IFT

IFT Convention Report – October 21-23, 2022 - St.Louis, Mo.

By George Milkowski

Friday night was registration and a few workshops followed by a delegates’ reception.  Everyone had to pass a COVID 19 test to be admitted to the convention.  The convention hosted 275 delegates from 39 locals representing 73,106 employees.

The opening of the convention on Saturday included a welcoming address by the Mayor of St. Louis, Tishaura Jones, the first woman of color to be elected to that position.   In her remarks she stressed that despite efforts by the Republican controlled state government, St. Louis has successfully led the way in getting the state to raise the minimum wage and to overturn right-to-work legislation.  

“March for Our Lives” (MFOL) founder David Hogg, a survivor of the school shooting at Marjorie Douglas Stonewall high school and currently a student at Harvard, addressed the convention via video.  Understandably, he spoke about gun control and said that for the first time in 30 years there was a law passed by Congress to put some limits on gun ownership, although the bill is a very limited piece of legislation.  

Trevon Bosley, an electrical engineer from NIU and also a MFOL member, is from Chicago’s south side and he spoke, too.  He talked about the closing of 50 schools in the City under Rahm Emanual and how this forced students to cross gang territorial boundaries that led to increased violence.  As a child he lost a brother and a cousin to gun violence.  He said he wasn’t a very good student but remembers a 3rd grade teacher who went out of his way to help him. He also said he heard his 5th grade teacher say that he was in the job just for a paycheck.  Teachers need to consider the background of students before they try to evaluate the students’ performances.

The convention then began dealing with 21 resolutions that were to be acted upon.  All of them were adopted over the next day and one half, some unanimously.  Many were amended from the floor over the course of that day and Sunday morning and I did vote in favor of all of them after amendments were agreed upon.  

One item that was presented for convention was the IFT Consolidated Financial Report.  It was shown on a large screen but was impossible to read and at that time there was no paper copy available.  It was approved but I abstained because I couldn’t tell what was in it.

The same held true for the upcoming IFT budget.  I abstained on that, too.

During the next day and one half there would be short “rah rah” videos interspersed with the resolutions.  The Saturday morning session ended 40 minutes ahead of schedule so Dan Montgomery, IFT president, adjourned the meeting.  I found this to be irritating.  I thought we should continue to the next resolution to get the work done that we were there for as quickly as possible.  

Dan Montgomery expounded at length on the challenges faced by workers.  He said retaining teachers is a major problem nationwide.  One reason Illinois is having a problem attracting and keeping teachers is our two-tier pension system.  Teachers hired after January 1, 2010 cannot achieve their maximum pension benefits unless they work for 45 years, generally to age 67.  Also, the way the formula for those teachers is constructed, they will be earning LESS than if they worked at other jobs and paid into and became eligible for Social Security. 

Dan also said that a major priority for the IFT is organizing new locals.

Lastly, Montgomery stated, “The GOP is actively working to suppress the vote”.  It is imperative that members of IFT locals come out to vote in November for the Workers’ Rights Amendment and also to get involved in school board elections that are coming up statewide in the spring.  (Chicago will have its first round of school board elections in 2024).

There were also changes approved to the IFT constitution and by-laws.  One was to increase the number of IFT vice-presidents to 44 from the current 40.  Montgomery stated that this would make the IFT more inclusive and more diverse.  (Not to mention that it gives a few more jobs to officers of IFT locals).  

An increase in “pass through” dues was also approved.  The current pass through is $379.80 per member per year and it will increase in steps to $405.30 by September 1, 2025.

Along with the dues increase will be an increase in the value of “units of assistance”.  These will go from $15,278 per unit to $17,030 per unit by September 2025.

        Each local is eligible for a unit of assistance based on its membership size.  The IFT uses this to determine how much it can help out locals in appealing grievances to the arbitration or court level and things of that nature.  

One proposed constitutional amendment, brought to the convention by UIC GEO, Local 6297, was ruled out of order.  Pres. Montgomery informed the 6297 delegate that its wording would conflict with the AFT constitution and by-laws.  Local 6297 is the union of graduate employees at the UIC campus in Chicago.  This is a small local with high turnover since most members graduate and move on in six years or less.  This would give their local a reduced rate on the “pass throughs” to the IFT and AFT.  A similar proposal was made at the last IFT convention three years ago and I supported that at the time but it was voted down.  I would have supported this one, too, but having been ruled out of order a vote was never taken.

One speaker was CTU’s own Brandon Johnson, who is also a Cook County commissioner.  He plans to announce his decision to run for mayor of Chicago on Thursday, October 27.  

Emanuel “Chris” Welch, Illinois Speaker of the House, addressed the assembly.  He had served on a school board for 12 years, ten of which he was its president.  Among other things he said, “A strong middle class starts with unions”.  He said that it is important that everyone vote in favor of the Workers’ Rights Amendment on the ballot in November.

AFT President Randi Weingarten was there, too.  To back up her stressing the importance of unions in politics, she said the AFT will pledge $1 million to Brandon Johnson’s campaign for mayor.

The convention came to an end with numerous awards being given out to outstanding fighters for workers.  The last one, along with the 21st resolution that had passed, honored CTU’s Beatrice Lumpkin.  Bea is 104 years old as of August 3 and still growing strong!!

