This analysis looks at the Chicago Teachers’ Union and their organizing against funding allocation towards police presence in schools. The Chicago Teachers Union is seen as an example of effective social justice unionism (Weiner 2012 ). Since 2012, The Chicago Teachers Union has led the path towards union reform. Their organizing strategies have been successfully used by teachers around the country to reform their unions and win fights “both at the bargaining table and on the picket line” (Jaffe 2019). CTU has shown the risks they are willing to take for their long term goals and the transformation of public education in Chicago. CTU has become recognized as “vibrant, democratic, and militant” in its efforts to achieve its goals (Uetricht 2014). Despite its current power, the Chicago Teachers Union has not always been a leader in social justice unionism. The union has evolved over several decades towards the progressive group it is now, due largely to the dedication and leadership of organizers within the community. As written about by Michahl Uetricht in his chapter on the history of CTU, it was “the rise of a radical rank-and-file caucus — the Caucus of Rank-and-File Educators” that transformed the union into what it is today (Uetricht 2014). Jane McAlevey also notes in an article for The Nation that it was during the internal CTU 2010 election that these progressive educators took power within the union (McAlevey 2019). Due to these leadership changes, the 2019 and following 2020 protest were able to come to fruition and have the impact they did. 

CTU Links: 

Chicago Teachers Union site – https://www.ctulocal1.org 

CTU Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/ctulocal1 

CTU Twitter Account – https://twitter.com/CTULocal1 

Image: Smith, M., & Davey, M. (2019, October 31). Chicago Teachers’ Strike, Longest in Decades, Ends. The New York Times.  https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/31/us/chicago-cps-teachers-strike.html.