United Working Families Statement on the Racist "Snap Curfew" Ordinance

United Working Families stands firmly against all attempts to criminalize Chicago’s Black and Brown youth and their communities–those who bear the brunt of generational disinvestment and the often violent policing that accompanies it. Our youth deserve safe, accessible spaces and investment in community-based programming–not criminalization. This reactionary ordinance hands even more unchecked power to the police, and is a license to increase the racially-motivated surveillance that puts the lives of Black and Brown youth at risk. We know that what makes our communities safer is investing in them through holistic approaches to public health and safety: publicly funded mental health centers, secure housing, youth summer jobs and programming, fully funded schools, and trauma-informed violence prevention.

Passage of the Peace Book Ordinance and GoodKids MadCity’s Peacekeeping program will make Chicago safer. Erasing the gang database that permanently labels youth as “gang members” without evidence or notification, trapping them in cycles of surveillance, will make Chicago safer. Vacating wrongful convictions obtained through torture by former Chicago Police Commander John Burge and his disciples, as well as educating our young people about the violent legacy of that torture, will make Chicago safer. Alders who back the snap curfew aim to increase CPD’s power and decrease oversight, and are not concerned with true safety. Instead they choose to create a facade of safety in the downtown area by curbing the freedom of and criminalizing youth of color. 

We must create a city and state where all our young people are cared for, empowered, and given the tools they need to thrive.

United Working Families Statement on Recent ICE Detentions in Chicago

Last week ten Chicagoans, including mothers who were taken from their families, were lured and unjustly detained by ICE at a routine immigration check-in. As Trump and Kristi Noem’s fascist attacks on immigrants escalate daily, Chicago communities and progressive elected officials work around the clock to defend our neighbors. The fight for immigrant justice calls for ending deportations, and ending the racist and xenophobic systems of cruelty that are intended to spread fear and isolation across our communities while inciting violence from anti-immigrant racists. We condemn this vile escalation nationwide, including the targeting of garment workers in LA as well as the arrest of SEIU leader David Huerta.

History tells us that the process of dehumanizing and targeting our most vulnerable communities is designed to numb those who are less vulnerable to ever-increasing human rights violations. Make no mistake: if they are coming for one of us, they are coming for all of us. White supremacist “border czar” Tom Homan targets Chicago specifically because of the collective power, knowledge, and municipal protections we have built as a Welcoming City that embraces our immigrant neighbors. Meanwhile, the for-profit prison company GEO Group, owner of BI Incorporated where these detentions took place, makes billions off the persecution of our community members. ICE’s despicable actions this past week cannot be allowed to happen again.

Sanctuary means sanctuary. No more deportations. No more family separations. Free Gladis. Free them all.

Meet Alex!

We are thrilled to announce that Alex Goldenberg (he/him) has joined the UWF staff as our Senior Organizer. Prior to joining the UWF staff, Alex was the Executive Director of Southside Together Organizing for Power (STOP) for 14 years. As Senior Organizer, Alex will continue to grow working-class power as we fight for a government that prioritizes the many—not the wealthy few.

Read about Alex in his own words:

I come out of 20 years of community organizing in Woodlawn and surrounding neighborhoods with Southside Together Organizing for Power. I was a co-founder and served as the Executive Director for 14 years. From the Trauma Center Campaign to the Obama Community Benefits Agreement Campaign, I have helped organize big fights that win. I am fighting for a world where people's dignity is respected, needs are met, and everyone's full development is invested in. I'm originally from Miami, my parents are from Cuba and Argentina. I live in Little Village with my wife and son. When not at a meeting or a protest, you can catch me barbequing, hiking a trail, or biking on the lake with my family.

2024 General Election Response

In the wake of Tuesday’s national election results, we extend deep love and unwavering solidarity to communities across the city, state, country, and globe that face renewed threats to their own lives and the lives of their loved ones. 

The “vision” of right-wing authoritarians is no vision at all—it is old structures, old hatreds with fresher faces. We know that the only way to win our vision of a world for the many, not the few is by building collective power. We will, and must, build that future.

It’s going to take all of us to build a multi-racial, working-class movement that will not only weather this storm, but which reimagines and restructures our world into one rooted in justice, equity, liberation, and abundance. We hold tight to this vision and to each other and rededicate ourselves to making it a reality.

