Podcasts about ctu speaks

BrownTown brings back Damon A. Williams and Daniel Kisslinger of Respair Production & Media, a movement journalism and media hub creating and supporting the media needed to reshape culture toward liberation. The double duos discuss the creation, process, and impact of their half hour experimental documentary One Million Experiments (2023). Stewarded by Interrupting Criminalization and built out of AirGo's podcast series of the same name, the film showcases a collection of community-based safety projects that explore how we define and create wellness and reduce harm in a world without police and prisons. This is the inaugural episode of a new BnB series entitled “The Wrap Up” which invites collaborators and community partners to take a behind the scenes look at SoapBox films, unpacking the nuts and bolts while thinking more deeply about power, struggle, and storytelling. Once again, let's get meta! Originally recorded April 2025. GUESTSDamon and Daniel are the Founders of Respair Production & Media, and the Creators of AirGo. Respair Production and Media is a movement journalism and media hub creating and supporting the media needed to reshape culture toward liberation. AirGo is the flagship show of Respair, the podcast features over 300 episodes of conversations reshaping the culture of Chicago and beyond for the more liberatory and creative.Damon A. Williams is a movement builder, organizer, hip-hop performing artist, educator and media maker from the South Side of Chicago. He is the Co-Founder of the #LetUsBreathe Collective, an artistic activist organization birthed out of supply trips to support the Ferguson uprising in resistance to the murder of Mike Brown. The Collective operates The #BreathingRoom Space, a Black-led liberation space for arts, organizing, and healing on Chicago's South Side. In honor of his leadership, Damon been named a TIME Magazine's 2020 Guardian of the Year, a Field Foundation 2021 Leader for a New Chicago, a Margaret Burroughs Fellow by the UIC Social Justice Initiative's Portal Project, and a Power of Cash Narrative Change Fellow by Economic Security of Illinois. Follow Damon on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.Daniel Kisslinger is a Chicago-based host and producer who creates dialogue-based media showcasing the stories, voices, and artworks of communities challenging power, reconfiguring public life, and reimagining our world. An Anthem Award-winning filmmaker, Lisagor Award-winning journalist, and twice Webby-nominated podcast producer, Daniel has also been named an Artist Fellow as part of the UIC Social Justice Initiative's Portal Project, as well as a Power of Cash Narrative Change Fellow by Economic Security of Illinois. His words have been featured in NY Times bestseller We Do This ‘Til We Free Us and The New Normal, a salon journal published by The Hoodoisie. Daniel has been the Executive Producer of the Poetry Foundation's acclaimed VS podcast, and editor of CTU Speaks!, a podcast produced by the Chicago Teachers Union. He also works as a consultant helping organizations, individuals, and companies build humanizing, subject-to-subject podcasts from scratch. Follow Daniel on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.Mentioned in episode:Ep. 34 - Movement Media ft. Damon Williams & Daniel Kisslinger of AirGoSubmit your experiment!Tom Callahan's film Remembering WaterMalik Alim & The Breathing Room (1, 2, 3)Freedom Square#NoCopAcademy campaign and filmRemembering RonnieManPeople's Grab ‘n' Go (1, 2, 3) which is now Market BoxFollow Respair on Instagram, Facebook, and Bluesky. Follow AirGo on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and listen to them on Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts!--CREDITS: Intro music Family Still by Matt Muse and outro music Messy Moments by Damon A. Williams. Episode photo by Qurissy Lopez. Audio engineered by Kiera Battles and Kassandra Borah. Production assistance by Jamie Price.--Bourbon 'n BrownTownFacebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | PatreonSoapBox Productions and Organizing, 501(c)3Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Support