Book Review

Reds at the Blackboard: Communism, Civil Rights, and the NY City Teachers Union 

Book Review

by Jim Vail

Reds at the Blackboard is a book about the communists who ran the New York City Teachers Union until the US government purged its leaders and the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) took control in the 1960's.

The book was written by Professor Clarence Taylor and published in 2011 the year after CORE became the new leaders of the Chicago Teachers Union.

A lot of what the NY Teachers Union fought for in the 20's and 30's for civil rights and against racism has shaped the ideology of the CTU leadership today.

The NY Teachers Union (TU) had an unofficial partnership with the American Communist Party and the Soviet Union which led to the huge purge by the United States government despite the union's historic fight against racism in the schools that had popular support. 

The TU led the fight to form community schools aligned with the black and Latinx parents and civil rights organizations to get more resources, fought to improve the working conditions for the teachers and campaigned for broader social concerns.

Core has organized several strikes to fight for these same issues today.

The author describes how the NY Board of Education fought against the TU and used the Red Squad and other undercover agents who worked with the board to bring down the union. 

The Teachers Union said its opposition to censorship and racism was opposed by "dangerous right-wing fanatics that wanted to take away the people's constitutionals rights."

Core is using the same playbook today denouncing right-wing Republican attacks on unions and public schools.

The strong public support for the TU v. the US government crack down (calling the TU an agency of a foreign power) revealed a power struggle between the two groups. The Soviet Union was the first government in history to declare its mission to oppose racism - a significant challenge to the US and other colonial powers who had enslaved and exploited their black and brown colonial subjects.

The communist teachers union in NY fought against racist textbooks that stressed the superiority of whites and the inferiority of blacks calling on the Board of Education to remove biased textbooks from its approved list. In 1951 the board removed eight offensive books from its curriculum thanks to the union's fight! 

The TU called out a vicious anti-labor publication called T-Model Tommy which was on the board's approved list for high schools. Tommy the hero in the book is a strike breaker portrayed in a positive light, while the strikers are depicted as "disreputable characters." The union said the book failed to discussed what caused the strike and only reinforced anti-union and anti-labor sentiment. They appealed to the parents who were workers and the labor unions, and the publisher agreed to remove the book.

They called for the ban of textbooks that contained racist, anti-Semitic and anti-immigrant passages and campaigned for the study of black history which would provide psychological protection against white racism.

This is a fight that Core continues to this day with its emphasis on Black Lives Matter.

When Mayor Rahm Emanuel was elected in 2011 he took direct aim at the CTU. He immediately rescinded the teacher's 4% raise in the last year of its contract claiming the city did not have the money. This infuriated the teachers enough to go on strike.

Emanuel called the CTU a bunch of Trotskyites. The question many could ask is did he know the difference between the different socialist groups who helped form the original Core party.

The Communist Party was split after Soviet Union party leader Joseph Stalin purged many including the Revolutionary Leader Leon Trotsky who was exiled and developed his own following.

The International Socialist Organization or ISO (today disbanded) had many followers in the CTU. They followed the Trotsky line that called for an international revolution, denouncing the Stalin led Soviet State. Other CORE founders were members of various Trotsky-aligned socialist groups such as Socialist Alternative and Solidarity and Stalinist-Maoist groups such as Freedom Road and the Progressive Labor Party. There were others who were members of smaller offshoots of the American Communist Party.

Disagreements between the groups continue to this day, including whether socialist groups should support the Democrats or work outside the political system dominated by the two ruling parties. 

Board of Education

Unfair DNH Not Addressed at Chicago Board of Education Meeting

By Jim Vail

Stacy Council is fighting her unfair DNH.

Stacy Council who we profiled as a teacher who was unfairly placed on a Do Not Hire list by a vindictive principal was not able to sign up for the monthly Chicago Board of Education in September.

"The slots filled up in 30 seconds," she wrote in an email. "I can't seem to get in. I'll be trying again next month."

The next BOE meeting is Wednesday Oct. 26.

I decided to listen to the live streamed meeting to understand why she could not sign up for the meeting. What was so important that everyone quickly filled up the slots?

The public participation at last month's board meeting focused on two big topics. 

The first hot topic was the controversial proposed new high school to be built in Chinatown in the South Loop. Most speakers were against Mayor Lori Lightfoot's proposed new high school to be built on land that is supposed to be used to build public housing. The new school would stand on the former Ickes Housing Project that was torn down.

The second hot topic centered on a handful of Charter Schools who were all pleading to renew their 5 year charter contracts with the Board of Education. That would include the Urban Prep Boys Charter High School in Englewood that has had lots of problems, Acero Charter who were involved in many corrupt deals back when they were known as UNO and are currently in a contract fight with their staff and the University of Chicago Charter School where we heard stories that teachers were eased out of their positions after 5 years so that the school could keep its salaries low. The Lawndale Charter School also made presentation to renew their charter and Andrew Broyd from the Network of Charter Schools talked about violence among the youth. It was not quite clear what his point was.

All these speakers work with professional organizations that know how to quickly line up to speak out at the Board of Education meeting.

The last speaker was a parent who lambasted the Chicago Public Schools "inflated grade policy." She said her child received A's for Reading even though he did not understand anything he was reading. She claimed she has been fighting a long time to get special education services and she is on the verge of eviction as a single mother on the South Side.

