As Long as CTU Promotes Progressive Activism, Leadership Can (Literally) Get Away With Murder

Rank-and–file are silent about top down, undemocratic and secretive practices

By Joseph McDermott

February 16, 2023

Donald Trump once proclaimed that he could stand on New York’s Fifth Avenue, “shoot somebody” and still not lose voters. Many traditional Republicans despised Trump, but supported him because he appointed Supreme Court Justices preferred by the Heritage Foundation. Trump’s message to those Republicans was, “you have to vote for me anyway. You know why? Supreme Court judges, Supreme Court judges.”

The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) - Caucus of Rank and File Educators (CORE) leadership has a devout and forgiving following, similar to Trump’s supporters. As long as CTU speaks in favor of defunding the police, taxing the rich and racial justice - its supporters cheer loudly. CTU’s secretive practices and disregard for member engagement rarely solicits any response from their base. As one of my CORE friends explained to me, “Sometimes the revolution is messy.”

CTU President Stacy Davis Gates had an interesting line during the 2022 CTU officer campaign. Some believed the union hadn’t sufficiently addressed members' bread and butter issues, but instead focused on society’s larger social issues. Stacy responded to them, “Why settle for bread and butter, when you can have the entire buffet?” To that I respond, why can’t we respect the values of member voice, transparency, and democracy, and still be a political powerhouse? Why settle for political clout, when you can have a well balanced meal of unity, engagement and member power?

To be fair, CTU-CORE’s approach is (at times) consistent with its professed belief in member driven unionism. Vice President Jackson Potter left his chief of staff position to work as a rank and file teacher for four years. Jackson’s action demonstrates this belief. It allowed him to maintain a connection to the classroom and the daily work our members perform. Jackson’s action is but one example, among many, that can promote a more member driven union.

CTU’s mayoral endorsement process exemplifies CTU leadership’s abandonment of its core beliefs. CTU leadership chose to endorse Brandon Johnson, without any vetting process by our members. There was no candidates forum, as CTU did in 2011. There was no polling of the membership. There were no candidate interviews or questionnaires analyzed and discussed by our member Political Action Committee (PAC). The decision to endorse was an example of top down unionism, without engaging our rank and file membership.

The CTU endorsement process is dominated by United Working Families (UWF), an umbrella organization of community and labor groups. The UWF’s executive committee decides candidate endorsements, and then the CTU PAC confirms that endorsement. Twelve of the fifteen CTU endorsed candidates were UWF endorsed. The UWF executive committee, chaired by Stacy Davis Gates, is dominated by professional political strategists and organizers. The committee members are far removed from the work experience of CTU rank and file members. In reality, CTU’s endorsements are dictated by UWF.

As the former CTU municipal political coordinator, I created and drove CTU’s past endorsement practices. In past years, CTU invited all candidates to seek an endorsement. CTU sent a questionnaire to all candidates, or the (rank and file member) Political Action Committee interviewed them. In 2011, I witnessed President Stacy Davis Gates (then a rank and file member) interview candidate Rahm Emmanuel as part of our mayoral endorsement process. Imagine that! A rank and file member interviewed a candidate we wouldn’t likely endorse, because we had a thorough member-driven process.

This year, UWF endorsed William Hall for 6th ward Alderman. CTU brought this to its House of Delegates for approval and questions were asked. Veteran southside delegates were well acquainted with another candidate, Sharon Pincham. Ms. Pincham was a visible presence in the ward’s schools as an LSC member, alumni association leader, and wife of a Harlan High School teacher. Sharon and Bob Pincham, attended many CTU events, protests, and conventions. She was a well-known activist, a friend we trusted.

The veteran delegates asked leadership, why wasn’t Sharon considered for the endorsement? “Not considered” meant CTU never sent a questionnaire to Sharon nor interviewed her. There was never any indication of a transparent process for candidate consideration. Nothing on the CTU website said, “Any candidate who wishes to get our endorsement should contact….” CTU leadership responded by saying, “Sharon never called us to request the endorsement.” This is disingenuous. The endorsement process was closed and secretive, the applicants never knew they could apply. CTU's attitude was, if you’re a serious candidate, you should know to call the political director.

CTU’s REAL caucus responded to this issue. REAL made the difficult choice to go against the CTU candidate and endorsed Sharon in the 6th ward. As members of REAL, we knew the significance of our action. With a heavy heart, we contradicted our union’s decision, and supported our sister Sharon. REAL members, along with veteran CTU members from the 6th ward, believe Sharon is the best candidate and found the CTU’s practices deeply flawed.

The endorsement process is not the only practice that betrays our values of unionism. CTU leadership mortgaged the house and engaged in precarious accounting practices in order to fully fund its political operations. With the PAC fund running dry, CTU recently used members’ dues money on several loans to its PAC fund, including one for $275,000 and another six figure loan. This was done prior to any approval from the union’s Trustees, Executive Committee or Executive Board, as is required by the CTU constitution (pg 23-24, sec 2a and 2d).

UWF’s professional political strategists have a secretive process, closed to member input. The process does not empower member voices, nor promote rank and file leadership. We divert money from member services through loans that are difficult to track and determine whether they are ever paid back. Transparency, democracy, and member voice were at the root of the original CORE values on unionism, and today they are but a fleeting memory for most.

There are deeper consequences to UWF’s top-down decision-making and influence on CTU’s process. This approach does not promote member mobilization and activation. Members will not volunteer to canvas when they are not engaged in the endorsement selection process. Members will not support CTU endorsements when secretive loans are not disclosed to the House of Delegates. The CTU’s endorsement does not mean people power, rather it only means financial donations - and lots of it.

The reliance on financial contributions goes against the original CORE’s unionist ideology. The original CORE’s unionism professed that “we have the people and they have the money.” True member driven unionism promotes political strategies that utilize our greatest strength, our people. When our people are activated and engaged, we are at our strongest.

As a classroom teacher I am rather disengaged to the daily activity of our union. Despite that, I still recognize the betrayals of our beliefs and values. If I can see it, why can’t the CORE supporters see it? Why can’t these champions of justice, these outspoken advocates, these freedom fighters see what’s happening? Their silence is a deafening enablement of ongoing behavior that betrays our beliefs.

In the end, I’m left to wonder. If CTU leadership stood on Michigan Avenue and killed someone, would their followers still support them? Can CTU continuously rule secretively and through top down leadership - without their ranks speaking up? Do some believe, so long as CTU promotes progressive causes, it doesn't matter how they govern our union? Perhaps it’s the same as Republicans who hated Trump, but supported him as long as he appointed conservative justices. It’s time our members stood up for more than the entire buffet and demanded a well balanced meal.

Joseph McDermott is a 25 year veteran Chicago Public Schools union activist and educator. He was a founding member of CORE and worked as a CTU field rep for 9 years. He is a graduate of Chicago Public Schools, a parent of 3 CPS students and son of a union organizer.