Originally released October 8, 2022 On this week's show: An update on the Case New Holland strike from the Work Stoppage podcast. Then, reports from two education-focused podcasts: from AFT In Action, a conversation highlighting the advantages that a strong labor-management relationship can have on working conditions and student learning; and, from CTU Speaks! co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros talk with Lauren Bianchi and Chuck Stark, two teachers at Washington High School that Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot sought to fire this past summer. Their crime? Teaching their students about the city's plan to move the toxic metal shredding corporation General Iron from wealthy Lincoln Park to the Southeast Side, which has already suffered more pollution and toxic industry than almost any other region of Chicago. Do you get lost in all the mumbo jumbo of incentives for developers and wonder what they cost taxpayers, local government, school districts and even the public library? This week on the Heartland Labor Forum, the basics of TIFS and Star Bonds and other ways we subsidize builders. Our last segment comes from 43-15: A Labor Lab Podcast: when tour guides at Yellowstone National Park started unionizing to bargain for higher wages, a consistent work schedule, and better housing conditions, they were quickly fired. We'll hear from Ty Wheeler, one of the fired tour guides. Please help us build sonic solidarity by clicking on the share button below. Highlights from labor radio and podcast shows around the country, part of the national Labor Radio Podcast Network of shows focusing on working people's issues and concerns. #LaborRadioPod @AFLCIO @WorkStoppagePod @AFTCT @CtuSpeaks @Heartland_Labor @LaborLabUS Edited by Patrick Dixon, produced by Chris Garlock; social media guru Mr. Harold Phillips.

On this episode of CTU Speaks!, co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros bring a crew into the studio from the We Care New Teachers/Clinicians Coaching and Mentoring Program, which is a union-led, CTU initiative in partnership with CPS. We Care provides mentoring and support to educators in their first three years to help them navigate the various challenges that come with starting out in a new profession. Virtual instructional coach Tiffany Watkins and her mentees Lynne Taylor and Duwuana Buice are joined by Tara Stamps, who sometimes co-hosts this podcast but in this case is also a guest, since she's the CTU staffer who oversees the We Care program. We Care's aim is to help educators improve their practice while also helping them steer clear of the burnout that drags down too many of us. Check out this episode to find out more about what the CTU is doing to help train and retain a new generation of teachers.

On this episode of CTU Speaks!, co-hosts Tara Stamps and Jim Staros invite David Stovall, professor of criminology, law, and justice at the University of Illinois-Chicago, into the studio for a discussion of the outlandish things Paul Vallas has said about teaching Black history. This is an informative deep dive into the explicit and not-so-explicit appeals to white supremacy that Vallas employs and the larger meaning of these attacks on teaching Black history.

On this episode of CTU Speaks!, co-hosts Tara Stamps and Jim Staros welcome three out-of-town guests to our Chicago studio to discuss the devastation that Paul Vallas wrought in the cities where they live. Shakeda Gaines is an education activist and advocate from Philadelphia, Melissa Francis is a parent union organizer with Step Up for Action in New Orleans, and Troylynn Sledge is also an activist with Step Up for Action. They share their accounts of what Paul Vallas did to their schools and communities when he came to town.

On this episode of CTU Speaks!, co-hosts Tara Stamps and Jim Staros speak with two active and one retired teacher about Chicago mayoral candidate Paul Vallas and his time as CEO of Chicago Public Schools. Nina Hike is currently a chemistry teacher at Westinghouse College Prep, who as a second-year teacher found herself laid off alongside many other Black staff at Rezin Orr High School when then-CPS CEO Vallas imposed a “reconstitution” scheme there. Nora Flanagan is an English teacher at Northside College Prep who as a grad student studied how CEO Vallas' emphasis on testing hurt Black and Brown students as well as the dog-whistle appeals to white supremacy that he has used in his campaign for mayor. And Howard Heath is a retired math and science teacher who spent most of his time at Lane Tech and today serves as the functional vice president of the CTU's retiree chapter. Back when Vallas was CPS CEO, Howard was CTU vice president and recalls how Vallas shortchanged the teachers' pension fund and is thus responsible for today's pension issues.

On this episode of CTU Speaks!, co-hosts Tara Stamps and Jim Staros speak with Ald. Jeanette Taylor, Ald. Rossana Rodriguez, and Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa about their vision for a Chicago that works for those who work for a living. Beyond that, these three dynamic elected officials lay out what's at stake in the February 28 election. The discussion takes up the ongoing debate about public health and safety in Chicago, Candidate Lightfoot versus Mayor Lightfoot, and the ugly implications of a Paul Vallas mayorship. If you are looking for spicy takes on the mayor's race, you don't want to miss this episode!