Unlike past board presidents who liked to ham it up and argue with or praise various public speakers, Chicago Board President Miguel Del Valle, who doubles as Lightfoot's trustee on the Chicago Teachers Pension Board, said little to nothing after each speaker. He did indicate that the last parent speaker should speak with one of the Board people to address her concerns.

Stacy Council hopes that the third time is the charm to register to speak at next week's Board of Education meeting and ask why they will not remove her Do Not Hire mark that involved a situation where she was trying to simply enter her classroom to retrieve her coat on a cold winter night. She is an excellent teacher who has earned high marks, a success story from growing up in the Chicago public housing projects to become a role model in the African American community and yet she was been unfairly deemed a criminal.

WBEZ meanwhile previewed a military instructor who groomed, sexually abused and threatened a CPS student that was covered up, and while his 'commanding officer' in CPS was forced out, he was not placed on a Do Not Hire list.

Pension Election

CTPF Pension Election for Teacher Trustee

By Jim Vail

The Chicago Teachers Pension Election to elect two teacher trustees is currently running from Oct. 17 - Nov. 3. Teachers can vote online.

The four trustees running are CORE incumbents President Jeffery Blackwell and Jacquelyn Price-Ward, Members First Mary Esposito-Usterbowski and independent Cathy Cunningham-Yee.

According to one pension election insider, this is the first time an active teacher is running as an independent in the pension election.

It helps to have a caucus finance a candidate because mailers can cost between $10k to $20k.

Historically the Chicago Teachers Union would endorse the pension candidates and then send out the mailers to all the teachers. Former CTU Presidents Debbie Lynch (PACT) and Marilyn Stewart (UPC) would have the Executive Board endorse candidates and then they would make speeches to the House of Delegates who would in turn vote on their endorsement.

This changed when Teacher Trustee candidate Pam Touras said the union should endorse all candidates running for the pension board.

Today a caucus will endorse its candidate or they can run independently.

Members First Mary Usterbowski ran in the last CTU President election against CORE's Stacy Davis Gates and lost. She also previously ran in a teacher pension election and lost to current teacher trustees Tina Padilla (CORE) and Phil Weiss (MF).

Like politicians who switch political hats, union office seekers are no different. Cathy Cunningham-Yee also ran and lost in the last teacher trustee pension election on the CORE ticket. However, she is now running as an independent. Tina Padilla switched parties and is now with the REAL caucus, although she is not running in this election.

President Jeffery Blackwell has battled with CORE despite his endorsement. He spoke out against former House Speaker Michael Madigan forcing the pension fund to hire one of his lobbyists. The powerful speaker who the CTU had close ties with was forced out and is currently under indictment for corruption. 

Blackwell also made a memorable speech a few years ago in which he lambasted the fund for harboring a 'cabal of evil' and accused the fund of racism. He teamed up with Members First Phil Weiss to pass a motion to censure three female minority trustees, two of whom were also endorsed by CORE, Tina Padilla and Gervaise Clay.

Price-Ward voted in favor of the censure that ultimately went nowhere and the lawyer who helped draft it is no longer working at the pension fund. 

An interesting twist in this election is the race for principal trustee. Ravenswood Elementary School Principal Nicholas Guerrero is running against incumbent Jerry Travlos, who is no longer a principal but works in a network office as an administrator.

Travlos is a network deputy chief who is a part of the old Greek contingent. He replaced a Greek principal trustee, while Guerrero is a member of the Network of Hispanic Administrators in Education and the Latino Leadership Pipeline.

Guerrero claims on his bio to be one of the youngest principals in Chicago Public School history, and was hired in 2013. That means he is a part of the Tier 2 hires after 2011 who receive a much lesser pension in which they cannot retire with full benefits from CPS until they reach age 67.

The CTU has started a Tier 2 pension committee to study the problem that would mandate changing the state law that was passed when the ruling multi-millionaire forces were demanding drastic cuts to state pensions.

CORE and MF trustees teamed up to vote against continuing a forensic audit until Second City Teachers wrote a story, CPS board member Dwayne Truss who spoke in favor of tabling the audit motion until he was ousted and CTPF Director Carlton Lenoir convened a special meeting that afterwards resulted in a unanimous vote in favor to continue a forensic audit.

CTU Mayor Endorsement

House of Delegates Endorse Brandon Johnson for Mayor

By Jim Vail

The CTU did not endorse U.S. Rep Chuy Garcia.

The Chicago Teachers Union endorsed Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson to be Mayor of Chicago.

The question on many minds was why wouldn't the CTU wait to see if beloved Congressman Chuy Garcia will enter the race for mayor. He leads the pack of opponents who has the most name recognition to defeat Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

Retiree delegate and former PACT official Lou Pyster said at the House of Delegates meeting last week that the bottom line is the the union wants to win the election. Winning has always been paramount in the CTU's strategy to back progressive politicians who will support the Teachers Union political agenda.

That winning strategy has resulted in successful legislation being passed, such as restoring collective bargaining rights, passing an elected school board bill, restoring the pension levy, and adding a schools closing and charter moratorium to save the public schools.

Chuy Garcia was once the darling of the Chicago Teachers Union. The union backed him in 2015 to run against Mayor 1% Rahm Emanuel who closed over 50 schools and went to war against the CTU. They gave at least half a million dollars to the Garcia campaign that forced Emanuel to a run-off that he eventually won.

