Think Chicago Teachers Union stays in Chicago? Not according to its VP

Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Jackson Potter said CTU needs to be more involved in other school districts. That means 52 school districts negotiating teachers contracts this year are targets for CTU tactics and militancy.

Granite City is 295 miles away from Chicago, or a 4.5-hour drive without traffic.

But its school district is Exhibit A for how the Chicago Teachers Union is working to spread its influence.

Jackson Potter, a vice president of both CTU and the Illinois Federation of Teachers, reported on visiting Granite City in 2024 and came away with a mission to bridge the gap between Chicago and the rest of Illinois. In other words, he wants to spread CTU’s militant agenda downstate.

Granite City Community Unit School District 9 is one of 200 districts whose education employees are represented by the Illinois Federation of Teachers, the parent union of CTU. Local affiliates in districts all over the state are inextricably tied with CTU because of the tight relationship between the two.

This influence on downstate districts is real.

Potter said the work done by CTU in Chicago could be transitioned to fit the needs of Granite City by giving students the “tools they need to form diverse coalitions.”

The “coalition-based effort” is a way for CTU to expand its initiative of “bargaining for the common good.” This tactic is used to force changes to racial justice, climate justice and immigration through union contract negotiations rather than through the intended democratic processes.

Potter’s interest in bridging the urban-rural divide within Illinois isn’t the only example of CTU using IFT to advance its radical agenda. The tight tie between IFT and CTU is also exhibited in the disproportionate 60% of local affiliate spending CTU received from IFT in 2024, even though most IFT members are not Chicago Public School teachers. Not to mention, CTU President Stacy Davis Gates, whose tenure has been rocked by scandals, is the executive vice president of IFT.

While Granite City teachers are not preparing for contract negotiations this year, 52 other districts are. They are ripe for CTU targeting.

CTU has said it has an opening to bridge the gap between urban and rural Illinois by imposing its radical agenda on school districts, which means CTU plans to impact teacher contract negotiations. Parents and leaders in those 52 districts need to watch for CTU infiltration.