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Friday, Jun 9, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The latest Illinois Policy Institute story about the Chicago Teachers Union is entitled “CTU told lawmakers what to do over 1,360 times in just 6 legislative sessions”…

An entity’s witness slip for or against a bill doesn’t indicate a reason for the stance. It’s more of an up or down vote. But examined together, an entity’s slips over time provide a solid idea of its priorities and agenda.

CTU has used the process to slip at least 1,361 times on 480 bills in the past six legislative sessions, according to data obtained by Illinois Policy Institute from the Illinois General Assembly.

So, it filed witness slips at the astounding average rate of… 40 bills a year?

* Back to the IPI story…

CTU slipped against a bill requiring a school district to notify parents a school employee has been charged with a sex offense within seven days of receiving that information.

Also slipping against the bill were such far-left groups like the Illinois Principals Association, ED-RED, Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois Association of School Boards and the Illinois Association of School Administrators.

* Next…

It also slipped in favor of at least three bills that could allow a school district to hide from a student’s parents that he or she has been a victim of sexual violence. Parents could inspect the student’s records only if the student consented. If the student had any “health or safety concerns” that were not “satisfied to the student’s satisfaction,” then the student’s status as a victim of sexual violence “shall not be disclosed.”

All three of those bills were supported by Diana Rauner’s Ounce of Prevention Fund, among other groups.

* Another one…

As for curriculum, CTU slipped against a bill requiring school districts with 300 or more students to post a list of learning materials and activities that were used for student instruction in the previous school year. That would include, for example, the title and author of textbooks or any guest lectures.

That Republican-sponsored bill was also opposed by the Illinois Alliance of Administrators of Special Education, Chicago Public Schools and the Illinois State Board of Education.

* Another…

CTU slipped against a bill allowing a school board or other district leaders to suspend (up to 10 days) or expel (up to two years) students convicted of violent felonies. “Violent felony” included first-degree murder, criminal sexual assault and aggravated arson. Set a fatal fire at school and CTU sees no reason to oust that student?

Also slipping in opposition were the Illinois State Board of Education, Equip for Equality, IL Statewide School Management Alliance, Illinois Collaboration on Youth, Beverly Area Parents for Special Education, Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ, Illinois Accountability Initiative, Chicago Public Schools, etc. The bill cleared the House and died in the Senate.

* Last one for me…

Similarly, it slipped against a bill, which still passed, requiring a district superintendent’s notification to the state superintendent related to a teacher’s dismissal or resignation because of an intentional act of abuse or neglect to include the teacher’s education identification number and a brief description of the alleged conduct.

The CTU did slip against the original bill, along with the IEA and IFT. The existing statute revoked pension benefits for certain felony convictions “relating to or arising out of or in connection with his or her service as a teacher.” The proposed legislation would’ve revoked teacher pensions for any Class X felonies, regardless of where those felonies took place. An amendment took out the pension language and the CTU and the others didn’t slip in opposition and the bill passed both chambers unanimously.

* OK, one more…

(T)he union also opposed the use of metal detectors in schools, slipping against a bill requiring public schools to install walk-through metal detectors at public entrances and directing the Illinois State Board of Education to make grants available, subject to appropriation. The bill also would have required medical detectors at institutions of higher education, hospitals and courthouses.

Joining the CTU in opposition were the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, the Illinois Health & Hospital Association, the Illinois State Association of Counties, the IL Statewide School Management Alliance, as well as several universities and regional offices of education.

* Point being, you may totally disagree with the CTU on any number of bills. But I clicked on a few other bills besides those mentioned above, and I didn’t see any that positioned the CTU as a clear outlier on anything. I may have missed some, so click here if you’d like, go through the bills and see if the union stood alone on anything. I’ll update the post if anyone finds one. Thanks.

22 Comments

- Norseman - Friday, Jun 9, 23 @ 12:07 pm:
A union took positions on legislation affecting their members. Egads, off with their heads.

IPI = MAGA at it’s worst.

- low level - Friday, Jun 9, 23 @ 12:12 pm:
I’m not a big fan of CTU but the assertion that completing a witness slip is somehow tantamount to “telling lawmakers what to do” is absurd. On the other hand, IPI makes dumb statements like this fairly regularly.

- DHS Drone - Friday, Jun 9, 23 @ 12:16 pm:
Has the IPI written a similar story on how many times the FOP has “told lawmakers what to do?” I’ll take my answer off the air.

- JoeMaddon - Friday, Jun 9, 23 @ 12:16 pm:
Someone should run a similar data pull to see how many times IPI has told lawmakers what to do.

- SweetLou86 - Friday, Jun 9, 23 @ 12:27 pm:
This is just preying on the ignorant. Anyone who’s even remotely aware with the machinations of Springfield knows that witness slips really make a difference in a handful of circumstances

- Flyin' Elvis'-Utah Chapter - Friday, Jun 9, 23 @ 12:32 pm:
Rich, according to their website IPIs propaganda arm, IRN, is down to three reporters, and that’s counting Goch covering sports.

Even grifters have to downsize?

- it's just me - Friday, Jun 9, 23 @ 12:34 pm:
Because I’m OCD: In the “one more” item, there should be a [sic] after the word medical. To my knowledge, there’s no such thing as a “medical detector.” There is such a thing as a copy editor, though.

