It was 2019 when Jesse Sharkey won reelection to lead the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU). A political activist who masquerades as a classroom educator, Sharkey overcame Members First’s slate at the close of the polls.
Sharkey’s return to lead the CTU extended the iron grip of the Caucus of Rank-and-File Educators (CORE) over the union and within months of his victory at the ballot box, the CTU went on strike. Three years later, in 2022, Sharkey decision to stand down from running for a third term ushered in rule under Stacy Davis Gates.
Unlike 2019, in which Sharkey faced only one opponent, Davis Gates’ field of challengers swelled to include a slate from the newly formed Respect-Educate-Advocate-Lead (REAL) Caucus. In the three-way race, the controversial Davis Gates emerged victorious with 56 percent of the vote.
Under Davis Gates, the CTU amplified its political activism to place CTU organizer Brandon Johnson into City Hall, and the fissures which separate and isolate the three dominant caucuses deepened and widened. A despot who is intolerant of even the slightest din of dissent, Davis Gates’ prospects for reelection rose when Members First declined to form a slate for the May 16th CTU elections.
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