In this episode of CTU Speaks!, co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros speak with guests Daniria Dukes and Jen Conant about the CTU's ongoing contract campaigns with 12 different charter operators. Daniria is a special education apprentice at Daniel Zizumbo Elementary, vice president for PSRPs, and the bargaining representative for her campus. Jen is in her 11th year as a math teacher at CICS North Town Academy and the chair of the CTU's charter division. They discuss what the main issues are in negotiations, what the stakes are for the students they teach, and how the outcome will affect CPS district teachers. Join the picket for the CTU's charter educators at their next contract campaign action at 5050 S. Homan on Wednesday, February 8, at 5:30 pm. You can also attend the Acero Board meeting immediately afterwards at 6 pm to show your support. Want to be part of the conversation? Send your comments to the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888 and leaving a voicemail that we can use in the show!

Three educators, three CTU members, three candidates for a Chicago that its residents deserve. In this episode, co-hosts Tara Stamps and Jim Staros speak with mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson, 36th ward candidate Lori Torres, and 50th ward candidate Mueze Bawany about what running for office means to them. Each of these educators have based their political program on their experiences of classroom teaching and an acute sense of what their school communities need. Here, CTU Speaks! delves into the issues and strategies they advocate for remaking Chicago into a city that meets more than the needs of the superrich and the ruling political establishment they have erected. For more information about the candidates endorsed by the CTU, go to ctulocal1.org/vote, and to get involved, go to ctulocal1.org/volunteer

Teacher evaluations could be a valuable part of helping educators get better at their craft. But that's not how they work at Mayor Lightfoot's CPS. Instead, they chiefly reflect whether a given school gets the resources it needs — or not. That's why a great teacher getting great ratings at a selective enrollment school can suddenly find that their ratings dip considerably when they move to a school that isn't showered with adequate classroom supplies, a rich curriculum, and top-notch facilities. In today's episode, co-hosts Andrea Parker and Tara Stamps talk with CTU Research Director Pavlyn Jankov to unpack how REACH ends up punishing rather than lifting up teachers, disproportionately striking at those educators of color who daily teach students coming into their buildings with the highest needs. Want to be part of the conversation? Send your comments to the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888 and leaving a voicemail that we can use in the show!

In this episode of CTU Speaks!, Tara Stamps sits in for Andrea Parker as co-host alongside Jim Staros to talk with Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, who is a professor in the Department of African American Studies at Northwestern University. Prof. Taylor, who frequently writes and speaks about Black politics, racial inequality, and social movements, recently penned an article titled "Who's Left Out of the Learning-Loss Debate" for the New Yorker. Her article explains how the concept of "learning loss" is being weaponized to target teachers unions and educators. The purveyors of the idea of "learning loss" assert that the desire of educators to stay safe — and the decision of predominantly Black and Brown parents to keep their kids home while their communities bore the brunt of death and loss — is to blame rather than the massive disruption to social and civic life caused by the pandemic itself. Prof. Taylor also discusses what is needed to address the deep inequity that stalked public schools in Chicago and across the country even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the article "Who's Left Out of the Learning-Loss Debate" - https://www.newyorker.com/news/essay/whos-left-out-of-the-learning-loss-debate Want to be part of the conversation? Send your comments to the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888 and leaving a voicemail that we can use in the show!

In this episode of CTU Speaks!, co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros talk with CTU PAC chair Kimberly Walls-Kirk and State Sen. Robert Peters about the November 8 ballot measure to include workers' rights in the Illinois Constitution. The measure would add the right to collectively bargain over wages, conditions, and workplace safety to the Illinois Bill of Rights. Predictably, right-wing extremists are campaigning against the measure because they are warriors against any effort to rein in corporate power, so our guests make the case for mobilizing a big "yes" vote on November 8. We also get into the Illinois Network of Charter Schools' (INCS) decision to bankroll a series of racist mailers against the elimination of cash bail. Apparently, they think only those with money should have the right to be free until proven guilty. For more information about voting on November 8 including a full list of CTU's endorsements, go to ctulocal1.org/vote​. Want to be part of the conversation? Send your comments to the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888 and leaving a voicemail that we can use in the show!