However, what happened next is perhaps a lesson in getting schooled by corrupt politics.

The Chuy Garcia phenomenon that the CTU helped engineer eventually went haywire. Garcia moved up the ladder and won a seat as Congressman and suddenly he no longer returned the union's calls.

CTU VP Jackson Potter told the delegates that Chuy is no longer a friend of this union.

"After the first run-off in the city's history he has fallen largely silent," Jackson told the delegates.

Jackson said Garcia stayed on the sidelines during their strikes and backed Mayor Lighfoot in the last election.

This reminds me of another politician that the CTU helped catapult to national success only to be shunned once he attained higher office.

President Barack Obama was an obscure state representative 20 years ago who got an endorsement from Chicago Teachers Union President Debbie Lynch. Suddenly his name became more pronounced and his star appeal shot up with the union's backing.

But fast forward to his getting elected the Democratic President in 2008. Despite the backing of many unions, President Obama did not institute the promised union card check which would have allowed workers to simply sign a card to become a union rather than hold elections that the bosses could manipulate.

The Obama education agenda became grossly anti-public education and anti-teachers unions when he implemented the Race to the Top program to privatize the public schools and blame the unions for "failing schools."

He now had to listen to the billionaires hell bent on destroying public education because they funded his campaign.

It appears the CTU strategy is to create another political superstar that they want to keep close to their chest. Brandon Johnson doubles as a full-time union organizer and a full-time Cook County Commissioner.

There are other commissioners who double as full-time lobbyists, and having a champion for union rights in the county government is certainly a plus for union workers.

But, should Brandon's star start to shoot up to the skies like President Obama, not to mention Chuy Garcia, the union will have to brace itself for what will come next.

Higher office, means needing more money. Money billionaires and multi-millionaires have to turn the agenda from pro-worker to pro-business/anti-union.

Plus, the mayor's role in running the schools is being diminished in Chicago with the new elected school board. The first school board will be entirely elected by voters in 2027.

It appears, however, that the CTU acknowledge this red flag in its endorsement resolution in which they stated, "Whereas that we do not seek (a) savior, and that it is the work of the many, not a single candidate, to organize and win such that new horizons - free lifelong care and education, housing and healthcare as a human right, clean air and water, replacing police and prisons with life affirming systems of care and justice are made possible."

Book Review

Book Review:  The Chicago Schools by Mary Herrick

Review by Jim Vail

Mary Herrick taught high school from 1922 to 1965 and was actively involved in the Chicago Teachers Union movement. She was president of the Federation of Women High School Teachers from 1933 to 1936 and served as VP of the American Federation of Teachers. She was also the first editor of the Chicago Union Teacher newspaper and today there is a CTU Scholarship named after her. She wrote a great history of the Chicago Public Schools called The Chicago Schools published in 1971.

What makes her book a great read is her research into how the schools first began in the early 1800s during the pioneer days when Chicago was only marshland along the Great Lake. She then details the dirty politics and the Chicago machine that used the schools to enrich themselves at the expense of the children’s education which was constantly being shortchanged because the union did not play politics.

She also details some incredible school superintendent stars who helped build up the public schools despite the challenges, including William Wells for which Wells High School is named after, and Ella Flagg, who also has an elementary school named after her.

The stories are engrossing and powerful. You would never expect that the leaders of the schools would have done so much to build up these schools when today it seems they only want to tear them down. Think Arne Duncan, who called the public schools failures and implemented the Turnaround model to fire everyone inside buildings mostly in impoverished neighborhoods, followed by a string of political appointees trashing the public schools and the union: Jean-Claude Brizard (Rahm’s first choice to lead Race to the Top), Barbara Byrd-Bennett (who went to prison after she closed a record 50 schools), and Forrest Claypool (a political hack from the Park District who tried to fire activist teachers).

The history of the Chicago schools is fascinating and powerful and we should know this history.

However, where Herrick falls flat is when Mayor Richard J. Daley takes control of the Chicago Machine and his fight to keep the schools segregated and the union under heel. She writes very little critical analysis from 1950 - 1970. Perhaps being a union leader prevented her from using her research and analytical skills to paint an accurate picture of these years.

Here are some fascinating facts and information from her book which I still recommend all teachers and lovers of history and our city public schools to read:

-The first school building the city owned was at the corner of Madison and Dearborn built in 1845 with 843 students but 1,000 students were turned away.

-Chicago businessmen had no interest in the public schools in the beginning except for William Ogden (a Chicago mayor who helped build up Chicago via his speculation - has a school named after him!), John Wentworth (school named after him) and Richard Hamilton (school with his name as well).

-Chicago settlers were indifferent to education and benefited from child labor “schools always been an afterthought for most Chicagoans in money-making bustle”

-William Wells was one of the most effective administrators in the early history of the schools who had educated himself and fought to increase teachers' pay.

-In 1859 the average primary class size was 81 students, while in St. Louis it was 60 and NY 50. Some Chicago schools had 200 small children with one teacher in one room!

-First high school and first teachers training college was opened in 1859

-Superintendent Wells wanted to decrease corporal punishment and prevent military training during War. Teachers loved him!

-Mayor Wentworth in 1862 attacked the bankers who he called the robbers of school funds.

-In 1850s male high school teachers made 4x as much as female teachers

-In 1867 prisoners helped clean the schools.

