“I was a dues-paying member of the Chicago Teachers Union for over 10 years, but I saw a lot of bad practices continued by union officials, which made me unhappy to be in the union.”

“When I filed grievances against my principal, there were instances where the union didn’t stand up for me because of politics.”

“I also realized that the union has mandates that only harm students. And that just doesn’t make sense because the union is supposed to help teachers who help students, but instead they argue the opposite.

“The union has done too much politics that students and parents have to put up with because of these political games. I believe that the unbridled use of its power by the union must be checked. This is one of the reasons I joined the lawsuit against Amendment 1.”

“I had a sad experience in the past when I needed help from the union and I was not helped, even though I was a dues-paying member of the union. This experience made me realize that to be part of a union is to play politics. There is a political game in the way the union does things. When the union pushes teachers to strike, it’s not fair to students and parents.

“Although it is good to get pay raises or extra benefits, why did they have to make the children suffer for this? Why leave the classroom, go to the picket line and neglect students without a teacher? There’s no point being a teacher if there are no students, and if you’re not teaching, why be with the union?

“There are other ways to negotiate, you don’t dangle the fate of children in a fight where children and parents have to suffer.”

“In my opinion, the Chicago’s Teachers Union has become too powerful and it is getting even more powerful. I fear that if Amendment 1 passes, the union will have unlimited power. There must be checks and balances. »

“The union may be good and may have good intentions, but the people who use it – for their own political gain – are the problem. We need to have checks and balances on their power. You see, when money and power are involved, politics becomes exponentially more powerful.

“Of course, politicians use money and power to get union approval. If some union members do not trust the union-backed politician, their union dues are doomed. It’s wrong. Where is the freedom of choice in the union?

“I don’t think we should allow an organization to be so powerful that its leaders brazenly abuse their power. There must be checks and balances. I think there should even be a control of the lifestyle of all senior union officials. Is it true that one can become rich by being a trade unionist? Is that what it’s all about, that there’s money in being a union official? If so, there should be a lifestyle check or audit of these officials. And it was time. »

Joe Ocol
Teacher
Chicago, Ill.