Locally, our movement took steps toward a more just future, with our endorsed federal and state level candidates winning across the board. We celebrate US Rep. Delia Ramirez, State Senator Robert Peters, State Senator-elect Graciela Guzman, Rep. Lilian Jiménez, Rep. Yolonda Morris, Rep. Theresa Mah, Rep. Will Guzzardi, Rep. Norma Hernandez, and Cook County Commissioner Tara Stamps. We look forward to partnering with these leaders as we work together for racial and economic justice in their districts, and to fight Project 2025 and Trumpism at every turn.

These victories demonstrate Chicagoland voters’ clear demands for transformative investment in Black, brown and working class communities, inclusive policies that build up and don’t punish, and a world for the many, not the wealthy few. 

Finally, on Tuesday generations of dedicated organizing brought us Chicago’s first-ever school board election—a democratic process long denied to Chicagoans.  Our movement achieved a real feat: we expanded democracy during a time of impending fascism.  This was the result of a coalition of parents, students and educators believing they had the right to elect their school board members, just as every other city in Illinois. We celebrate the election of UWF-endorsed candidates Ebony DeBerry, Aaron “Jitu Brown”, and Yesenia Lopez—public education champions who will fight for equity and investment for every student in CPS, no matter their zip code. 

Locally, an alliance of out-of-town billionaires, right-wing PACS, and privatizers like the Illinois Network for Charter Schools, Paul Vallas, and fraudster Juan Rangel dumped millions into our school board election to grab seats from parents, community organizers and educators who are experts in what our neighborhoods need.  INCS, Vallas, Rangel and friends spent a lot of money to win only 3 seats.  We will continue battling these forces that threaten equity and our fight for the common good—across our city, state and nation.

Together we are strong, and we are ready.  We stand steadfast in our commitment to organizing for a world for the many, not the few.

Info & Materials for November 2nd General Membership Meeting

We look forward to seeing you for our General Member Meeting on November 2nd. We are including a rundown of everything you need to be ready for the event. You will find a few helpful resources here:

  • Directions for in-person attendees

  • Directions for virtual attendees

  • Links to materials

  • COVID precautions and accommodations 

Directions for in-person attendees

The General Member Meeting will be held in person at the Chicago Teachers Union building (1901 W Carroll Ave, Chicago, IL 60612). We plan to open doors at 5 pm for registration. Dinner will be served at 5:30pm, and our program will start at 6pm. Parking is available on the street and parking lot. The event is for individual and affiliate members. Please reach out if you are unsure whether you are a member.

Directions for virtual attendees

If you plan to attend virtually, there are a few things to know. We plan to begin admitting people who are members into the zoom call at 5:30pm. The link to the zoom is located here. If we are unable to find member information for people on the call, we will keep them in the waiting room and ask that they register as a dues paying member using this link to join our member meeting. 

Useful Links

Please refer to the following links for more information to help you prepare for our meeting:

COVID Precautions + Accommodations for All

We encourage in-person attendees to test beforehand and wear masks to protect our community. We will have boxes on-hand if you are unable to bring your own. We also plan to have child care available, simultaneous translation for the event, and a quiet space where the General Member Meeting will be broadcast. Please let the registration team know if you would like any of these accommodations.  

Materials for May 22nd General Membership Meeting

Please join us at our General Membership Meeting coming up on Saturday, May 22nd.

We will review the Joint Committee report on accountability and co-governance, hear updates on political and issue campaigns, and discuss our upcoming work (register here to receive your Zoom link). All members in good standing are eligible to vote. If you have questions about the status of your membership, please email willa@unitedworkingfamilies.org.

UWF General Membership Meeting (VIRTUAL)
Saturday, May 22, 10 am-12 pm
✅ Register here

Acompáñenos en la próxima Reunión General el sábado 22 de mayo para nuestra reunión de Membresía.

Los miembrxs revisarán el informe del Comité Conjunto sobre responsabilidad y cogobernanza, participarán en las actualizaciones de nuestras campañas políticas y temáticas, y hablaremos del trabajo que viene (regístrese aquí para recibir su enlace de Zoom). Todxs lxs miembrxs al corriente con su membresía son elegibles para votar. Si tiene preguntas sobre el estado de su membresía, favor de enviar un correo electrónico a willa@unitedworkingfamilies.org.