-Prior to WWI German was taught in the public schools because Germans were one of the biggest immigrant groups.

-The gap between the rich and poor grew after the Chicago Fire of 1870 with ‘railroad kings and capitalist press’

-Another great Superintendent Albert Lane (Lane Tech High School) expanded vocational training, pensions for teachers after 8 years of service, and set up a teacher training college.

The Chicago Tribune was very hostile to working class public schools, arguing against ‘fads and frills, cut down on pie-making’ = to cut foreign language classes, music, art, etc. NY Times argued against teachers unions.

-1898 City mandated playgrounds for each school.

-1895 the Chicago Teachers Pension Fund set up with 1% teacher contributions

-1899 the school budget was based on property taxes. George Pullman of the Pullman Rail Car Co. paid no taxes.

-Chicago Tribune was ‘flagrant offender of school money’ was against re-evaluation of property and the Board of Ed said it lost $15 million because of the corrupt Tribune lease of property. Mayor Ed Dunne in 1905 appointed Activist Jane Addams as trustee to the Board of Education and wanted the Tribune lease deal declared illegal. Tribune engineered a lease deal until 1985 (sounds like the parking meters scam when an investment consortium bought meters at grossly undervalued price for 99 years to screw Chicago tax payers!).

-Press against Chicago Teachers Federation - first teachers union set up in 1890s - because “character and citizenship could not be taught by a teacher in a labor organization which taught hatred of other classes.” Tribune attacked CTF a lot when it urged the Board to re-evaluate its lease.

-CTF worked to elect mayors and aldermen. They supported Mayor Edward Dunne in 1905 who supported municipal ownership of utilities, stronger pensions and tenure and to re-evaluate school land leases.

-Chicago Teachers Federation felt Jane Addams sold out to businessmen. Carl Sandburg wrote book about leader Margaret Healy

-Teacher sick leave introduced in 1916.

-1925 debate between commercial training (vocational ed) v. classical training (academics) modeled on the German system.

-Corrupt Mayor Big Bill Thompson supported Loeb rule to prevent teachers from joining a union and 5,000 teachers protested at City Hall in 1915. Thompson had looted the schools from 1919-23 - non-existent companies got big contracts, principals got calls from board members to order unwanted equipment at quadrupled prices.

-In 1916 teachers got tenure after 3 years and recommended board trustees be elected to six year terms thanks to Chicago Federation of Teachers lobbying.

-In 1924 set up system of junior high schools 

-CTF Healy supported corrupt mafia mayor Thompson who ran on ending prohibition and pro-immigrant (alcohol) and anti British (teetotallers) and said schools should teach immigrant heroes like German, Irish and Polish in schools.  

Mobilization

PARTIAL MOBILIZATION:  TENSION RISES IN MOSCOW

By Stephen Wilson

 

 

Moscow was obscured by a dismal and dense gray fog. It sent such an unpleasant chill through your body you were loathe to go out. It was tempting to just retreat into your home, curl up in bed, hibernate and render yourself reclusive. 'Don't leave the room' as the poet Joseph Brodsky wrote. But we are not just in a physical but moral and mental fog. Many people in Russia are unsure what the right thing to do is. Should they stay in Russia or go abroad? This is because on the 21st September, President Putin made a speech announcing partial mobilization, the organization of a  referendum in Russian republics in Donbas allowing locals to vote to become part of Russia, as well as threatening to use nuclear weapons in the event Russian territory was threatened. He emphasized that he was not 'bluffing.' Unsurprisingly, many Russians in Moscow became very tense and some are already stressed out. Much of the stress comes from not knowing what will happen next. Women have told me how anxious they are about whether their sons, brothers or husbands will be called up to serve  at the front in Ukraine. Many Russians don't believe when politicians attempt to reassure them they won't be called up. There is a long deep distrust of officials and politicians who can bend the law. There is an air of ambiguity about an increasing volatile situation where it seems anything might happen.

 

I first heard of partial mobilization when I encountered a student who looked very down and depressed. He looked as if his parrot had died. I asked him "What is the problem?" He answered "Haven't your heard? The government has announced we are to have partial mobilization. The situation is getting worse." Alexander, a student of around 20, expressed a fear of being called up despite the fact that students are exempt from partial mobilization. Again I met a very depressed mother who expressed fear her son would sent to Ukraine because he had already been sent his call up papers. "It doesn't make any difference whether he is in bad health. He will still be sent there."

 

A more dramatic indication of how anxious some people have become is the panic to leave Russia. After hearing about this declaration some desperate Russians, on impulse, headed for Georgia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and many other countries. Katya, a Russian who works in public relations, told me, "I heard that the price of some flights from Moscow to Kazakhstan have risen to 30,000 rubles and it cost 700,000 rubles for one flight to Istanbul from Moscow. Flights to those countries are already overbooked. At the border of Georgia the line of traffic stretches 20 kilometers. Many of those people have been waiting in these queues for days and have no water or food. People came to this border using all kinds of transport - going by car, by taxi, and even by foot. Some came partly by train, then taxi, then foot again. One person walked twenty kilometers to the border."  

 

Is this fear of being called up justified? After all, many of the young people fleeing are legally exempt from partial mobilization. 'Fear has big eyes' as a Russian proverb goes.

