The Chicago Teachers Union is suing a former top adviser to Mayor Lori Lightfoot and a “Jane Doe” over their alleged interference in the May election of union officers.
Lisa Schneider-Fabes and the unnamed defendant “deceptively sought to influence the outcome of that election for an improper purpose — namely to attempt to put in place at the Chicago Teachers Union a leadership that has a friendlier relationship with city leaders,” according to the lawsuit filed Thursday in Cook County Circuit Court.
When asked if Jane Doe is the mayor herself, CTU attorney Michael Persoon said, “We think that there’s a conspiracy to intervene unlawfully and interfere with the normal democratic processes of the Chicago Teachers Union, and we’re going to take all efforts to discover the extent of that conspiracy. Whatever the results of that investigation are, we’ll follow that, just like any prosecutor, like the U.S. attorney would do.”
Last month, union leaders discovered Schneider-Fabes was behind a targeted social media campaign waged by Chicago Teachers United. On its website, the group promoted itself as “an independent organization that believes teachers deserve strong union leadership that supports efforts to ensure great outcomes for our children and to protect wages and benefits for our teachers.”
The union lawsuit alleges Chicago Teachers United is a “front organization working to make mischief within Chicago Teachers Union for the political and personal benefit of Mayor Lori Lightfoot.”
Chicago Teachers United, which noted it is “not authorized by any candidate committee,” encouraged visitors of its site to go to the Members First Caucus website and learn about its candidates, who are challenging the current CTU leaders. The Chicago Teachers United website was recently deactivated, Internet archive records show.
Schneider-Fabes issued a statement to the Tribune Thursday: “While Chicago Teachers United has not had the opportunity to review any legal action CTU may file, it has acted at all times consistent with applicable law. Prior to CTU’s announcement, Chicago Teachers United already permanently ceased all operations to avoid any further distractions from the important issues facing CPS and its staff, students and parents.”
The mayor’s office said Thursday she “has had no involvement in any internal union election.”
Persoon pointed to an alleged job posting for an executive director to begin working with Chicago Teachers United in March.
“It seems that they still have ongoing operations,” Persoon said. “And from my investigation, the only thing that Chicago Teachers United existed to do was to interfere with Chicago Teachers Union elections. So until and unless we get an unequivocal statement, and probably a court order enforcing that, that Ms. Schneider-Fabes and her organization are never, ever, ever going to interfere with Chicago Teachers Union elections, we need to press the lawsuit.”
The union’s governing body — the 600-member House of Delegates — passed a resolution last month condemning outside interference in union elections. The union has about 25,000 members.
CTU’s leaders — including President Jesse Sharkey and Vice President Stacy Davis Gates — hail from the Caucus of Rank and File Educators. The Members First Caucus announced a challenge to the CORE group in January.
In a statement Thursday, Members First said it “stands against outside interference in our internal election. Stacy Davis Gates and her caucus have hurt so many Chicago families and union members with the toxic environment they created. That is why union members want change and we don’t need any outside groups to help us deliver that change to the CTU.”
The union says its rules prohibit candidates for office from accepting or using contributions of money or anything of value (such as facilities, equipment or supplies) received from people who are not Chicago Teachers Union members. Federal labor law says employers may not contribute funds, directly or indirectly, in support of the candidacy of any person for union office under any conditions.
Schneider-Fabes resigned from Lightfoot’s administration months after the mayor’s 2019 election as the city’s watchdog investigated the arrangement that allowed Schneider-Fabes to collect a taxpayer-funded paycheck while she lived in Wilmette. She is a Wilmette School District 39 board member.
In its suit, the union is claiming contract interference, civil conspiracy and unfair competition under the Illinois Deceptive Trade Practices Act. The union is asking a judge to order the defendants and those acting in concert with them to stop providing support to union candidates or maintaining deceptive websites that would lead a person to believe the information published was from the Chicago Teachers Union.
Union leaders have had a contentious relationship with Lightfoot since she assumed office nearly three years ago. The latest bitter battle was over the union’s demands for more COVID-19 protections at the peak of the omicron surge in January. The district canceled classes for five days as the two sides hammered out a safety agreement.
Then, last week, Chicago Public Schools moved to a mask-optional policy despite a provision in the union deal for universal masking. CTU said the district relaxed the mask requirements unilaterally, without bargaining. Union leaders blamed Lightfoot and took their case to a state labor panel. A hearing is scheduled for April after the union lost a request last week for an emergency injunction.
The union’s May 20 election is shaping up to be the most competitive in years. Several challengers have come forward in recent months. Besides Members First, the Real Caucus and Change the Conversation have announced their candidate slates.
Sharkey said Thursday Change the Conversation is tied to Educators for Excellence, a national organization the union alleges in its suit wants to “implement contract changes including negotiating a ‘thin’ contract that would undermine members’ existing rights.” Educators for Excellence, which is not a defendant in the suit, did not immediately return a Tribune request for comment, nor did a Change the Conversation representative.
In the 2019 election, the CORE group defeated Members First with 66% of the vote. Sharkey announced last month he is not seeking re-election.
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Tribune’s Gregory Pratt contributed.
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