On this week's show: An update on the Case New Holland strike from the Work Stoppage podcast. Then, reports from two education-focused podcasts: from AFT In Action, a conversation highlighting the advantages that a strong labor-management relationship can have on working conditions and student learning; and, from CTU Speaks! co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros talk with Lauren Bianchi and Chuck Stark, two teachers at Washington High School that Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot sought to fire this past summer. Their crime? Teaching their students about the city's plan to move the toxic metal shredding corporation General Iron from wealthy Lincoln Park to the Southeast Side, which has already suffered more pollution and toxic industry than almost any other region of Chicago. Do you get lost in all the mumbo jumbo of incentives for developers and wonder what they cost taxpayers, local government, school districts and even the public library? This week on the Heartland Labor Forum, the basics of TIFS and Star Bonds and other ways we subsidize builders. Our last segment comes from 43-15: A Labor Lab Podcast: when tour guides at Yellowstone National Park started unionizing to bargain for higher wages, a consistent work schedule, and better housing conditions, they were quickly fired. We'll hear from Ty Wheeler, one of the fired tour guides. Please help us build sonic solidarity by clicking on the share button below. Highlights from labor radio and podcast shows around the country, part of the national Labor Radio Podcast Network of shows focusing on working people's issues and concerns. #LaborRadioPod @AFLCIO @WorkStoppagePod @AFTCT @CtuSpeaks @Heartland_Labor @LaborLabUS Edited by Patrick Dixon, produced by Chris Garlock; social media guru Mr. Harold Phillips.

In this episode of CTU Speaks! co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros talk with Lauren Bianchi and Chuck Stark, two teachers at Washington High School that CPS sought to terminate this past summer. Their crime? Teaching their students about the city's plan to move the toxic metal shredding corporation General Iron from wealthy Lincoln Park to the Southeast Side, which has already suffered more pollution and toxic industry than almost any other region of Chicago. CPS actually requires teachers to provide “culturally relevant” curriculum to their students, but when Chuck and Lauren's students put those ideas into action and organized protests targeting the mayor, the mayor sought to retaliate against these teachers for their support of this grassroots movement. When it came time for the Board to vote on CPS' recommendation to fire these dedicated teachers, however, the Board refused to do so, voting unanimously to keep these teachers in the system. In this episode, we unpack what it took to get justice for these teachers. As always, please share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888.

In this episode of CTU Speaks!, cohosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros talk with Chris Goff from the American Federation of Teachers about student loan debt. The three of them discuss how student debt has ballooned out of control, and how the AFT sued the federal government over unscrupulous and predatory practices to help borrowers attain some debt relief. They also explain what members can do about their own debt and review some of the resources out there to assist them in the process. As always, please share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888. • Information about Summer, the online resource for AFT members that harnesses the expertise of public policy experts to optimize borrower options. This is also where you can create your own AFT Member Benefits account to access the free Summer benefit - https://www.aft.org/benefits/Summer • Tutorial on how to create an AFT Member Benefits account - https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/media/2021/how-to-register-members-only-benefits.pdf • Forgive My Student Debt webpage (co-hosted with AFSCME, AAUP, and the Student Borrower Protection Center) - https://www.forgivemystudentdebt.org/ • Registration link for AFT's Thursday Student Debt Clinic webinar (every Thursday at 6 pm CT) - https://cvent.me/17XZka

In this episode of CTU Speaks!, co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros talk with CTU President Stacy Davis Gates and Vice President Jackson Potter about their vision for the CTU in the coming year and beyond. They review some of the accomplishments of prior CTU Presidents Karen Lewis and Jesse Sharkey and then dive into their goals as the new leadership of the CTU. And they place the challenge of negotiating a new contract in the context of the broader struggle for a just Chicago. As President Davis Gates has been saying: "#AllGasNoBrakes". Want to be part of the conversation? Send your comments to the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888 and leaving a voicemail that we can use in the show!

