Labor Beat: Post 2015 Chicago Election Independent Labor Politics

After the 2015 Chicago election the problem of independence from the Democratic Party wasn’t solved. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, the progressive Democratic Party County Commissioner, didn’t beat Mayor Emanuel. And no new political party for workers was created. Were any lessons learned?

The CTU's last-minute (November 2014) decision to endorse Chuy for mayor and the appearance of a handful of union members running for alderman provided the setting for a new chapter in labor politics, having national significance.

Several of the union aldermanic candidates declared themselves non-Democrats. And there was a socialist, and a “maybe” non-Democrat. These ward contests, with some qualifications, suggested a possible escape from the Democrats which was not in the cards in the Chuy mayoral candidacy.

We include speeches and interviews from those ward candidates: We include speeches and interviews from those ward candidates: Tim Meegan (CTU-endorsed, teacher, 33rd Ward); Ed Hershey (CTU-endorsed, teacher, 25th Ward); Tammie Vinson (CTU-endorsed, teacher, 28th Ward); Susan Sadlowski Garza (CTU-endorsed, CTU member, 10th Ward); and Jorge Mujica (labor organizer/socialist, 25th Ward). Also, Mike Parker of Richmond (California) Progressive Alliance.

Included also are comments and speeches by Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, CTU President Karen Lewis, Grassroots Illinois Action Director and United Working Families activist Amisha Patel, The Nation journalist John Nichols, and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

There are also scenes from the Tim Meegan / Deb Mell 33rd Ward debate; Susan Garza's big 10th Ward rally; Garza's election night victory; discussions from The Future of Left and Independent Politics Electoral Action Conference in early May in Chicago; and a public forum on the new CTU contract negotiations.

The video shows a labor movement in the early stages of a political transformation. It is a snapshot of a birthing process incomplete. Will an independent political party for workers finally bust out from under the control of the Democratic Party? Or will the Democratic Party corral or even stop that process entirely? Such opposing forces also operate simultaneously within political activists and their organizations.

The video also explores "progressivism". At the Garza rally, we hear progressive Democrat speakers suggest that people from opposing classes can politically work together.

The video ends as Tara Stamps (CTU-endorsed teacher who ran for 37th Ward Alderwoman) stands on the bed of a pickup truck parked in front of the Chicago Board of Trade at the June 9 CTU Rally for a Fair Contract. Stamps boldly declares "This is the Chicago Board of Trade. They're the biggest gambler in the business. And they're gambling on our babies' future...They don't even want us in this city. They're shooting us out, they're jailing us out, they're working us out, they're privatizing us out. They're trying to get us out by any means necessary." And then she starts the chant, "This is war, we declare war!" What political party could possibly represent the interests of two classes at war with each other?

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