Reunión general de la membresía de UWF (VIRTUAL)
Sábado 22 de mayo, de 10am a 12pm
✅ Regístrese aquí

Meeting Materials / Materiales para la Reunión:

Agenda / Agenda

Meeting Rules / Reglas de la Reunión

Joint Committee on Accountable Co-Governance Report / Informe del Comité Conjunto sobre Gobernanza Responsable

UWF Resolution Commissioning Joint Committee on Accountable Co-Governance / Resolución de la UWF que encarga al Comité Conjunto el Cogobierno Responsable

Materials for December 19 General Membership Meeting

Please join us at our General Membership Meeting coming up on Saturday, December 19.

We will discuss updates from member committees, debrief our fights from the year, celebrate our wins, and prepare for 2021 (register here to receive your Zoom link). All members in good standing are eligible to vote. If you have questions about the status of your membership, please email rocio@unitedworkingfamilies.org.

UWF General Membership Meeting (VIRTUAL)
Saturday, December 19, 10 am-12 pm
✅ Register here

Acompáñenos en la próxima Reunión General el sábado 19 de diciembre para nuestra reunión de Membresía.

Los miembros participarán en las actualizaciones de cada comité, el resumen de las luchas del último año, la celebración de los triunfos, y preparar para el 2021 (regístrese aquí para recibir su enlace de Zoom). Todos los miembros al día con su membresía son elegibles para votar. Si tiene preguntas sobre el estado de su membresía, favor de enviar un correo electrónico a rocio@unitedworkingfamilies.org.

Reunión general de la membresía de UWF (VIRTUAL)
Sábado 19 de diciembre, de 10am a 12pm
✅ Regístrese aquí

Meeting Materials / Materiales para la Reunión:

Agenda / Agenda

Rules / Reglas

Resolution Commissioning Joint Committee on Accountable Co-Governance / Resolución de UWF para comisionar el Comité Conjunto sobre Gobernanza Responsable

8 Aldermen Call for City Council Hearings on Cover-Up of Wrongful Police Raid

CHICAGO - Alderpeople Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez, Andre Vasquez, Byron Sigcho-Lopez, Maria Hadden, Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, Jeanette Taylor, Matt Martin, and Mike Rodriguez released the following statement calling for a City Council Hearing into Monday’s bombshell reveal that the Lightfoot administration attempted to cover up a video of Chicago police officers wrongfully raiding the home of social worker Anjanette Young:

“The body camera footage of the Chicago Police Department raid on the home of Ms. Anjanette Young is deeply painful to watch. Ms. Young is unclothed, handcuffed, and crying as police officers ransack her apartment with their guns raised. Her life was in danger.

“This footage sheds light on troubling police misconduct, from their failure to perform due diligence on the address for the warrant to the lack of basic dignity afforded to Ms. Young. So why was it kept under wraps for so long?

“Yesterday, we learned why: Mayor Lightfoot’s administration has been attempting to cover it up. Not only did the Lightfoot administration seek a court order to prevent WBBM-CBS Channel 2 from airing the video, but they have now pursued sanctions against Ms. Young for releasing the video to the public. 

“As members of City Council, we must once again hold the Chicago Police Department and City Hall to account not just for police violence, but for the politically-motivated cover-ups and retaliatory intimidation that allow this abuse to go unchecked. We call immediately for a Joint Meeting of the Public Safety Committee and Health and Human Services Committee in order to convene public hearings on both the wrongful raid and the cover-up that ensued. Mayor Lightfoot, her police commanders, and her legal team must answer for the horrifying treatment of Ms. Young.

“We must follow the lead of Ms. Young, who was relentless in her courage to make sure this injustice was brought to light, despite personal trauma and legal threats from the Mayor and her team.

“We will not let Ms. Young stand alone without answers, empathy, and an apology from the Mayor and the City.”

###


Open Letter to Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart on Federal Deployment

July 25, 2020

Dear Mayor Lightfoot and Sheriff Dart,

We are writing to you to ask that the City of Chicago and the Cook County Sheriff’s Office cease cooperation with the federal agents being deployed by the Trump administration. Donald Trump has repeatedly demonstrated both his callous disregard for Black, indigenous, and immigrant lives, and his increasing inclination towards fascism and authoritarianism.

We grieve deeply the lives lost to gun violence in Chicago, including the terrible mass shooting on Monday night, the young children killed this summer, and the lives lost every day this year to less fanfare but no less tragedy--429 homicides total at the time of writing. 

At the same time, we are clear that we cannot police ourselves out of this terrible situation. Chicago has more police officers per capita than any other major city in the US, but it has not made us the safest city in the US by any measure. Breaking the cycle of violence means that the city must invest in jobs, housing, schools, and healing, not prisons and police--and definitely not cooperation with a dangerous, racist, and repressive Presidential administration.