On the Working People podcast -- a podcast by, for, and about the working class today, produced in partnership with In These Times magazine -- three UPS drivers talk about 150 degree heat conditions and what their demands are. From the TWU Air Division Podcast -- updates and current news about what's happening in the Transport Workers Union Airline Division -- Brian and Gary Peterson discuss the Jetblue-Spirit acquisition. On Empathy Media Labs' Labor Solidarity Podcast: Organizing the newsroom with labor journalist Hamilton Nolan. Empathy Media Labs is a publishing house, an artist studio, and an event space, focusing on labor, political economy, art and culture. And on The Solidarity Podcast -- the official podcast of Teamsters Local 769 in Miami, Florida -- Bez shares news about contract ratifications, a steward training seminar, a UPS day of action, and the Local 769 Scholarship Fund. On the CTU Speaks podcast, from the Chicago Teachers Union: Andrea and Jim talk to two rank and filers, Lori Torres and Tammie Vinson, about the recent AFT National Convention. And on 3rd & Fairfax, the podcast from the Writers Guild of America West: Amy Schumer discusses her writing process and how she got her new show, Life & Beth, on the air. This is your Network, and we're building it like a union organizing campaign, one show and one listener at a time; please help us build sonic solidarity by sharing this show; just click on the share button below. Thanks so much! Highlights from labor radio and podcast shows around the country, part of the national Labor Radio Podcast Network of shows focusing on working people's issues and concerns. #LaborRadioPod @AFLCIO @WorkingPod @transportworker @empathymedialab @TLU769 @CtuSpeaks @WGAWest Edited by Patrick Dixon and Mel Smith, produced by Chris Garlock; social media guru Mr. Harold Phillips.

In this episode of CTU Speaks!, co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros talk with two rank-and-file members — Lori Torres and Tammie Vinson — about their experience at the AFT National Convention in Boston. Lori and Tammie discuss their time at the conference, resolutions passed at the national level, and why that matters to CTU members. They also talk about the impact of CTU's social-justice unionism on the national education labor movement and how members can get more involved in making a difference in their own schools and in the union as a whole. As always, please share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888.

In this episode, CTU Speaks! co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros welcome Jesse Sharkey onto the show to discuss his recent announcement not to seek re-election as president of the Chicago Teachers Union. They look back at what the CTU looked like when Jesse became vice president under then CTU President Karen Lewis, and they reflect on what the CTU did to re-shape the entire debate about public education — in Chicago and beyond. And Jim and Andrea grill Jesse about what comes next after president, including where he might teach and if he plans to become a delegate again! As always, please share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888.

On this week's show, economist Richard Wolff talks with The Heartland Labor Forum about who's really to blame for inflation (hint, it's not the usual suspects)…What happens when teachers are out sick or on quarantine and there's a dire shortage of subs? We find out from the CTU Speaks podcast…On the Belabored podcast, Steve Viscelli discusses his new book The Big Rig: Trucking and the Decline of the American Dream…RadioLabour reports on women's use of WhatsApp to fight abuse…From the Union Dues podcast, author of “The Great Post Office Scandal” Nick Wallis explains the Horizon IT scandal and its' ramifications for the future. Highlights from labor radio and podcast shows around the country, part of the national Labor Radio Podcast Network of shows focusing on working people's issues and concerns. #LaborRadioPod @AFLCIO @Heartland_Labor @CtuSpeaks @DissentMag @radiolabour @DuesUnion Edited by Patrick Dixon, Mel Smith and Chris Garlock; produced by Chris Garlock; social media guru Mr. Harold Phillips.

In this episode of CTU Speaks!, cohosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros talk with CTU Chief of Staff Jen Johnson about the new safety agreement with CPS. They break down what's good and what's not so good about it as well as some of the safety resources on the CTU's website, including this chart tracking implementation of key aspects of the agreement. Then we turn to a discussion with substitute teacher Burma Green and CTU staffer Georgia Waller about the dire shortage of subs available to fill in when teachers are out sick or on quarantine. And they talk about the new campaign being launched by the CTU to honor substitutes. We're calling it the “There is no substitute for a great substitute” campaign. As always, please share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888.

