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!!