The ethnonationalist and fascist tendencies of the Trump administration have been well-documented, from his suggestion on Monday that he will not concede the election to encouraging violence against his political opponents, peddling conspiracy theories that fuel white nationalist terrorism, and cracking down on the freedom of the press. We DO NOT trust any promises that President Trump has made or will make about their deployment.

We ask that you immediately cease any existing or planned city police and county sheriff cooperation with the federal agents that President Trump has pledged to send to Chicago. This means:

  1. Do not allow these federal agents (including DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, Department of Homeland Security, and FBI) to use city police or county sheriff property, staff, or other resources, including offices, parking lots, police stations, or the Cook County Jail.

  2. Cease all information- and database-sharing with federal law enforcement agencies including DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, Department of Homeland Security, and FBI.

  3. Do not allow federal agents to assume custody of anyone who is being held in custody of the Chicago Police Department or the Cook County Sheriff, including at Cook County Jail.

  4. Expand existing sanctuary zones (schools, hospitals, places of worship) to include other city properties, including library and park buildings, where federal agents are not permitted to enter, detain, or interrogate civilians.

Signed,

Illinois Senate Majority Leader Senator Kim Lightford, Chair of the Joint Black Caucus

Illinois House Majority Leader Representative Greg Harris*

Illinois Senate Majority Caucus Chair Senator Mattie Hunter

Illinois Senate Deputy Majority Caucus Chair Senator Jacqueline Collins

Illinois Senate Majority Caucus Whip Senator Omar Aquino, Co-Chair of the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus

Illinois Senator Ram Villivalam, Co-Chair of the Asian-American Caucus

Illinois Senator Emil Jones*

Illinois Senator Robert Peters

Illinois Senator Heather Steans

Illinois Senator Patricia Van Pelt

Illinois Senator Celina Villanueva

Illinois Representative Will Guzzardi, Co-Chair of the Progressive Caucus

Illinois Representative Theresa Mah, Co-Chair of the Progressive Caucus

Illinois Representative Kam Buckner

Illinois Representative Kelly Cassidy

Illinois Representative Lakesia Collins

Illinois Representative Sonya Harper

Illinois Representative Delia Ramirez

Illinois Representative Lamont Robinson

Illinois Representative Nick Smith

Illinois Representative Curtis Tarver 

Illinois Representative Emanuel “Chris” Welch*

Cook County Commissioner Alma Anaya

Cook County Commissioner Dennis Deer

Cook County Commissioner Bridget Degnen*

Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson

Ald. Maria Hadden

Ald. Daniel La Spata

Ald. Roberto Maldonado*

Ald. Matt Martin

Ald. Carlos Ramirez Rosa

Ald. Michael Rodriguez

Ald. Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez

Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez

Ald. Jeanette Taylor

Ald. Andre Vasquez

Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender*

33rd Ward Working Families

40th United Independent Political Organization*

Action Center on Race and the Economy

Black Lives Matter Chicago

Black Roots Alliance

Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression

Chicago Community Bond Fund

Chicago Teachers Union

Cook County College Teachers Union, Local 1600

El Foro Del Pueblo 

Equity and Transformation (EAT)

Grassroots Collaborative

Healthy Illinois

Jane Addams Senior Caucus

Lift the Ban

National Lawyers Guild Chicago

Northside Action for Justice

Organized Communities Against Deportations

The People’s Lobby

Resist. Reimagine. Rebuild. Chicago Coalition

Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation

Trinity United Church of Christ

UE Western Region

United Working Families

United Nations Association of Chicago


*indicates name added after initial release of the letter on July 25, 2020

Meet Rocío!

We are thrilled to announce that Rocío García has joined the UWF staff as our Membership Director. Prior to joining the UWF staff, Rocío was a dues-paying individual member who helped organize member canvasses and orientations. As Membership Director, Rocío will continue to grow and build our base of working-class people who are ready for a political party for the many—not the few.

Read her story in her own words below:

Born and raised in the southwest side of Chicago in La Villita, I am a proud daughter and granddaughter of Mexican immigrants. Both of my grandfathers were recruits of the Bracero Program which brought them and their families to Chicago in the 60s and 70s. My earliest memory is my father taking me to a protest. I grew up watching Pedro Infante’s “Ustedes los ricos” (You, the rich ones), a golden age Mexican cinema film where I quickly learned about the attack on the working poor and later connected it to how it played out in my own upbringing. As a kid I never asked for a new backpack or new shoes before the start of the school year because I knew that my family could not afford it. My mother taught me about resilience when she was forced to feed my two siblings and I with a baggie of fideo and a single tomato. She maneuvered in her ESL English through a system that was not made for her and challenged her sense of belonging every single day. My father would leave jobs or would get fired because he would stand up for himself and other workers when the boss would steal their wages, mistreat and overwork them.

