Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey will not seek reelection after a tumultuous year navigating COVID cases and re-openings.
CHICAGO -- Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey will not run for reelection, he announced to the CTU House of Delegates Wednesday.
"It was shocking for many - our enemies, especially - to see teachers take the lead. But we knew there was power in our rank and file, and that bread and butter unionism, despite being the foundation of traditional labor, wasn't enough," Sharkey said in a statement."It wasn't enough then, and it isn't enough now as we face right-wing forces that want to break our union, ban books, end anti-racist curriculum and unmask children during a pandemic.
We were in a battle for the soul of public education, as Karen, Financial Secretary Kristine Mayle, Recording Secretary Michael Brunson and I took office at the end of Mayor Richard M. Daley's term. Ron Huberman was CPS CEO. Rahm would arrive the next year. Soon-to-be 2023 Chicago mayoral candidate Duncan was the U.S.
It wasn't enough then, and it isn't enough now as we face right-wing forces that want to break our union, ban books, end anti-racist curriculum and unmask children during a pandemic.