On this week's show, school is back in session and, most importantly, in-person. Andrea and Jim from CTU Speaks interview the Chicago Teachers Union's President Jesse Sharkey and Vice President Stacy Davis Gates on how they are feeling about the return of students to school as both CTU union members and CPS parents. From The Florida Education Association's Educating from the Heart podcast we hear from Elizabeth Rasmussen, a high-school history teacher of fourteen years. She touches on how the pandemic and political climate has changed the way she thinks about teaching and her own pedagogy.  In union news on  America's Workforce Radio, UAW Local 2110 President Maida Rosenstein talks about her work with unionizing museums and other cultural institutions within the context of the pandemic.  Another exemplary union leader from the latest AFT in Action, is Leah Ralls. Currently, she serves as president of the Windham NAACP, but in this interview, Leah recounts her efforts to organize her community against the closure of the Hartford Healthcare's maternity ward last year. Showcasing one of our newer shows is On the Job from Australia. On this episode hosts Francis and Sally, with journalist Kristine Ziwica examine the phenomenon of how when a job that has historically been worked by women shifts to be dominated by men, pay tends to go up and vice versa. Welcome guys from down under! We then will take a quick break to hear a short promo on the Grit NW's paintball battle line up. Next, Labor Express Radio where Jerry chats with another Labor Radio Podcast Network host, Avery Bernard from The Amazon. They touch briefly on Avery's experience with Amazon and how to handle its influence on the labor movement in the future. From the Archives of the Heartland Labor Forum, is an interview with the actor Ed Asner, most noted for his role as Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, died earlier this week. In this archived episode from 2013, he talks to Judy Ancel about the real reason Lou Grant got cancelled and his connection to the labor movement in the US and Latin America.  Finally, director Tom McCarthy is featured on the Director's Cut. His new film, Stillwater, stars Matt Damon as an oil-rigger from Oklahoma who travels to Marseille, France to help exonerate his daughter who is accused of killing her roommate. On the podcast McCarhty discusses how he tried to authentically capture a working class experience in the movie.  Highlights from labor radio and podcast shows around the country, part of the national Labor Radio Podcast Network of shows focusing on working people's issues and concerns. #LaborRadioPod @AFLCIO @duesunion @WorkingPod @RickSmithShow @checkoutradio @DCLabor @fairworldprj @mgevaart @AWFUnionPodcast @BC_LHC Edited by Patrick Dixon and Melanie Smith; produced by Chris Garlock; social media guru: Harold Phillips with Mel Smith.

This episode of CTU Speaks! has co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros speaking with CTU President Jesse Sharkey and CTU Vice President Stacy Davis Gates about what the new school year might bring for educators, students, and parents in Chicago. The recent surge in COVID cases among young people is creating a wave of anxiety about school openings, not just here but across the country. CPS continues to drag its feet at the table as they unilaterally attempt to roll back last year's health and safety protocols. That means, as Jesse and Stacy explain, it will be critical for CTU members to build a robust safety committee in every school to identify problems and demand solutions when issues arise. As always, please share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888. For more information about safety committees, go to ctulocal1.org/safety. To sign up for upcoming safety committee training sessions, go to ctulocal1.org/training.

  The Teamsters Podcast; Belabored; The Voice of Oregon's Workers; CTU Speaks; Solidarity Breakfast; Trailblazers, Inc.; 3rd and Fairfax: The WGAW Podcast; Tales of the Resistance; LRPN Profiles   Joe Biden talks about building for the future on the Teamsters podcast; what rising U.S.-China tensions mean for workers and the labor movement in both countries, from the Belabored podcast; On The Voice of Oregon's Workers, a look at Oregon's growing union movement; CTU Speaks talks with longtime educator and activist Tara Stamps; the Solidarity Breakfast podcast reports on the lockout at the Collingwood Community Gardens; on Trailblazers, Inc. Kayla Vander Moler shares her experiences as a boilermaker; writer, actor, producer, and stand-up comic Iliza Schlesinger talks about the hard work of comedy with 3rd and Fairfax, the podcast from the Writers Guild of America West; from the San Francisco Mime Troupe's new radio drama, we get a taste of Episode 1 of Tales of the Resistance. This week's Labor Radio Podcast Network profile from Empathy Media Lab is a visit with Maximillian Alvarez, host of the Working People podcast. Bonus track: Organizing During Wartime on today's Labor History in 2:00. Highlights from labor radio and podcast shows around the country, part of the national Labor Radio Podcast Network of shows focusing on working people's issues and concerns.   #LaborRadioPod @AFLCIO @WorkingPod @Teamsters @DissentMag @CtuSpeaks @3CRsolidarity @empathymedialab @WGAWest @ILLaborHistory   Edited by Patrick Dixon and Melanie Smith; produced by Chris Garlock; social media guru: Harold Phillips.

