* This seems odd…
As Chicago’s public school teachers tell their union again this week whether or not they would still approve a strike, as they did in December, they’re not making that choice in private.
Union members are being asked to sign their names on a sheet of paper, next to their pre-printed name; check yes or no on whether they would authorize a possible strike later this fall; and initial that check mark, according to Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Jesse Sharkey.
* And here’s the resulting Tribune editorial…
Given that, you would think CTU leaders would be confident of prevailing in a secret vote now. And probably they are. So we’re perplexed about why they have come up with this Big-Brother approach that falls into the See?-Everyone-Voted-For-Me school of electioneering.
Some famous examples of this strategy:
• In 1995, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein swept to victory with 99.96 percent of votes cast. (We shudder to think of what happened to the recalcitrant .04 percent.)
• In 2014, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un reportedly notched an even more convincing victory — 100 percent — to confirm his leadership in the Supreme People’s Assembly. No other name appeared on the ballot. Voters who (bravely or foolishly) sought to reject Kim would have had to do so in an open booth so everyone could see.
• Even more convincing was the 1927 Liberian presidential triumph of Charles D.B. King with about 240,000 votes. The impressive part: Liberia only had about 15,000 registered voters.
* Back to the Sun-Times story for some context…
This method was considerably less expensive than the secret ballot method used in the winter that cost about $250,000 because it relied on sending couriers twice-daily to all the voting sites. And [Sharkey] pointed to past strike votes when the union members would all meet in person in a hotel ballroom and stand to indicate a yes or no.
I was leaning against the CTU, then the Tribune editorial made me question my judgement and then I read the whole Sun-Times story and now I actually think the union isn’t being all that horribly unreasonable.
Would a secret ballot be ideal? Yep. Is the union acting like a crazed despot? Um, no.
- thunderspirit - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 10:49 am:
It’s hard to imagine any context under which the Tronc-bune would not do their best to cast the CTU in the worst possible light (admittedly, often low-hanging fruit).
In this case, it seems like much ado about nothing.
- Fusion - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 10:54 am:
==Even more convincing was the 1927 Liberian presidential triumph of Charles D.B. King with about 240,000 votes. The impressive part: Liberia only had about 15,000 registered voters.==
So? Look, man, the Monrovia streets and san guys were just trying to keep their city jobs. What’s the big deal?
- Very fed up - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 10:55 am:
It would cost a small fraction of $250,000 to set up a website to do an anonymous vote giving every member a unique login code.
- Honeybear - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 10:56 am:
It might seem like a brutal method but it takes a lot of guts to say no next to a lot of yesses.
Days of Real Politik people.
“The strong will do as they will and the weak will suffer what they must.”
It’s not despotic. It’s Machiavellian.
- HRC2016 - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 10:56 am:
Why should anyone care what the Tribune thinks about the strike vote? They notoriously broke the unions in the 80’s, I know, because I worked for them at the time as a non-union worker and saw what they did to those guys/gals.
- HRC2016 - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 10:57 am:
Who cares what the Tribune has to say? They notoriously broke the Typographers union and others in the 80’s.
- A guy - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 10:58 am:
It’s like a French Kiss. Sloppy, but effective.
- HangingOn - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 10:59 am:
So, according to the Tribune, a “No” vote will result in death? Seems a wee bit extreme to me…And I thought my daughter was a drama queen.
Maybe they should stop comparing apples to pogo sticks.
- Earnest - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 11:00 am:
The Trib’s always trying to convince us that public employee unions have weapons of mass destruction and must be stopped.
- James Knell - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 11:03 am:
There is an old saying about “standing up and being counted” isn’t there? These comparisons are wrong. There are real corpses in Iraq and North Korea.
- Honeybear - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 11:05 am:
I like the Ballroom idea. No stabbing me in the back with a secret ballot. If you’re going to betray me, don’t hide behind secrecy, show some courage and decency and look me in the eyes when you do it. I can respect that.
- walker - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 11:08 am:
A Guy: Like trying to French kiss your own arm. Ridiculous.
- Last Bull Moose - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 11:08 am:
I agree that a secret ballot should be the norm in Union elections.
However, we managed to run a democracy without secret ballots until after 1884.
- Ron Burgundy - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 11:08 am:
-No stabbing me in the back with a secret ballot. If you’re going to betray me, don’t hide behind secrecy, show some courage and decency and look me in the eyes when you do it.-
Don’t allow for differences of opinion, huh? Ever thought of running a third world country?
- Wordslinger - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 11:09 am:
What was the result of the Tribbie employee vote allowing Zell to use their ESOP to take the company private?
I kid. They didn’t have a vote because they didn’t have a union.
Zell robbed them of their retirement funds, lost it in the casino and they didn’t have a say in the matter. They just had to take it.