 

It is worth seeking to clarify what constitutes 'Partial mobilization.' According to the speech by President Putin "The call to military service will rest only on those at present who have military experience and most of all those who have served in the ranks of the armed forces and have definite military posts and the corresponding experience." Students and those doing military service won't be called up. Parents of four children or more not older than 16 won't be called up and neither will highly skilled specialists which companies badly need. People in ill health will also be exempt as well as invalids in category one. The Russian state hopes to muster as many as 300,000 recruits.

 

Perhaps one problem associated with the word mobilization is that people regard it as synonymous with going to war or sending people to a war situation. However, this was not always the case throughout history. Before the First World war, mobilization could mean the threat of war or a bluff designed to provoke an opposing power into giving concessions or retreating from a position. It was largely a strong form of diplomatic pressure. Unfortunately, due to the influence of Schlieffen, the head of the German general staff from 1892 to 1906, a new doctrine arose where 'mobilization meant war.' This new notion was one of the causes of the First World war. This is one of the reasons why the word mobilization carries so many bad connotations.

 

At present, many human resource managers are seeking to draw up a list of highly skilled specialists in their company and are taking precautions to ensure no mistakes are made by recruitment officers in calling up the wrong people. Katya told me, "A highly skilled worker who works at the Russian railways was taken by the army but then sent back when they found they could not legally do this. A loop hole is the law was found to protect him."

 

Mikhail, a 45 year old businessman, told me that one of his friends, a 57 year old who was very fit, had military experience and does shooting every week as a hobby was not summoned by the military because of his age.

 

So why are so many young people who don't fall under the defined group of those who are to be called up so uptight ? Why are they taking desperate measures such as giving up their jobs and fleeing to an uncertain and ambiguous future abroad? Is this not an overreaction? Mikhail asked the parents of those children this question. They answered that they were afraid the rules would quickly change in the near future, and partial mobilization would soon become full mobilization.  

 

But no doubt another factor is that the wrong people are often called up. The recruiting process is notoriously marked by bad organization, corruption and ineptness. Many people are aware of people in bad health being called into the army and medical commissions breaking the rules. The work of recruiting officers is assessed in terms of set quotas - the more people they recruit, the better. This often leads to recruiting officers bending the rules. The same quota system operates in the police force. The result is that some miscarriages of justice occur where innocent people languish in prisons. So a kind of grotesque performance motivation system is at work. Therefore it is understandable that so many young people experience fear and flee. It is always the poorest people who end up in the army as opposed to the children of rich parents who are described as untouchable 'golden teenagers'. Such parents can afford to pay lavish bribes to avoid their children doing military service.

 

But often this fleeing abroad seems to be a spur of the moment decision done on impulse. Will those fleeing abroad have enough money to survive and attain employment?  Their credit cards are frozen  in Turkey!  There have been cases of people being forced to return to Russia from Turkey because they could not access money via credit cards or obtain work there. And obtaining work and accommodation is not always as straightforward as it appears. Not all the people in those host countries welcome the presence of Russians. In Kazakhstan there was an uprising in January where the locals were attacking Russians. Russians were forced to run away from a pogrom and one couple going to the airport which had been besieged by a mob were only saved by a kindly taxi driver who took them to his home and put them up until the unrest died down. This taxi driver saved the lives of those Russians! It is worth recalling that Georgia had a war with Russia on several occasions.

 

So what should those people do? Are there any other options than leaving Russia? They are certainly worth exploring! Mikhail thinks there are. "The first thing people should do is not sign any documents which officials from the recruiting office hand them and then of course, consult lawyers or groups such as the Committee of Mother's Soldiers and read as much information about the law as possible. Check out different sources to avoid misleading information." Even the pro-Putin 'Russia Today' have become incensed by the foolish errors being committed by the recruiting officers in calling up those who don't qualify as recruits for partial mobilization. The recruiting officers have tried to defend themselves by saying they only handed papers to residents to fill in to establish  whether the person is a reservist or has military experience.  It is interesting to note that migrant workers have been promised Russian passports if they volunteer for military service. Given the insecurity of poor conditions and their often limited  legal status many jumped at the opportunity. While some are desperate to stay in Russia, others dream of getting out. Mikhail who has foreign citizenship tells me that, "I'm tired of people constantly asking me, 'Why are you still in Russia? Well I have a family, work and home here. Why should I get out?" He also told me like so many other people, he can't wait till this conflict ends! Many people in Moscow are praying for a swift end to this futile conflict where people feel they are at a dead end. Should you stay in Russia or should you leave? If you stay in Russia, you might regret it, but if you leave Russia, you might also regret it!

 

 

Editor's note: All the names of those interviewed have been changed to ensure their privacy as well as security.

 

HOD Sept. '22

Report on the meeting of the House of Delegates held on September 28, 2022

By George Milkowski

CTU President Stacy Gates ran her first
live delegates meeting as president.

NOTE: This was the first in-person meeting held since the pandemic began. All attendees needed to be masked. Consequently, the masking sometimes muffled the voices of the delegates and made it a bit difficult to entirely catch what they were trying to say.

Also, the CTU did not make its traditional delegates’ packet available in print. The Union put it on line, which I think is foolish as I did not have time to print up copies before I had to leave for the meeting and active teacher delegates can not use CPS machines and paper to print them up. The only recourse was to look at the material on out phones which is difficult as there where more than 21 pages of materials.

The meeting began at 4:15 p.m. with the resumption of the 30 minute pre-meeting. 