Through my work, I honor my family and my ancestors.

As a woman of color who comes from a working poor community, an immigrant family and a first-generation college student, it is important to me to help make others feel seen and heard; to build horizontal power together; to be inclusive of the most marginalized as we strengthen our movement. Grounded in community organizing, I have learned about building people power via organizing with immigrant moms and young people. Alongside madres líderes, we co-developed popular education on sanctuary schools using anecdotes from real-life experience as our teaching tools. We organized around the elimination of discriminatory federal background checks that challenge a sense of belonging for Local School Council members and school volunteers. I felt it was crucial to make available spaces where young people could grow as organizers thus, co-designed and co-facilitated an organizing training for youth to learn about power and privilege, systems of oppression, gentrification, racism and other “isms” that impact their lives. I was trained as an interdisciplinary thinker at DePaul University, City Colleges of Chicago and Northeastern Illinois University where I received a BA in Latino and Latin American Studies and Political Science. Through McNair Scholars, I conducted research on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and access for undocumented youth.

Before joining the staff at United Working Families, I was a dues-paying member, collaborated on the membership orientation, organized a joint canvass for endorsed candidates, was nominated for delegate-at-large, and was elected as co-chair of the organizing committee. My work builds people power. I find it my duty to ensure a sense of belonging for other folks like myself to build power together, strengthen our movement and grow our political home. We cannot and should not make decisions or policy recommendations without the people who are the most impacted at the center of the conversations. I am committed to building our movement in the south and west sides of Chicago, centering people of color, women, undocumented immigrants, and LGBTQ people, creating language accessible spaces, and unapologetically organizing to win for the many and not the wealthy few.

UWF Statement on 2020 Chicago Budget

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 26, 2019

United Working Families Statement on 2020 Budget

2020 Budget Fails to Deliver the Change Chicagoans Voted For

CHICAGO- Following is the statement of Emma Tai, Executive Director of United Working Families (UWF), on today's budget vote:

“Chicagoans voted for a Mayor who promised to re-open the mental health clinics, fund affordable housing, and finally make the rich pay their fair share.

“Tragically, the 2020 budget does not deliver on those promises. Concrete proposals for progressive revenue--including a real estate transfer tax, a tax on corporations, and an automatic TIF surplus--have been left on the table. No resources were put towards re-opening the city clinics. And the mayor put just $5 million towards alleviating homelessness, instead of the $100 million she pledged on the campaign trail.

“We salute the alderpeople who fought throughout this process for a more just result, up to and including voting ‘no’ today. Elected by working-class movements, they made the brave decision today to govern by the same values on which they ran, instead of abandoning their campaign pledges when it became convenient to do so.

"We thank them for their courage and vision, and we are committed to working with them--and with all people--who will continue to fight for the city we deserve.”

###

RELEASE: UWF Aldermen Announce Series of Budget Town Halls on Revenue, Spending Proposals

For Immediate Release

November 6, 2019 

RELEASE: UWF Aldermen Announce Series of Budget Town Halls on Revenue, Spending Proposals

Chicago, IL – With City Council fast approaching a series of debates and votes on the 2020 Chicago budget, 8 progressive aldermen associated with the political organization United Working Families today announced their plans to hold budget town hall meetings across the city.

“We have introduced ordinances and resolutions that could raise over $450 million annually for vital public services by asking the rich to pay their fair share, which did not make it into the Mayor’s proposed budget,” said Ald. Daniel La Spata (1). “We want the people of Chicago to know that the city is not broke, and that there are real alternatives to a property tax increase on the table.”

In addition to progressive revenue options, the aldermen have also made a series of spending recommendations based on their campaign pledges--including creating a dedicated revenue stream for affordable housing and homelessness, investing in the city’s public mental health clinics, and divesting from failed policing and developers.

“Like Mayor Lightfoot, we campaigned on the promise of change. That means investing in the public services that Chicagoans--particularly Black, Brown, and poor and working-class communities--have been denied for too long,” said Ald. Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez (33). “These town hall meetings are an opportunity to make sure that our neighbors know what’s being offered in this budget and what we will be fighting for in the weeks ahead.”

