The Chicago Teachers Union adopted a resolution on March 11 encouraging members to take part in a day of collective action on May 1 and accusing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee of flooding Illinois elections with “dark money.”
The resolution, approved during the union’s House of Delegates meeting, calls for a “Day of Civic Action” on May Day, when educators will lead civic education, participate in voter registration and mass-resistance training.
It calls AIPAC a “right-wing authoritarian” donor that is “flooding our election system with dark money,” argues that students and educators need expanded “political education,” and criticizes U.S. foreign policy toward Iran.
The union called on the mayor and school board to allow an excused absence for participating students.
“With the president trying to pave his way to absolute power, using our school budgets for his illegal wars and kickbacks to his billionaire friends, our students and our co-workers need us to show up and show the power of labor and community in coalition,” the union stated.
The resolution comes just days after the union sponsored a protest on March 7, calling for “hands off Iran and Lebanon.”