Since we’re into historical analogies here, it’s like Zell was the Tsar, and the Tribbie employees were the serfs.
That’s “freedom” and “liberty,” in some backward circles.
- Moe Berg - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 11:12 am:
Out of step with its city’s sensibilities, no moral authority, especially after Katrina McQueary, and truly no one save for a few wealthy people care about its opinions anymore. They add no value to the discourse and are on a par with Twitter randos.
- Just Sayin' - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 11:12 am:
It seems like there could be a third, anonymous option where people don’t need to stand or write their name by their name in order to vote. And the Sun-Times story just says it costs $250k, but it doesn’t say how much it will *save* to do it this way.
- Carhartt Representative - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 11:17 am:
Since they had a 90% strike vote in December, they’ve had 1,000 teachers furloughed in a move Claypool called “usual”, they were furloughed three days, and they’ve been bashed as being unwilling to make a sacrifice despite CPS having plenty of money for the projects they want. If anything, I expect the vote would be higher this time around open ballot or closed. The difference is that this ballot saves a couple of hundred thousand dollars. I wish more city institutions would think frugally.
Also, it’s an internal union vote and nobody else’s business. If the teachers don’t like union leadership, they can vote them out. Now, when is that Gannet proxy vote coming?
- Carhartt Representative - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 11:18 am:
=Out of step with its city’s sensibilities, no moral authority, especially after Katrina McQueary, and truly no one save for a few wealthy people care about its opinions anymore. They add no value to the discourse and are on a par with Twitter randos.=
That’s harsh. Not all Twitter randos are that uninformed and certainly few have that kind of axe to grind.
- Honeybear - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 11:19 am:
Not true at all. We’re not talking about or voting for the acceptance of opinion Ron Burgundy. CTU is voting to strike. I just 2 minutes ago posted a VERY critical article against AFSCME International on my Facebook page. There’s a lot about my union I don’t like. I’m not stifling views with my previous post. But it’s about a strike. Those folks who vote no I would imagine are also the ones who would cross the line. Peer pressure, you bet. Kinda hardcore. You bet. Is it all on the line in a strike. You bet your sweet bippy it is. A loss means the destruction of the union. Its for the whole bag of marbles. I think having an open list is more tame than what I would want. And no I’m not a despot. I am 100% committed union. I guess you wouldn’t get the difference.
- AlfondoGonz - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 11:28 am:
As a pro-union, anti-Rauner, left-leaning Democrat,
- Ron Burgundy - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 11:29 am:
Silly me. I thought this was a vote to ask the membership if they wanted to strike or not. So a person can’t vote no for any of the following reasons?
“I can’t afford a long strike.”
“I think our current leadership is misguided.”
“I can live with the last contract offer which Karen Lewis herself used to support.”
“I don’t think the timing is good for us for a strike but I will walk if we walk.”
Voting no on a strike authorization doesn’t equal crossing, by the way. If everyone who votes no is stabbing you in the back, why bother with the vote?
- AlfondoGonz - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 11:30 am:
Continued from above: I feel like I’ve got enough credentials to offer an unbiased critique of the CTU. They provide a lot of ammunition to people who oppose unions with their conduct and, at times, their unreasonableness.
- A guy - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 11:40 am:
===A Guy: Like trying to French kiss your own arm. Ridiculous.===
My friend Walk…don’t tell me you’re practicing! lol.
- Groucho - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 11:47 am:
How much exactly is considerably less expensive. All I know is that it cost $250,000 using a private ballot. I would like to see how much it cost using a non-private ballot.
- lake county democrat - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 11:47 am:
“Those folks who vote no I would imagine are also the ones who would cross the line”
This (mistaken) belief is why a secret ballot is needed - what teacher who, say, approves of the last offer CPS made (like KAREN LEWIS DID), would subject themselves to a school full of colleagues thinking they were all-but-scabs.
- Honeybear - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 11:50 am:
Ron, sure they can vote no. Just be open about it and know that a no vote is going to catch flack with those who are voting yes.
Yes, you are correct a No vote does not necessarily mean crossing, but I bet statistically you’d find that that bears out as true.
I get where you’re coming from Ron. I really do. But I believe (speaking only for myself) that when you get all the way to a strike vote, it’s really long past the time when other things can be tried or discussed. This has been brewing for a long time. In my opinion, (only speaking for me) at strike vote, it’s time to choose sides. A No to me (only speaking for me) means that you are not on the side of the union.
Are you in a union Ron? You don’t have to answer and I’m not going to attack your answer. As a matter of fact I’m going to take a few breaths and back off my fervor. Just FYI
- Deft Wing - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 11:51 am:
Voting in private is critical to maintaining any semblance of voting process legitimacy. This isn’t just “best practices” or suggested voting procedures, but rather fundamental and essential elements of voting integrity.