The budget town hall meetings are scheduled for the following dates:

Wednesday, November 6th - Lakeview

with Ald. Matt Martin

6:30 - 8 pm (doors open at 6 pm)

Rizal Center

1332 W Irving Park Road

 

Thursday, November 7th - Avondale

with Alds. Daniel La Spata and Carlos Ramirez-Rosa

6:30 - 8 pm (doors open at 6 pm)

@ Avondale-Logandale Elementary School

3212 W George St, Chicago, IL 60618

 

Thursday, November 14th - Albany Park

with Alds. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa and Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez

6:30 - 8 pm (doors open at 6 pm)

@ the American Indian Center

3401 W Ainslie St, Chicago, IL 60625

 

Thursday, November 14th – Little Village

With Alds Mike Rodriguez and Byron Sigcho-Lopez

6:30 – 8 pm

@ Location TBA

 

Thursday, November 21st – Back of the Yards / West Englewood

with Ald. Jeanette Taylor

6 – 8 pm

@ Sherman Park

1301 W 52nd St, Chicago, IL 60609

 

Saturday, November 23rd - Rogers Park

with Ald. Maria Hadden

12 - 2 pm

@ Rogers Park Public Library

6907 N Clark Street

 ###

United Working Families is an independent political organization for the many, not the few. Sixteen UWF members have been elected to the Chicago City Council, the Cook County Board of Commissioners, and the Illinois General Assembly since 2018. www.unitedworkingfamilies.org

UWF Response to Mayor Lightfoot's Budget Address

Chicago, IL – The following is a statement from Emma Tai, United Working Families Executive Director on Mayor Lightfoot’s budget address. 

“The Mayor said today that making the budget requires hard choices. But there is nothing hard about unleashing a host of regressive taxation on working people, spinning previously-allocated funds as ‘new initiatives,’ or privatizing vital mental healthcare services. 

“These aren’t hard choices. They’re just more of the same.

“Chicagoans voted for a Mayor who promised to re-open the mental health clinics, solve our city’s affordable housing crisis, support our public schools, and finally make the rich--who profited astronomically from Emanuel, Trump, and Rauner’s pro-corporate policies--pay their fair share.

“Tragically, we didn’t hear that today. The fight continues to win a city and a budget for the many, where Black, brown, and working-class communities get the city services that we are owed.”

 ###

United Working Families is an independent political organization for the many, not the few. Sixteen UWF members have been elected to the Chicago City Council, the Cook County Board of Commissioners, and the Illinois General Assembly since 2018. www.unitedworkingfamilies.org

It's Back to School Season . . . Troublemakers School!

By Kerry Luckett

Our nation is at war!  A labor war!

On every front, working people face obstacles—if it’s not high health insurance costs, it’s reduced staffing with larger workloads.  If it’s not low wages, it’s reduced safety regulations and workplace resources.  Yet workers, in all industries, fields, and occupations, are the ones holding up this house, with very little support themselves.

That’s why it’s time for all of us workers to go back to school and strategize our tactics on various labor fronts.

Last Saturday, August 24th, at CTU’s meeting hall, I co-facilitated the Contract Campaigns from the Bottom Up workshop for Labor Notes’ Troublemakers School.  Representing Cook County College Teachers Union Local 1600, I engaged in a vibrant discussion of contract campaigns with three facilitating partners and a large room of sisters and brothers from various unions.  We held an open conversation about how to successfully contract campaign for unionized workers.

Among the facilitators was Linda Perales of Chicago Teachers Union, anticipating a possible strike this September, Dave Bert of Teamsters Local 705, who fought for UPS’s contract wins, and Erin O’Callaghan of UIC Graduate Employees Organization, coming off the heels of their March contract victory.  We each shared our contract campaign stories and, together, answered audience questions, addressed union concerns, and provided strategies to organize around those concerns. 

In our sharing of and learning from each other’s struggles, we came away with a succinct, clear model:

  1. Get your house in order: In other words, bring your union members together, lay out the issues, start a commitment/recommitment campaign.  You need the numbers!

  2. Meet with the bosses: Nothing happens without talking with the bosses, the rich people in charge of our work.  It helps to gauge how they respond to your demands.

  3. Lather, rinse, repeat: As you move through this process, there will be tension and harangues, but you will be in a better position to bargain on behalf of your union.

