Fired Field Rep Joey McDermott Fights CTU for Reinstatement
By Jim Vail
The gloves are off.
The former boxer and teachers union field representative is fighting to get his old job back.
Already 824 people have signed an online petition to reinstate Joey McDermott to his old position as a field rep for the Chicago Teachers Union.
The petition to sign is at: https://www.change.org/p/ctu-
The petition states that the CTU fired him for ¨discourteous¨ behavior with three alleged complaints, but the union never shared any written evidence to support the complaints, made no effort at restorative practices or provided training as part of a remediation process.
¨CTU´s insufficient due process steps (towards Joey) involved practices that CTU would never tolerate if done towards our own CTU members.¨
McDermott was terminated on Sept. 30, 2019.
The petition was started by David Kaplan, a teacher at Von Steuben High School.
The petition also noted that over 215 members wrote emails to the CTU to reinstate McDermott.
McDermott said in an email letter to his supporters that he was dismissed because he informed a union member that they should not show political partisanship while on union time, and that he should have been informed when VP Stacy Gates visited a school and held a meeting on the sidewalk, when he could have arranged to have the meeting inside the school.
¨At the time of my dismissal, I was told, ´It´s not your place´ to comment on CTU staff´s behavior, and I was, ´discourteous and unprofessional,´¨ he said.
McDermott states that the CTU never provided him with any evidence about the complaints.
McDermott, who is represented by Teamsters Local 743, said he finally met with his CTU supervisor on Jan. 10, 14 weeks after he filed his grievance against wrongful dismissal.
He said the CTU acknowledged that there was no discipline pre-meeting related to the email he sent about frustration with the union meeting on the sidewalk, which means he was never given his just cause/due process rights which are essential in a union contract. There was no written documentation related to the allegations against him so he could respond, and the union told him it would not provide conflict resolution training which he requested, he said.
¨They suggested I send a written request for any documents I want to see,¨ McDermott wrote.
The CTU must issue a written response in the next few weeks, and then meet with Joey in March or April before issuing a decision in April or May. If the officers rule against him, then his case will go to arbitration, possibly this summer. The arbitrator´s decision usually takes a few months.
McDermott said his firing has impacted the CTU field reps who have to pick up extra schools and increase their workload.
¨It also means that CTU members concerns are not going to be addressed efficiently, at least not the same as if the grievance department were fully/adequately staffed, and not the same if I was performing the duties for the job I love.¨
McDermott speculated that he was fired for criticizing the union. He said he filed grievances for attorneys recruiting clients for private lawsuits at House of Delegate meetings, sending CTU staff to do political work for candidates not officially endorsed, assigning field reps to work with and support charter teachers without hiring additional field reps to ensure quality/timeliness of service to all members and reporting to CTU leadership when staff was doing political work, while being paid through CTU dues money.
McDermott, who is a member of the CTU leadership CORE party, had criticized the caucus when he ran for vice president against Stacy Davis Gates.
He said he sent emails to CTU leadership to make sure he was not violating any rules of employment prior to any interviews or stories published.
¨I am convinced that my protected union activity and my outspoken activity as a CORE member led to my wrongful dismissal,¨ he wrote.
McDermott made a series of damaging statements about the union to the corporate media who represent business and anti-union interests. It is understandable that the leadership would be furious to have an employee on their dime criticize their leadership.
In an extended interview with anti-union writer and hated former Chicago Reader editor Mark Konkol, McDermott criticized the union and its cozy relationship with the Democratic Party which he believes runs against the CORE principals of firing up the membership.
McDermott said he gave the interview as a candidate for CORE vice president, and not as a union employee. He sent an email to his bosses prior to the interview to make sure he was not doing anything wrong. McDermott was identified as a CTU member in the article. Jesse Sharkey never responded to his email, thus giving him the green light to give the interview that trashed their leadership.
President Jesse Sharkey and Vice President Stacy Gates refused to speak to Konkol - an outspoken anti-union attack dog who lumps unions together with billionaires as corrupt influences on the democratic party. They do, however, give interviews to the Chicago Tribune, another anti-union paper that advocates for privatizing the public schools.