Forget the hyperbole on both sides of the newspaper battle here and instead stick to what matters — the process. The fact is, CTU’s version of democratic process is nowhere near legit. It’s essentially stuffing the ballot box by way of peer pressure. And Lewis, Sharkey and the rest of their ilk know it.
- City Zen - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 11:57 am:
The rhetoric on both sides is tiring. One day, you have the union prez calling the governor a member of ISIS. The next you have the local paper equating despotic elections abroad to a union vote. Just. Stop.
- lake county democrat - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 11:59 am:
“Also, it’s an internal union vote and nobody else’s business.”
I wonder how parents who will be out daycare money or vacation days they might otherwise have were a legitimate vote held would respond to that.
- Keyser Soze - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 12:02 pm:
It is hard to conjure a vision of school teachers taking the role of union thugs but not so hard to imagine the imposition of intense group pressure. Nope, this calls for a secret ballot.
- blue dog dem - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 12:04 pm:
Honey…all your posts. I am union thru and thru. thinking like that gives the RTW bunch fuel. Remember this. We are a dying breed. Nationwide statistics have us on life support. If a cause,issue or contract has a strong enough case, it will pass. No matter how it is voted on
.
- Chicago Hope - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 12:10 pm:
So state law requires a 75% teacher approval for a strike, because of the devastating affects on families and students (including safety), and CTU doesn’t even provide for a secret ballot?
So to vote “no” a teacher has to refuse a union rep’s invocation to sign while the rep hands the teacher the petition, maybe in front of other teachers? And of course there is no pressure here and no possibility of retaliation by the union of other teacher activists. And the teacher won’t be ostracized by anyone. Of course.
Give me a break. That is not a “reasonable” process. What is is the purpose of the state law if the union can get whatever vote they want through intimidation?
- Last Bull Moose - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 12:20 pm:
Unions have rights under our laws. I think that along with those rights come requirements and that secret ballots electing officers and authorizing strikes should be among those requirements.
There is a long history of corruption in unions and secret ballots is one way to reduce it. Maybe there should be a size set before secret ballots are required, but the CTU should definitely be covered.
To clarify, I am not saying the CTU is corrupt. I do think it should have secret ballots with votes run by a 3rd party.
- Wordslinger - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 12:24 pm:
LCD, you don’t have to speculate as to what Chicago parents think of CTU. The Trib has been polling on the subject since 2012. Try the google.
CTU approval is at a solid 60% and above — even during the last strike — while Emanuel hovers at about 20% or less on education matters.
I doubt if the usual hysterical tantrums from suburban tronclodytes have a lot of sway over Chicago parents with kids in the schools.
How could it? Count Troncula and his troncettes don’t have any skin in the game; the schools to them are simply another arena to advance reactionary politics.
- steward - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 12:25 pm:
The union’s officers and exec board are democratically elected. The delegates to the House of Delegates are democratically elected. They voted to do it this way. It’s another way to gauge the temperature. Also the previous way is being challenged at education’s ILRB.
They are given giant hurdles for a strike and need to get a bit creative. But they are not despots.
Btw CPS board is all appointed. Who’s more democratic?
- Bruce (no not him) - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 12:43 pm:
I have been a union member for over 30 years (not a teacher) and I have never heard of voting for a strike not being a secret ballot. This is a very bad idea. Possibly opens the CTU up for lawsuits
- Chicago Way - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 12:49 pm:
The union says the petition is a way to save money, they collect over $30,000,000 a year from members in dues and additional money in Political Action money from members. Voting is most democratic thing a CTU member can do, why not give them the privacy to vote how they want without the feeling of being forced to vote yes because the union is watching over them (literally). Spending the money should be the least of the CTU worries, the union saved hundreds of thousands of dollars when the election of leadership (Lewis & Sharkey team) was cancelled because there was no opposition. CTU leadership made the decision that it’s members will not vote at all and the leadership stays in office. Again, CTU rank and file were not given the chance to vote yes, no or write in a candidate, so we don’t know how strong support is for leadership.
- Honeybear - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 12:49 pm:
Blue Dog Dem, I think we’re going to go RTW at some point anyway. It’s starting to feel like we’re marching towards Thermopylae. Again does one fight or cower? I’m no Spartan. I’m not CTU. I’m scared to death that it’s soon going to be my turn on the line. But I sure admire CTU taking the front rank.
- Lucky Pierre - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 12:53 pm:
There has been no recent polling on the approval of CTU. Odds are support is down from 2012 with less immflamatory rhetoric from Rahm a pay raise still on the table that was approved by Lewis and Sharkey back in January.
