Reform caucus in teachers union run-off

Scan page 10

CHICAGO—The Caucus of Rank and File Educators (CORE) slate in the Chicago Teachers Union has forced the incumbent United Progressive Caucus (UPC) into a runoff election for leadership of one of the largest teacher union locals in the country.

CORE was formed two years ago to fight back against the closing of neighborhood schools and the expansion of charter school that are the cornerstones of Mayor Daley’s school transformation plan.

CORE came in a close second place in the first round of voting, getting 30% to the UPC’s 31.9%, a difference of 500 votes out of over 19,000 cast. CORE has blasted the incumbent leadership for not taking a stand against the union-busting efforts of Mayor Daley and his lackey Chicago Public School CEO Ron Huberman.

Huberman replaced current U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan who has adopted the Chicago model as national education policy.

Over the six-year term of UPC, 70 neighborhood schools have closed while 70 charter schools were opened, resulting in a 6000-membership loss for the CTU. Teachers in closed schools are being fired with no due process and no response from their leadership.

As a rank-and-file caucus over the past two years, CORE has managed to stop the closings of 12 schools through the creation of the Grassroots Education Movement, a coalition of 14 community organizations and CORE. CORE and GEM have challenged every school closing by mobilizing for rallies and school board hearings.

CORE has also promised to not reopen the CTU contract, as demanded by Huberman. He had called for Chicago Teachers to give up a 4% wage increase in order 10 Socialist Action june 2010 to plug a supposed $600 million budget deficit—or else face massive layoffs and larger class sizes. CORE has noted that over $250 million of property taxes are diverted from schools to Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts created by Mayor Daley, and over $300 million per year is being diverted into charter schools.

CORE has filed a lawsuit demanding that the Board of Education open their books so teachers and community members can see the truth of the district’s finances. On May 25, 5000 people marched against school budget cuts at a CORE-initiated rally.

Chicago teachers will vote on June 11 to decide the fate of the 30,000-member local for the next six years.

A victory for CORE would transform the battlefield for teachers, parents, and students as they struggle against the attacks on their schools and union. n ABF Teamsters Reject Give Backs CHICAGO—Teamster members at ABF have voted down proposed concessions negotiated by the International leadership. The freight trucking company asked the Teamster leaders for concessions after competitor YRC successfully negotiated a combined 15% wage cut and 18-month freeze in pension contributions after threatening that the company would file for bankruptcy.

ABF asked for a 15% wage cut, which the company’s 7000 Teamsters rejected by a vote of 56%-44% despite a “vote yes” campaign from the International. International VP and freight director Tyson Johnson’s own home local, Local 745 in Dallas, rejected the deal.

Chicago-area Local 710 member told tdu.org, “Members didn’t buy the warnings put out by management and people like Hoffa and Keegel. We know times are tough but it looks like the economy is turning around. Why give the company 15 percent of our hard-earned paycheck when they wouldn’t even consider five percent raises in good times.

“Fair is fair and we’re just tired of always being on the short end of the stick. Let them figure out a better way of shoring up the bottom line. Come back to us with a real plan.”

— DAVE BERNT