Teachers unions have already bankrolled most of Brandon Johnson’s campaign for Chicago mayor, and the American Federation of Teachers just directed another $500,000 to his war chest.
Over 93% of Brandon Johnson’s Chicago mayor campaign contributions come from 20 unions, while about 71% of Paul Vallas’ come from 1,073 individuals. It’s a union machine versus the people showdown at the election April 4.
Crime and taxes top the issues Chicagoans are concerned about in the 2023 mayoral election. Find out where mayoral candidates Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson stand before the April 4 election.
Mayoral candidate and Chicago Teachers Union organizer Brandon Johnson is eligible to collect an estimated $1.1 million pension through the Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund despite only teaching for four years. His future path could yield a public pension worth over $2.8 million.
In the race for Chicago mayor, over 95% of Brandon Johnson’s campaign contributions come from 15 unions. Nearly 83% of Paul Vallas’ contributions came from 721 individuals.
Mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson seeks to triple the real estate transfer tax on real estate valued at $1 million or more. That would include apartment complexes. In Los Angeles, a similar tax has hurt housing.
To date, the Chicago Teachers Union and its affiliates have funneled nearly $5 million to the mayoral campaign of Brandon Johnson, ignoring member criticism and violating union rules.
Brandon Johnson’s mayoral campaign still states his six new taxes on “the suburbs, airlines and ultra-rich” would generate $800 million, even after he dropped his Metra tax. But the math is fuzzy, especially his claim $800 million can become $2 billion.
Chicago Teachers Union delegates voted to apportion $8 per month per member’s dues to help fund Brandon Johnson’s mayoral campaign. The motion to potentially triple the union’s campaign investment has drawn criticism from members.
Chicago’s $1.15 billion projected budget gap is the latest in a decades-long string of structural deficits. Making Chicago’s high taxes worse is not the solution.