Joe Biden talks about building for the future on the Teamsters podcast; what rising U.S.-China tensions mean for workers and the labor movement in both countries, from the Belabored podcast; On The Voice of Oregon's Workers, a look at Oregon's growing union movement; CTU Speaks talks with longtime educator and activist Tara Stamps; the Solidarity Breakfast podcast reports on the lockout at the Collingwood Community Gardens; on Trailblazers, Inc. Kayla Vander Moler shares her experiences as a boilermaker; writer, actor, producer, and stand-up comic Iliza Schlesinger talks about the hard work of comedy with 3rd and Fairfax, the podcast from the Writers Guild of America West; from the San Francisco Mime Troupe's new radio drama, we get a taste of Episode 1 of Tales of the Resistance. This week's Labor Radio Podcast Network profile from Empathy Media Lab is a visit with Maximillian Alvarez, host of the Working People podcast. Bonus track: Organizing During Wartime on today's Labor History in 2:00. Highlights from labor radio and podcast shows around the country, part of the national Labor Radio Podcast Network of shows focusing on working people's issues and concerns. #LaborRadioPod @AFLCIO @WorkingPod @Teamsters @DissentMag @CtuSpeaks @3CRsolidarity @empathymedialab @WGAWest @ILLaborHistory Edited by Patrick Dixon and Melanie Smith; produced by Chris Garlock; social media guru: Harold Phillips

Joe Biden talks about building for the future on the Teamsters podcast; what rising U.S.-China tensions mean for workers and the labor movement in both countries, from the Belabored podcast; On The Voice of Oregon's Workers, a look at Oregon's growing union movement; CTU Speaks talks with longtime educator and activist Tara Stamps; the Solidarity Breakfast podcast reports on the lockout at the Collingwood Community Gardens; on Trailblazers, Inc. Kayla Vander Moler shares her experiences as a boilermaker; writer, actor, producer, and stand-up comic Iliza Schlesinger talks about the hard work of comedy with 3rd and Fairfax, the podcast from the Writers Guild of America West; from the San Francisco Mime Troupe's new radio drama, we get a taste of Episode 1 of Tales of the Resistance. This week's Labor Radio Podcast Network profile from Empathy Media Lab is a visit with Maximillian Alvarez, host of the Working People podcast. Bonus track: Organizing During Wartime on today's Labor History in 2:00. Highlights from labor radio and podcast shows around the country, part of the national Labor Radio Podcast Network of shows focusing on working people's issues and concerns. #LaborRadioPod @AFLCIO @WorkingPod @Teamsters @DissentMag @CtuSpeaks @3CRsolidarity @empathymedialab @WGAWest @ILLaborHistory Edited by Patrick Dixon and Melanie Smith; produced by Chris Garlock; social media guru: Harold Phillips

Joe Biden talks about building for the future on the Teamsters podcast; what rising U.S.-China tensions mean for workers and the labor movement in both countries, from the Belabored podcast; On The Voice of Oregon's Workers, a look at Oregon's growing union movement; CTU Speaks talks with longtime educator and activist Tara Stamps; the Solidarity Breakfast podcast reports on the lockout at the Collingwood Community Gardens; on Trailblazers, Inc. Kayla Vander Moler shares her experiences as a boilermaker; writer, actor, producer, and stand-up comic Iliza Schlesinger talks about the hard work of comedy with 3rd and Fairfax, the podcast from the Writers Guild of America West; from the San Francisco Mime Troupe's new radio drama, we get a taste of Episode 1 of Tales of the Resistance. This week's Labor Radio Podcast Network profile from Empathy Media Lab is a visit with Maximillian Alvarez, host of the Working People podcast. Bonus track: Organizing During Wartime on today's Labor History in 2:00. Highlights from labor radio and podcast shows around the country, part of the national Labor Radio Podcast Network of shows focusing on working people's issues and concerns. #LaborRadioPod @AFLCIO @WorkingPod @Teamsters @DissentMag @CtuSpeaks @3CRsolidarity @empathymedialab @WGAWest @ILLaborHistory Edited by Patrick Dixon and Melanie Smith; produced by Chris Garlock; social media guru: Harold Phillips

This episode of CTU Speaks! has co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros speaking with Tara Stamps, the longtime educator and activist who is now the CTU's Administrative Director of New Teacher Development. Tara is heading up recruitment to the "We Care New Educators and Clinicians Coaching and Mentoring Program,” which connects new educators and clinicians with veterans who can provide support to them in the early years of their teaching careers. A critical aspect of this multi-pronged effort is to recruit and retain new educators and clinicians of colors, so that CPS' majority Black and Brown student body has more opportunities to work with and look up to adults who look like them. More details and application form here: https://www.ctulocal1.org/posts/we-care-instructional-coach-applications-2021-06/ And as always, please share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888.

