The leadership of the Chicago Teachers Union that built the organization into a major political player in the city and propelled Mayor Brandon Johnson into office is expected to face a challenge in its union election this May.
The caucus headed by CTU President Stacy Davis Gates has repeatedly won reelection since 2010, pushing the CTU to broaden its focus from bread-and-butter issues such as raises and benefits to become a militant union that fights for social justice causes. It’s considered a model for teachers unions across the nation.
But Davis Gates and her group, the Caucus of Rank-and-File Educators (CORE), have been blasted by some from inside and outside the union for what critics have called a lack of transparency — and an aggressive style that, at times, made more opponents than allies.
Most recently, the CTU has faced scrutiny over its relationship with City Hall during contract negotiations. The CTU-aligned mayor’s office and the school district administration have been embroiled in conflict for the past seven months, leading to the entire Board of Education resigning this fall and their replacements firing Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez.
The announcement of an opposition slate comes as the CTU remains mired in those contentious contract talks. The union has taken legal steps to prepare for a possible strike, though it’s likely a deal will be reached before the union election in May.
The teachers looking to take over the CTU call themselves the Respect Educate Advocate Lead (REAL) caucus. Announcing their candidacies this week, the group’s leaders said they think the current leadership has become too insular and unwilling to listen to differing views. Candidates must collect petitions from 5% of the CTU’s 27,000 members, or about 1,300 signatures, by March 21.
“There’s no diverse opinion,” said Erika Meza, REAL’s candidate for CTU president. She is a computer science and bilingual teacher at Washington High School on the Southeast Side with 25 years of experience.
Alison Eichhorn, who’s running for vice president, was once a dedicated member of CORE and sat on the CTU’s executive board. But Eichhorn said she was shut out of the caucus after raising questions about the union’s spending. Eichhorn teaches law at the Little Village High School campus.
“We want to make the union a space that’s available to everyone. And the experience for a lot of members has been that if you don’t align with [CORE’s] values entirely, you’re isolated,” she said.
Eichhorn said many members prefer to debate internally, even if they don’t get their way in the end, to avoid public spats when many outsiders are already eager to pounce on the CTU.
The city’s moderate and conservative forces would likely see a Davis Gates loss as a major blow to the city’s progressive movement — and a sign that Johnson is political toast. But an election upset would not signal a drastic change in the CTU’s politics: REAL values most of the same social and educational justice causes as CORE.
A more conservative caucus, Members First, has challenged CORE in the past several elections but lost every time. Its best finish was second place in 2022, with 27% of the vote. Members First focuses on traditional union issues and has been critical of the CTU’s spending on politics and causes it considers to be outside the scope of classroom educators. After failing to gain traction in the past decade, Members First isn’t running this year, according to a post on Facebook.
REAL’s slate came in third in 2022. But in a head-to-head battle against CORE, the challengers might fare better than Members First.
Eichhorn said REAL and Members First discussed joining forces but ultimately didn’t. A teacher involved with Members First filed a lawsuit to compel CTU to produce several years of financial audits through a legal center affiliated with the Illinois Policy Institute, a conservative group that is highly critical of the CTU leadership. Eichhorn said REAL does not want to be associated with the Illinois Policy Institute or “any of those right-wing people.”
Still, Meza and Eichhorn said a lot of progressive CTU members are also disillusioned with CORE and want to see a more collaborative and transparent approach.
Davis Gates and CTU Vice President Jackson Potter, who head CORE’s reelection slate, didn’t comment.
CORE has maintained strong support over the years, winning multiple reelections since 2010. The union secured some major wins in the 2012, 2016 and 2019 contracts, including raises and a social worker and nurse in every school, after aggressive collective actions.
But vulnerabilities have started to emerge the past few years after repeated and grueling political battles. Many members were displeased by the second of two COVID-19 pandemic-era school reopening fights with former Mayor Lori Lightfoot, which didn’t yield much in the eventual agreement.
Johnson’s low approval rating as mayor has also cast a negative shadow on the CTU after the union played a major role in his surprise win. Some CTU members are still waiting to see the benefits of having a former staffer in office.
“We were promised the entire buffet when we elected our mayor, and my job has not gotten any easier,” Eichhorn said. “In fact, in the 17 years I’ve been an educator, it’s gotten harder every single year. So, I think at some point, people get frustrated with the status quo and they want to figure out how it can be better, because their job is not sustainable.”
REAL supports the union’s social justice contract demands, such as affordable housing and green schools, while Meza said it’s also important to secure cost-of-living raises and salary increases for veteran teachers. The CTU’s current leadership is close to an agreement on raises and is still pushing for increases for veteran teachers.
But the REAL candidates see a disconnect between CTU leaders and members’ work, especially with classroom experiences drastically altered after the pandemic.
Eichhorn said the union has not laid the groundwork to rally support for a possible strike. She and Meza said a walkout should not be ruled out.
“We have not executed our power in this moment,” Eichhorn said. “I don’t know if it’s because we didn’t think we’d need to execute our power because we have a friendly mayor or if it’s because we were ill-prepared. Either way, it’s not fair to membership.”
Davis Gates has admitted she expected an easier path to a deal under Johnson and says CPS CEO Martinez and his team are the roadblock.