By Jim Vail
 |
| Fired Field Rep Joey McDermott is fighting his dismissal. |
The gloves are off.
The former boxer and teachers union field representative is fighting to get his old job back.
Already 824 people have signed an online petition to reinstate Joey McDermott to his old position as a field rep for the Chicago Teachers Union.
The petition to sign is at: https://www.change.org/p/ctu-
The petition states that the CTU fired him for ¨discourteous¨ behavior with three alleged complaints, but the union never shared any written evidence to support the complaints, made no effort at restorative practices or provided training as part of a remediation process.
¨CTU´s insufficient due process steps (towards Joey) involved practices that CTU would never tolerate if done towards our own CTU members.¨
McDermott was terminated on Sept. 30, 2019.
The petition was started by David Kaplan, a teacher at Von Steuben High School.
The petition also noted that over 215 members wrote emails to the CTU to reinstate McDermott.
McDermott said in an email letter to his supporters that he was dismissed because he informed a union member that they should not show political partisanship while on union time, and that he should have been informed when VP Stacy Gates visited a school and held a meeting on the sidewalk, when he could have arranged to have the meeting inside the school.
¨At the time of my dismissal, I was told, ´It´s not your place´ to comment on CTU staff´s behavior, and I was, ´discourteous and unprofessional,´¨ he said.
McDermott states that the CTU never provided him with any evidence about the complaints.
McDermott, who is represented by Teamsters Local 743, said he finally met with his CTU supervisor on Jan. 10, 14 weeks after he filed his grievance against wrongful dismissal.
He said the CTU acknowledged that there was no discipline pre-meeting related to the email he sent about frustration with the union meeting on the sidewalk, which means he was never given his just cause/due process rights which are essential in a union contract. There was no written documentation related to the allegations against him so he could respond, and the union told him it would not provide conflict resolution training which he requested, he said.
¨They suggested I send a written request for any documents I want to see,¨ McDermott wrote.
The CTU must issue a written response in the next few weeks, and then meet with Joey in March or April before issuing a decision in April or May. If the officers rule against him, then his case will go to arbitration, possibly this summer. The arbitrator´s decision usually takes a few months.
McDermott said his firing has impacted the CTU field reps who have to pick up extra schools and increase their workload.
¨It also means that CTU members concerns are not going to be addressed efficiently, at least not the same as if the grievance department were fully/adequately staffed, and not the same if I was performing the duties for the job I love.¨
McDermott speculated that he was fired for criticizing the union. He said he filed grievances for attorneys recruiting clients for private lawsuits at House of Delegate meetings, sending CTU staff to do political work for candidates not officially endorsed, assigning field reps to work with and support charter teachers without hiring additional field reps to ensure quality/timeliness of service to all members and reporting to CTU leadership when staff was doing political work, while being paid through CTU dues money.
McDermott, who is a member of the CTU leadership CORE party, had criticized the caucus when he ran for vice president against Stacy Davis Gates.
He said he sent emails to CTU leadership to make sure he was not violating any rules of employment prior to any interviews or stories published.
¨I am convinced that my protected union activity and my outspoken activity as a CORE member led to my wrongful dismissal,¨ he wrote.
McDermott made a series of damaging statements about the union to the corporate media who represent business and anti-union interests. It is understandable that the leadership would be furious to have an employee on their dime criticize their leadership.
In an extended interview with anti-union writer and hated former Chicago Reader editor Mark Konkol, McDermott criticized the union and its cozy relationship with the Democratic Party which he believes runs against the CORE principals of firing up the membership.
McDermott said he gave the interview as a candidate for CORE vice president, and not as a union employee. He sent an email to his bosses prior to the interview to make sure he was not doing anything wrong. McDermott was identified as a CTU member in the article. Jesse Sharkey never responded to his email, thus giving him the green light to give the interview that trashed their leadership.
President Jesse Sharkey and Vice President Stacy Gates refused to speak to Konkol - an outspoken anti-union attack dog who lumps unions together with billionaires as corrupt influences on the democratic party. They do, however, give interviews to the Chicago Tribune, another anti-union paper that advocates for privatizing the public schools.
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