Old Guard Challenged in College Union Election
By Bill Naegele
The revolution is spreading to the Chicago City Colleges. Inspired by the victory of Debbie Walsh, a small group of classroom teachers and support personnel, led by Dennis Dryzga, a Local 1600 Vice-president, is challenging President for Life Norman Swenson and his Union Progress Coalition (UPC) for all officer and convention delegate positions of the Cook County College Teachers Union (AFT Local 1600). The CCCTU represents over 3000 faculty and support personnel at the City Colleges of Chicago as well as at Community Colleges throughout Cook County. Swenson is best known for having served time in Cook County jail for violating a judge's order to end a strike in the early 1970's.
Does any of this sound familiar? Mayor Richie appoints Ron Gidwitz, a millionaire businessman with little or no background in education, to be Chairman of the City College Board. Gidwitz attempts to run the City Colleges according to the "business model" that made his cosmetics company successful. The one thing standing in his way is the Union contract. Late at night while the CPS Miracle Management Team is pushing House Bill 206 (Section 4.5) through the State Legislature, Gidwitz calls some Republican buddies in the State Senate and has them add the City Colleges to the CPS "reform" Act. Goodbye bargaining rights for union teachers and educational workers in the City Colleges.
Gidwitz is rewarded for his union busting activities by being appointed head of the Illinois State Board of Education and the Mayor appoints James Tyree, the boss at Meisrow Financial Services, Chairman of the Board. Another millionaire businessman with little or no educational background is now running the City Colleges. His "Miracle Plan" consists mainly of privatization. Loyal union employees in the business and accounting offices are replaced by lower paid workers employed by a company run by one of the Mayor's cronies. The next atrocity will occur at the March Board meeting when all the counselors are expected to be replaced by lower paid non-faculty "registration specialists". The students at the City Colleges, a majority of whom are from low or middle income and minority backgrounds, will have no access to the many services, both personal and academic, that qualified union faculty with decades of experience routinely provide. The counselors will be out of a job!
In the meantime, Swenson negotiated a contract that included many givebacks, increased workload for many employees, and created a two-tiered wage scale that will force new faculty to work more for less salary. Swenson's excuse was the Amendatory Reform Act. The contract passed by a slim margin despite sentiment among faculty for a strike. Since the contract took effect the Board has been swinging the ax, further depleting the teaching corps. The Union response has been to conduct business as usual and blame House Bill 206.
Swenson and his cronies run meetings of the Union House of Representatives in a dictatorial fashion. Delegates are treated to hours of Officer's Reports, followed by motions dictated by his Officers, followed by a quick motion to adjourn. Dissent or debate from the floor is discouraged and ridiculed.
Dennis Dryzga is promising to return to the democratic principles upon which the union was founded. Swenson, who hasn't taught a class in 30 years, is a full-time president with all the power of incumbency that was enjoyed by Tom Reece. His handpicked Chair of the Election Committee has done his best to make it difficult for the Democratic Independent Union Progress Coalition (DI-UPC, pronounced "Die UPC") to get their message out. Members of Dryzga's slate work in the schools all day and campaign in their spare time. The election is being conducted by mail by Project LEAP. When it became apparent the DI-UPC was gaining momentum the ballots were mailed out early effectively ending the campaign.
Will the Union teachers and other educational employees in the Colleges vote with the same fortitude, courage, and, yes, anger demonstrated by the members of Local 1'? It is David vs. Goliath. Only time will tell. The ballots are scheduled to be counted on March 12. Stay tuned.
Bill Naegele is a former math teacher and Union delegate from` Marshall High School. He now serves as president of the South Suburban College Faculty Association.
This article appears in the March edition of Substance. Reprinted with the author's permission.