  4. Gather all your data and use them: Information is king…or queen.  You cannot fight without facts on your side; use those facts to teach and inform fellow members and all media outlets.  Get your people and all allies involved.

Should negotiations reach a head and communication cease, as it did the case of my union, then your union is on its way towards a strike authorization vote.  Striking (or at least threatening to) puts pressure on your bosses to take your demands seriously and even concede to them.  After all, can they run their operations without all of you?  If so, for how long?

We talked about all of these matters that Saturday, but I noticed something new in the Labor Movement.  More and more young people are joining the Movement.  That means more seasoned generations are needed to pass down their wisdom and keep the momentum up.  And as a younger workforce attempts to organize unorganized labor, I am invigorated to keep fighting for all workers to have the equity we deserve. 

Happy Labor Day!

In Solidarity Forever!

 

Aldermanic letter to Mayor Lightfoot: "We intend to keep our promises to our communities."

The following memo was released to the public on August 28, 2019. Check out press coverage here and here.

To: Mayor Lori Lightfoot

From: Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza, Ald. Maria Hadden, Ald. Daniel LaSpata, Ald. Matt Martin, Ald. Carlos Ramirez Rosa, Ald. Mike Rodriguez, Ald. Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez, Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, Ald. Jeanette Taylor, Ald. Andre Vasquez

Re: A 2020 #BudgetForTheMany

Like you, we ran on a bold vision of putting working families first. Now, it’s time to make good on that promise. The 2020 budget is our chance to begin building a city that provides for the many, not just the wealthy few.

We all ran on the promise of a city where Black, Brown, and working families can thrive. One where residents can afford to stay in their communities, have access to healthcare and quality schools, and feel safe. Like you, we know how desperately important it is to get this budget right in order to fulfill these promises to Chicago.

For too long, public dollars have been funneled to downtown developers while working-class families of color have been starved of resources. For too long, Chicago has overpoliced communities of color, spending hundreds of millions of public dollars on cop academies and defending violent officers at the expense of root cause solutions. For too long, elected officials have passed one austerity budget after another, asking Black, Brown, and working people to pay ever increasing regressive taxes, fines, and fees while suffering continued service cuts.

Budgets are about priorities and choices. We will not ask poor and working people to continue to carry the lion’s share of the burden in place of those who profit from their low wages, evictions, and crumbling schools. We understand the seriousness of the projected budget shortfall and we are prepared to dig in and work hard to find solutions. We need to work together to prioritize working people--not wealthy developers. If there is money for Lincoln Yards and Cop Academies, then there is money for affordable housing, public mental health clinics, pensions, fully-funded schools, youth programs and jobs.

As we head into negotiations over the 2020 budget, we intend to keep our promises to our communities. We are committed to fighting for a budget that divests from failed policing and gentrifying developers, invests in communities and neighborhoods, and requires the wealthy and big corporations to pay their fair share. As organizers, we will fight alongside, and seek real community input from the people who have been leading this fight to reimagine Chicago for decades.

We are hopeful that together, we will make good on what we promised the people of Chicago, and put forth a budget that finally gets our priorities straight.

Meet Kennedy!

We are thrilled to welcome UWF Member Kennedy Bartley to the UWF staff as our new Legislative Coordinator! Kennedy will be working with UWF elected officials to ensure that they have the support they need to govern for the many.

Get to know Kennedy in her own words below:

I credit a few standout experiences in my life as being the politicizing moments that, in culmination, led to who I am and what I fight for today—the incarceration of my father, transferring from Loyola Academy to my neighborhood public school where the U.S. military had its own office, the murder of my 14 year old cousin, and the murders of Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown, and Eric Garner. These moments made clear to me that every decision I was to make subsequently, would fully be in honor of their affects on me.

While at DePaul University, I studied Public Policy, African Diaspora Studies, and Geographic Information Systems. During this time, I facilitated restorative justice classes in CPS for 3 years and organized in the wake of the murders of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and the heightened police violence and crimes by CPD. Despite my distrust of electoral politics at the time, I recognized the power that taking up that space provided for myself and working class, Black, and Brown folks. I spent my final year working in Alderman Pawar’s office and doing independent studies on the Criminalization of Mental Health, and on School Choice in the Englewood and West Englewood community areas.