The fact CTU is insisting on a public ballot proves support is weaker among the rank and file. It stands to reason the public support is also down, especially with the recent record property tax and water and sewer taxes approved recently.
- Carhartt Representative - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 12:53 pm:
=Again, CTU rank and file were not given the chance to vote yes, no or write in a candidate, so we don’t know how strong support is for leadership.=
The fact that there was no opposition should be a hint, as was the fact that the House of Delegates made up of a representative elected from every school voted to cancel the election due to a lack of opponents. Also, the fact that this strike vote cleared 90% in December when it was secret should be a clue.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 12:56 pm:
===There has been no recent polling on the approval of CTU===
I saw some during the primary race. Highest approval of any institution or person.
- Carhartt Representative - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 1:01 pm:
Here’s a February poll:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-rahm-emanuel-schools-poll-met-20160203-story.html
- lake county democrat - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 1:07 pm:
Wordslinger:
You’re reading for comprehension like I’m often guilty of! I didn’t ask what parents thought of CTU in the past, I said what parents would think of CTU if they strike on a secret ballot that passes authorization by a razor-thin margin. (Not to mention after some tax hikes since the last strike and the rejection of a contract that Karen Lewis herself had approved of).
- lake county democrat - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 1:10 pm:
California 1975: Elect staunchly liberal Jerry Brown governor.
California 1978: Pass Proposition 13, radically reducing taxes by a 63%-34% margin.
There’s a tipping point.
- Wordslinger - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 1:13 pm:
LP, read harder. The CTU approval ratings have held at 60% and above since 2012. That includes today. Try the google, it’s not that hard.
You’re some special kind of savant. You can hold forth on economics without referencing projected outcomes and approval ratings without referencing polls.
What are the winning Megamillions numbers tomorrow night?
- Jackie - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 1:23 pm:
Tribune gets it right; then attack their premise. We get it already. Rinse, lather; repeat.
- Lucky Pierre - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 1:25 pm:
Wordslinger, February is not today it is over 6 months ago. Since then, Chicago residents have had a record property tax increase as well as a 30 percent tax on sewer and water to fund pensions.
Every group of city workers- police and fire, laborers etc contribute the entire 9 % to their pensions. CTU contributes 2 %.
Sorry I am not buying that support for CTU will not decline if they vote to go on strike.
- Wordslinger - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 1:43 pm:
LCD, LP, you guys aren’t trying.
In Sept. 2012, three days into the last strike, Rich Miller commissioned a poll that found 66% of parents with children in the Chicago Public Schools sided with the teachers.
It took me all of 20 seconds to find that on the google. Give it a try.
- Carhartt Representative - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 2:05 pm:
=(Not to mention after some tax hikes since the last strike and the rejection of a contract that Karen Lewis herself had approved of)=
That February was right after the union had rejected the contract. As for reading comprehension, Karen Lewis called that contract offer a “serious offer”. That’s hardly acceptance or even an endorsement. It’s simply an acknowledgment that there had been some movement.
- Mama Retired - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 2:42 pm:
“I was leaning against the CTU, then the Tribune editorial made me question my judgement and then I read the whole Sun-Times story and now I actually think the union isn’t being all that horribly unreasonable.”
“Is the union acting like a crazed despot? Um, no.”
Thanks Rich for not throwing the CTU under the bus.
- Last Bull Moose - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 3:22 pm:
Rahm should reverse the residency requirement for teachers. CPS teachers will NOT be allowed to live within the city limits. /s
The teachers tend to be leaders within their communities and not just on school issues. Those ties strengthen their position in negotiations.
- City Zen - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 3:43 pm:
==Rahm should reverse the residency requirement for teachers.==
Teachers that have been employed by CPS over 20 years are exempt from living in Chicago if they so chose. And I believe there are specific “special needs” positions that are exempt from the residency requirement as well.
- Rod - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 4:17 pm:
City zen you are correct.
- Last Bull Moose - Thursday, Sep 22, 16 @ 5:31 pm:
City Zen and Rod. Thanks for the info. Did not know that quirk.
- Ron - Friday, Sep 23, 16 @ 5:23 am:
History lesson, the US was not a real democracy until the 20th century. Comparing union voting practices to the 1800s does seem appropriate though.
- JS Mill - Friday, Sep 23, 16 @ 8:50 am:
=History lesson, the US was not a real democracy until the 20th century.=
History lesson- The US is not a democracy. It is a Republic. We have an elected representative from of government.
- Veil of Ignorance - Friday, Sep 23, 16 @ 11:58 am:
The Tribune has an issue with CTU’s affront to democracy, but zero issue with the Rauner-backed Illinois Policy Institute suing to block Election Day Registration for November. Which is more similar to behavior that a dictator would engage in…