Real Thang?

Is REAL the Real Thang?

By Jim Vail

There are now three teacher caucuses competing in the Chicago Teachers Union May 20 president election.

The new caucus REAL (Respect, Educate, Advocate, Lead) is made up of former Core members who will join opposition group Members First to challenge Core in the union election.

"We have a slate in this election and we intend to win," stated Joe Linehan, who was a long-time Core union activist. "We feel CORE has gotten too disconnected from the daily life in the schools as officers have been in the union offices for years."

He told Second City Teachers that their members, including several who serve on the CTU's Executive Board, feel Core has strayed from the ideals it once preached. 

"A lot of us were in the early days of CORE including several founding members, but our focus isn't on CORE as much as it is on what OUR caucus principles bring to the table."

They pledge to open the books to show the members the finances, something Core has been loath to do. Members First has been demanding to open the CTU Foundation books so members know how much money is being spent and where. 

Linehan said they first started with about 20 people and over 50 people showed up to their next meeting with hundreds more signed up on facebook.

"I'm amazed at how fast things are blowing up," he wrote on fb. "We continue to believe that our biggest weapon is our ability to mobilize. Many of us were part of the push to bring an organizing model of unionism to CTU and that is where we see our future."

REAL founding member Katie Osgood first aimed her ire at Core on social media: 

"Power & money have a funny way of shifting priorities," she tweeted on Feb. 12. "We know the pull of bureaucracy even on the most well-intentioned people. Union leadership is out of touch w/members, pulling in large salaries, using members as tools in political games.... this is the slide to business unionism."

"Where we organically engage with communities, rather than simply  giving money to the non-profit industrial complex and labeling that 'community.' The little leagues, the places of worship, the local neighborhood groups. Because our members are already there!"

Then she fired a bullet at Members First:

"Members First developed out of this discontent - I want to say around 2016 and the settlement of the weak 2016 contract. They weren't very articulate or organized, but they were real members voicing concerns. The troubling part to me is... they are coming to incorrect conclusions. The discontent is real. And now we see what's filling that vacuum. A Members First that is becoming more & more reactionary. Telling members we will never strike again. Pulling us to a more conservative form of unionism. That is the wrong conclusion!" 

Will Real take votes from Core or Members First and upset everyone? 

CORE played the spoiler role 12 years ago when they upset the ruling UPC party who was also divided. 

A split in the UPC ruling party resulted in five caucuses running - VP Ted Dallas (who was fired), Field Rep Ted Hajiharis, Pact and former CTU President Debbie Lynch and Core's Karen Lewis.

UPC and Core went to a run-off and the other caucuses who lost in the first round pledged their support for Core who ended up defeating the long-time union leader UPC.

Can this happen again? 

Sit back, buckle up and enjoy the rocky road ahead in CTU union politics!