Question and Answer period

-Karen Sota (Waters Elem.) asked about using sick days during the Thanksgiving week break. The CPS is closing the school the entire week but only Thursday and Friday are paid days. The Union said “no” to this.

-One delegate said that the networks are looking into classrooms every week looking for paper postings of lesson plans, daily objectives, and so on. Teachers feel intimidated. What can be done? CTU Pres. Stacy David Gates said that principals should be welcomed into the classrooms as they are supposed to be instructional leaders.

If it turns out that their visits are perceived as punitive, the contract has an article that helps protect teachers from bullying principals.

-Jim Vail (Hammond) expressed concerns over the excess hours required of teachers to take safety training on their own time. Grievance co-ordinator Deidre Foster said the CTU has an arbitration case on this issue pending.

-The delegate from Hanson Park complained of the additional paperwork that Special Ed teachers are facing with a program called Branching Minds. It requires additional date entry time. CTU is looking into that; data entry is considered “paperwork”.

-The Cameron School delegate said he has 31 new immigrant students due to Texas shifting undocumented immigrants to Chicago. A new teaching method (Skylines) implemented by the Board is “trash”, adds more paperwork, and is ineffective. He also referenced that CPS test to get into selective enrollment high schools is in English only which, he said, is immoral and probably illegal. Stacy was sympathetic and the Union has had similar concerns expressed by others.

-The delegate from Roosevelt High asked how an individual may be removed as a contributor to the CTU Pac fund. Stacy said to send a letter requesting that to Norma Alber at the CTU, but she also stressed that this would not be a wise thing to do. There are strong forces funding candidates and positions that are against the best interests of the Union. We need to be prepared to be able to counter that.

While using Zoom during the pandemic, delegates were able to send in questions during House meetings using the “chat” function. That seemed successful and the Union will continue to take questions during the meeting using delegates’ phones

I. Officers’/Committee Reports

A. Christel Williams- Hayes – Recording Secretary. Chistel urged all delegates to include PARAs in their schools’ Professional Problems Committee (PPC). PARA issues are not the same as that of teachers.

B. Linda Perales – Organizing. Linda urged delegates to reach out to her if they need help in organizing a PPC. She also said that there are 500 new immigrant students and we are expecting a total up to 8,000. To that end the CTU has developed a “Newcomer Kit” to help them out.

Additionally, the Union is following the lead of one school and is accepting donations of toiletries, clothes and so on. Delegates were asked to consider organizing a donation drive at their respective schools. Items can be dropped off at the CTU building.

CTU pressure on the CPS is getting them to move to increase training and pay for more interpreters needed for developing students’ IEPs.

The Union is conducting a delegates and school leaders training session on November 12. This would be for delegates and members of PPCs.

The CTU is holding a webinar on Public Service Loan Forgiveness. The webinar is currently full with 200 participants, but the CTU will plan on having additional webinars as needed.

C. Kathy Catalano – Financial Report. Kathy is out on a FMLA leave so Kurt Hilgendorf gave an abbreviated financial report. The CTU, due to its standard conservative budget projections and due to a large increase in new members, ended the fiscal year (June 30, 2022) with a balance of $870,581. He said that about 47% of dues are “pass throughs” to the AFT, the IFT, and so on although some of that money comes back in services provided to the Union by those organizations. He said about 2/3 of our budget is for staff.

Lastly, Kurt said that the first month of the new fiscal year, July, 2022, had an income of only $94. That means that for that month we are heavily in the red. However, that will change as the new year has begun and the Union just received the first installment of members’ dues.

D. Maria Moreno – Financial Secretary – Our membership has grown by almost 1,800 to 29,001, of which 1,690 are retirees.

E. Jennifer Conant – Charter Division – Jennifer reported that 11 charter schools are currently in contract renewal talks while two others are in their first contract negotiations. She stressed that whatever the charters contracts can get will help set precedents for our own contract when negotiations begin next year.

F. Jackson Potter - Vice President – Jackson’s remarks stressed the importance of each schools PPC being active and up and running to set a positive tone for the school year. This is where many problems can be resolved before jumping into the grievance process.

Jackson also spoke of the Union’s “We Care Coaching and Mentoring” program.

Too many newer teachers feel isolated and lost in their first two years and end up quitting in frustration. The Union’s program pairs up newer and veteran teachers to try to help the new ones navigate the trials and tribulation of teaching.

Lastly, he reminded that delegates that the CTU’s Special Ed Committee is having a training session on how to use the State’s complaint process when the CPS ignores rules and regulations required by Illinois for Special Ed students.

G. Kathy Murray – Field Representative. Kathy reported on two important wins we had over the summer. A teacher retired in June but was denied her $32,000 sick day pay out because the Board said she had to wait to retire until August. After some back and forth the CPS relented and gave the woman what she was due.

Also, a TAT transitioned to PAT status but was denied health insurance. CPS claimed the individual never turned in the proper paperwork. Kathy was able to prove the Board was wrong and the teacher‘s insurance was restored.

Kathy said that teacher ratings for the 2021-2022 school year are out and gave the deadlines for anyone who wished to appeal.

Kathy also gave kudos to Debby Pope who serves on the join CTU-CPS committee on class size. So far 74 new positions have been established and in high schools teachers who were given six classes are now going to be properly paid.

