then just put your comments in the comments box.
CPS has a new portfolio manager (set up to close schools) and a senior data analysis specialist (focus on standardized test scores that is a harmful measure for low-income children).
Sharkey said there are 18 CTU joint committees that are comprised of five CTU members and five CPS members in areas such as early childhood, student discipline, budget, sanctuary schools, diversity, special education, air conditioning and heating, etc. There are also regular CTU committees such as human rights, school finance and taxation, etc. He encouraged members to join the committees.
Sharkey said there are three priorities for the union: 1) Enforce the new contract, 2) The need for a unified voice for education in Chicago - includes organizing the charter schools. Currently 32 of the 130 charter schools are unionized. And 3) How schools are funded in legislature - elected school board.
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