President Jesse Sharkey is stepping down but his slate will retain power.
Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Stacy Davis Gates speaks as the CTU and the local school council held a news conference on Sept. 28, 2021, outside Jensen Elementary School in North Lawndale.of the union Friday following a months-long, hard-fought battle against two challengers to succeed outgoing president Jesse Sharkey.
The REAL Caucus was formed out of discontent with January’s work stoppage. Members First, meanwhile, was created years ago by members calling for more transparency in union activity. Led Sharkey, CORE easily defeated Members First in the last election, in 2019, with about two-thirds of the vote.he will step down when his term is up at the end of June. He threw his support behind Davis Gates, a former high school history teacher and CTU political director.
The CORE slate rose to power in 2010 with the late Karen Lewis as president. Under CORE’s leadership, the union also went on strike in 2012.