Kathy concluded her remarks by citing that COVID testing protocols are continuing and that school Safety Committees should still be active.

H. Political/Legislative Committee – Kurt Hilgendorf. Ten years ago the CTU came out with a report titled “The Schools Chicago Students Deserve”. A newer, updated version is out now. It cites some gains but also highlights things that still need to be accomplished. Go to: www.ctulocal1.org/deserve is you would like to see it.

Kurt also stressed the importance of voting because this is election season. Early voting starts in the wards on October 24. Besides voting for endorsed CTU candidates, members should vote “Yes” on the first item on the ballot, an addition to the Illinois Constitution known as the Workers’ Rights Amendment. Note: had this been in effect earlier, then the 25 years the CTU was handicapped in negotiations by the Amendatory Act probably wouldn’t have happened. I don’t think the union busting court case (Janus v. Rauner) could have been successful, either.

Kurt said that last year the CTU’s PAC spent about $500,000 and has $1,099,761 on hand now. It is projected that the PAC will need $4,000,000 for the 2023 and 2024 election cycles.

Lastly, Kurt said the annual Legislators Educators Appreciation Dinner,

(L.E.A.D.) dinner will be Friday, September 3. This is a chance to meet with various legislators and inform them one on one of the problems we face daily in the schools or as retirees. A social hour will start at 4:30 p.m. and at 5:30 the dinner will begin. Tickets are $50 per person.

II. President’s Report

Pres. Stacy Davis-Gates opened her remarks commenting that she is new to her position in running the House meeting and asked the delegates for patience if she makes an error in procedures.

Stacy announced that the street along the CTU’s north side, Carroll Avenue, will receive the honorary name of Karen Lewis Way.

Regarding the teacher evaluation program (REACH), Stacy said most principals did not follow through on proper procedures. Generally, ratings held steady but individuals who wish to challenge their rating should contact the CTU as soon as possible.

News reports have Miami-Dade as the third largest school district in the nation.

CPS has fallen to fourth place with another drop in enrollment but that means we will have to fight to maintain and increase the resources needed in the schools. She did give kudos to Superintendent Pedro Martinez. He seems assessable and willing to listen.

Stacy also said we need to celebrate the work that our members are doing, so she specifically devoted some time highlighting the work done by Delegate Moselean Parker (McKay School) and Field representative Kathy Murray.

Looking to the future, Stacy said we are currently working on the new contracts and renewed contracts for charter schools; next year we will have municipal elections; and in 2024 our contract expires plus there will be the first round of elections for a new, elected, representative school board. To that end we need to continue contributing to the CTU PAC fund.

III. Items for Action

A. Stacy asked for and received a suspension of the rules to allow three CTU members to speak. The first was Muise Bawany who is running for alderperson in the 50th Ward and the second was Lori Torres who is running for alderperson in the 36th Ward. The third member to speak was Brandon Johnson who is up for re-election to the Cook County Board and may run for mayor next year. All three gave moving speeches as to their background and why they feel the need to run for office.

B. A resolution was presented endorsing Bawany and Torres for alderpersons and also for Johnson IF he decides to run for mayor. Retiree Delegate Lou Pyster presented an amendment to defer endorsing Johnson’s possible mayoral run. Lou cited our past support of Chuy Garcia and that Garcia is considering running again. He wonders how supporting Johnson now may affect the mayoral race if Garcia ends up going into a runoff against Lightfoot. After much debate, Pyster’s proposal was defeated. I voted against his amendment. Then the original endorsement resolution passed. I voted in favor of it.

C. A resolution supporting the new immigrant families being bused to Chicago from Texas passed. I voted in favor of that, too.

D. The last item was a resolution honoring State Rep. Greg Harris who is retiring from the General assembly. He has been supportive of CTU positions in Springfield. I voted yes on this item too.

IV. New Business/Question and Answers

There was an announcement asking CTU members to support workers of Howard Brown who may be going on strike. (I think that is the name of the company. The voice was too muffled for me to be sure).

V. Question and Answers

Lou Pyster asked about the status of renaming some Chicago schools, including a proposal to name one after Karen Lewis. Stacy said the CTU will follow up on that.

A delegate asked about when we can expect to have a retiree meeting as we haven’t had one in more than a year. Stacy said the various Union committees are being organized and she expects to have one in a month.

The delegate from Bright Elementary strongly objected to Brandon Johnson’s remarks. Johnson mentioned the name of a student who was murdered just outside of Kenwood High, where Johnson’s son goes to school. The delegate said the student was in her class at Bright School and she chided Johnson for using his name “for political purposes”. (I didn’t take it that way. I felt he was just highlighting the unequal resources and situations that are faced in too many schools). She also was upset that the Union has not taken a position supporting reparations for foundational African Americans. Stacy referred her to the head of the Policy Committee on that issue.

Another delegate pointed out that there are class size limitations for K-3 and in high school, but not middle school. Stacy recognized this and said the Union will have it in mind when contract negotiations start up next year.

Jim MacIntosh (Roosevelt High) referenced class size excess in high school P.E. classes. Stacy recognized this problem, too.

Jim Vail asked about reports in some right wing news outlets that the CTU gave a $62,000 loan to Brandon Johnson. Stacy made it very clear that the Union does not give out loans; that any money given is a donation from our PAC fund.

At that point a motion to adjourn passed. It was 7:37 p.m.