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 At least 300 employees of Chicago Public Schools have stopped
paying dues to the Chicago Teachers Union, according to WBEZ.
This exodus from CTU follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2018 Janus v. AFSCME
decision, which held that public employees have a right to refuse to pay fees to
a union.
It’s little wonder hundreds of CPS teachers and staff are leaving CTU. The
actions of union leadership have been detrimental to students, parents and
teachers.
WBEZ notes financial mismanagement of the union has led to criticism of its
leadership among rank-and-file members. One particularly concerning expense
funded by member dues is rent on empty office space in the Loop after the union
moved to a new headquarters on the city’s Near West Side.
 Beyond the union’s wasteful spending, CTU orchestrated two of the nation’s
biggest public employee strikes in the last decade, walking off the job and
leaving students and parents in a lurch.
In 2012, CTU went on strike, causing students to miss instruction time and
students’ families to scramble to make alternate arrangements during the strike,
which lasted seven school days. Thousands of students had no place to go during
the day.
The 2012 strike also had longer-term effects. In the months after the strike,
CPS had to close 50 schools and lay off thousands of employees.
Then on April 1, 2016, CTU once again turned its back on students and parents by
calling a one-day strike.
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What’s more, the union even punished teachers who
chose to support their students that day. Joe Ocol, a teacher and
chess coach in Englewood, one of Chicago’s most economically
disadvantaged neighborhoods, went to school April 1 to coach his
chess team – and his team subsequently took home a national
championship. But CTU did not look favorably on Ocol’s decision to
prioritize his students over the union’s agenda, and it expelled him
from the union.
The Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board
subsequently found the April 2016 strike was likely illegal. But the
damage had already been done.
CTU almost walked out again in September 2016. The union obtained
the member vote authorization to go on strike, but a contract with
CPS was negotiated at the last minute. CTU also considered walking
out once again May 1, 2017, but that strike was tabled.
Many CPS employees have had enough of CTU’s militant tactics.
But thanks to the Supreme Court’s decision in Janus, educators and
staff represented by CTU can now leave the union for any reason,
including the following:
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The union spends too much on political causes
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The union isn’t representing members well
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Employees would like the freedom to make
choices that benefit them and their families – such as going to
work during CTU strikes – without the threat of union
repercussions
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It would help employees’ family budgets if the
union wasn’t taking dues money out of every paycheck.
If you are a CPS employee and would like to learn
more about how you can stop sending a part of every paycheck to CTU,
visit leavectu.com.
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