- Sue - Friday, Jun 9, 23 @ 12:44 pm:
For anyone in doubt- Johnson quickly agreeing to CTU’s parental leave demands opposed by Lightfoot should convince everyone that Chicago elected Stacy Gates to the office of Mayor

- H-W - Friday, Jun 9, 23 @ 12:44 pm:
To the broader point, how many witness slips has IPI submitted? Fewer? More?

It is one thing to call out a lobbying interest group for the positions they take, but quite another to call them out for having positions on bills that may affect their members. The former is politics; the latter is just dumb.

- low level - Friday, Jun 9, 23 @ 12:48 pm:
== For anyone in doubt==

Yes, I’m in doubt about your assertion.

Johnson supported expanded leave regardless of CTU’s position. Have a nice weekend.

- Proud Papa Bear - Friday, Jun 9, 23 @ 1:03 pm:
=there’s no such thing as a medical detector.=

That explains why the Illinois Health & Hospital Association was opposed to it.

- Demoralized - Friday, Jun 9, 23 @ 1:06 pm:
This “journalism” goes hand in hand with their militant anti-union views.

- Rich Miller - Friday, Jun 9, 23 @ 1:08 pm:
===Johnson quickly agreeing to CTU’s parental leave demands opposed by Lightfoot should convince everyone that Chicago elected Stacy Gates to the office of Mayor ===

lol

Lightfoot hated CTU.

Lightfoot agreed to the same benefits for city workers.

- Pundent - Friday, Jun 9, 23 @ 1:11 pm:
This is par for the course for the IPI. You have to continue to tell your donors that somehow you are the only chance of balancing the scales given how everyone else is in the Dem’s back pocket. If you don’t see the outrage over CTU’s witness slips, you aren’t their target audience.

- Demoralized - Friday, Jun 9, 23 @ 1:12 pm:
==CTU’s parental leave demands==

You have an opposition to parental leave? Parental leave should be a standard benefit everywhere.

- 47th Ward - Friday, Jun 9, 23 @ 1:34 pm:
IPI caters to the same groups who encourage the mass filing of witness slips by citizens for or against the bills IPI typically supports. It’s as if they think if enough witness slips are filed then the General Assembly should be bound by the numbers of slips.

First, it doesn’t work that way. Second, union lobbyists represent thousands of members, so some witness slips carry more weight than others. That second fact is completely lost on IPI.

If you remove all context and understanding of legislative process however, at least IPI could call this piece “factual,” unlike many of their other stories.

- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jun 9, 23 @ 2:20 pm:
===All three of those bills were supported by Diana Rauner’s Ounce of Prevention Fund, among other groups.===

The most important and influential Democrat ever to take on the ILGOP and ruin its ability to exist… is Diana Rauner.

What Diana Rauner did was fund, herself at times or in concert with Bruce, the usurping of the ILGOP, the GOP GA members, and put them and IPI and all elements like Proft, Ives, and even later Bailey, in a ridiculous untenable way that voters look at Republicans in Illinois, before Trump too, as too toxic to be trusted to lead…

… and ALL Diana Rauner cared about… was her own brand in the end… even with a name change of The Ounce later.

It’s not Madigan, Pritzker, it was Diana Rauner, the Democrat who shared ownership of the GOP brand, that makes things like this from IPI so disingenuous, and only feeds the worst elements of the GOP so they continue to make the brand so toxic… especially with unions.

One of the worst resumes in Illinois government circles is one with IPI, only topped in “worse-ness” with Rauner Administration on that resume too… and Diana Rauner pushed for IPI folks that lasted weeks in governing… because IPI can’t even grasp how it all works in truth.

So… it’s fun, this context… with even Diana Rauner, if only in a lil snippet, found here.

- Excitable Boy - Friday, Jun 9, 23 @ 2:25 pm:
- CTU’s parental leave demands -

My wife got 14 weeks paid in the private sector. This isn’t an unreasonable request.

- Pundent - Friday, Jun 9, 23 @ 3:04 pm:
=Johnson quickly agreeing to CTU’s parental leave demands opposed by Lightfoot should convince everyone that Chicago elected Stacy Gates to the office of Mayor=

My large publicly traded company has provided parental leave for some time now. It is a mainstream concept. Which begs the question, are you anti-parent, anti-teacher, or both?

- Sue - Friday, Jun 9, 23 @ 3:44 pm:
Pundent - I am anti having no one representing Chicago residents who are not CTU members in terms of their interests. You can be pro employee and still want collective bargaining to be balanced. When the CPS now negotiates with CTU Johnson won’t afford that balance

- Pundent - Friday, Jun 9, 23 @ 3:48 pm:
=When the CPS now negotiates with CTU Johnson won’t afford that balance=

Because he favors parental leave? Are you suggesting that Chicago residents would be opposed to this? That’s truly an odd take. Perhaps we should wait and see what he does rather than drawing a conclusion that is clearly rooted in bias.

- cermak_rd - Friday, Jun 9, 23 @ 4:11 pm:
But, Sue, most Chicagoan voters voted for Johnson despite knowing his leanings. Maybe everyone doesn’t hate the CTU or guard their pocketbook as much as you do.

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