A few months post-grad, I began interning with SEIU Local 1 and shortly thereafter became a full-time Strategic Researcher. While at Local 1, I developed tactical campaign strategies to fight for worker justice and comprehensive corporate reform. I was elected to the Local’s Black Caucus Executive Board and sat on the Racial Justice and Environmental Justice committees—working to illustrate the importance of the intersections of economic, racial, and environmental justice for working class people. During this time I struggled to remain hopeful that a space existed for a young, Black woman with politics that truly centered the “least of these”. Luckily at this time, I began meeting with Stacy Davis Gates who introduced me to United Working Families, the organization that immediately felt like a political home. UWF recognizes that there are many ways to liberate and lift up Black, Brown, and working class communities, and operates within the political sphere, centering these communities; UWF takes power to give power, a place that is truly #ForTheMany.

I also feel it necessary to credit my mother, step-father, and maternal grandparents who taught me the importance of compassion and resilience that I hope to bring to this role!

Kennedy (left), protesting the police murder of Eric Garner in downtown Chicago.

Kennedy (left), protesting the police murder of Eric Garner in downtown Chicago.

Resolution on an Anti-Austerity Budget for the People (Adopted and Amended at the August 21, 2019 General Membership Meeting)

United Working Families Resolution on Adopting an Anti-Austerity Budget for the People

Adopted at the August 21, 2019 General Membership Meeting

 

Guided by: Our vision for a city and a state that provides for the many, not just the wealthy few.

Recognizing, Chicago is displacing and overpolicing Black and Brown families and communities, women, the LGBTQ+ community, and starving the city’s working people of the resources they need to live and thrive. Black, Brown and working families overpay through discriminatory use of fines, fees, and property taxes while corporate developers receive massive handouts for projects that displace residents. While we fight for police accountability and true sanctuary, we must also fight for the resources and funding for what actually makes us safe: including public education, public transit, pensions, mental health care, and affordable housing. 

 Recognizing, The Mayor has said there is a projected $1 billion budget shortfall and that we should brace ourselves for tax increases borne by Chicago’s already overtaxed and under resourced working families. 

Whereas, We reject this false choice - we know there is enough money to pay for what our families and communities need. Governments and institutions are making a CHOICE to prioritize the greed of corporations and developers over the needs of Chicago citizens. When the city gives money to the rich through tax breaks, TIFs and funneling money downtown, it is taking money directly out of the pockets of working families and Black and Brown communities. Politicians have done decades of harm and violence to Black and Brown families, through forced segregation, redlining, police killings, and starving neighborhoods of basic resources. The time has come to pay back what is owed.

Therefore, The time has come for Black, Brown and working class people of Chicago to become the number one budget priority. We demand and are ready to fight for a city budget that fully funds schools, pensions, programs and services that are vital to families and communities. We demand the city STOP giving billions of dollars to police and developers and START requiring the wealthy to pay their fair share. We commit to fighting for reparations for our communities and demand a budget that divests from police and developers, invests in communities and neighborhoods, and fund the resources we need by requiring the wealthy to pay their fair share. We require a budget that solicits and implements public feedback from communities most impacted by a history of austerity budgets. 

Resolution on Striking Workers (Amended and Adopted at the August 21, 2019 General Membership Meeting)

United Working Families Resolution on Striking Workers

Adopted at the August 21, 2019 General Membership Meeting

 

Guided by: Our vision for a city and a state that provides for the many, not just the wealthy few.

Recognizing: that the working people of Chicago are under attack from a system of social and economic exploitation.

Recognizing that a pathway to economic freedom is by workers striking. Many workers, including teachers, paraprofessionals, park district employees, nursing home, hospital, homecare, childcare and hotel workers are primarily women of color and striking is a tool for women to maintain financial independence. 

Recognizing that taking action in solidarity with striking workers will improve the lives of the workers and their families and continue to push for what is politically possible for everyone. 

Whereas, We adopt the following strategy to guide our political and organizing work over the course of this fall where unions may strike to improve working and living conditions for workers. 

  1. STRONG UNION CONTRACTS IMPROVES QUALITY OF LIFE FOR WORKERS: For years, we have fought statewide and federal battles to keep collective bargaining rights for workers. There are direct correlations between strong unions and a higher quality of life. 

  2. UNION POWER CAN WIN DEMANDS FOR THE WHOLE COMMUNITY: Bosses for years have advocated for contracts to only be about pay and benefits but we know through organizing, our community can gain much more (ie. affordable housing, sanctuary, etc). 

Therefore, upon a strike authorization vote by union membership, we commit to taking action in solidarity with striking workers on the picket line, as they fight for a fair contract that improves the quality of life for their families and the entire community, and we will provide guidelines for sympathizers to offer support.