Teamsters Local 808 President Chris Rivera discusses the one-year anniversary of the death of George Floyd, on Work Week Radio…AFL-CIO Director of Government Affairs Bill Samuel reports on the status of the PRO Act on America's Workforce Radio…Then, from Your Rights At Work, Scabby the Rat and The Fat Cat team up to save jobs at the Strathmore Music Center just outside Washington, DC…We'll find out how community solidarity in Glasgow, Scotland stopped a forcible deportation, on the UnionDues podcast. From RadioLabour, we'll hear about the Bangladeshi garment workers fight for jobs and a living wage, and America Works returns for a second season with underwater marine diver Jim Mercer describing his year-round job checking, maintaining, and repairing commercial fishing boats in and around the port of New Bedford, Massachusetts. On CTU Speaks, we find out about the special challenges deaf students face…and from Grit NorthWest, we get insight into the role of union delegates. Our last report comes from On the Line: Stories of BC Workers, with their story of uniting Asian workers in the lumber industry. Highlights from labor radio and podcast shows around the country, part of the national Labor Radio Podcast Network of shows focusing on working people's issues and concerns. #LaborRadioPod @AFLCIO @AWFUnionPodcast @DCLabor @duesunion @radiolabour @librarycongress @CtuSpeaks @GritNw @BC_LHC Edited by Patrick Dixon, Chris Bangert-Drowns & Chris Garlock; produced by Chris Garlock; social media guru: Harold Phillips

This episode of CTU Speaks! has co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros speaking with Judy Mahoney, a clerk at Byrne Elementary who was in a terrible car accident back in 2017. The accident left Judy in a wheelchair, but as she herself put it, “‘The only thing that remains the same is my ability to work.” This discussion focuses on how Judy has overcome various obstacles in front of her, including obstacles of CPS’ own making. And after you listen to this podcast, you can check out the livestream of the full press conference where the clips featured in this episode were recorded: https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=506737340372760&ref=watch_permalink If you are interested in the CTU Summer Organizing Institute, email organizing@ctulocal1.org Get more involved with CTU on a committee: https://www.ctulocal1.org/union/committees/ And as always, please share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888.

In this episode of CTU Speaks!, Andrea and Jim talk with Kelsey Cavanaugh, an American Sign Language interpreter for CPS, and Christa Valencia, a middle-school teacher of the deaf. They discuss the many hurdles that deaf students confront at CPS — from getting placed in a school in the first place to the inequities they experience once they get there. They also talk about some potential solutions to these problems going forward. And as always, please share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888.

In this episode of CTU Speaks!, CTU President Jesse Sharkey and CTU organizer Rebecca Martinez join co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros to review the broad sweep of the campaign that finally compelled CPS to agree to a safe reopening framework. One of the most important elements of the agreement is the creation of safety committees in every school building. Jesse and Rebecca discuss how these will work and the essential role that rank-and-file members will need to play in order to make them function properly. For more information about safety committees, go to www.ctulocal1.org/safety. CTU deputy general counsel also comes on the show to give the latest update about CPS’ retreat from its heavy-handed attempt to punish teachers for (gasp!) contacting parents to let them know about unsafe conditions in the schools. As always, please subscribe to our show on whatever is your favorite podcast platform! And share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888.

This week, we start off with none other than actor Robert DeNiro, star of dozens of great movies, from Taxi Driver to Raging Bull, The Deer Hunter and, more recently, Joker and The Irishman. DeNiro appeared on The SAG-AFTRA podcast after receiving that union's highest tribute: the SAG Life Achievement Award. Then, from The Blue Collar Gospel Hour, a visit with poet, artist, community organizer, activist and farm worker Jonie McIntire. We're also really pleased to bring you a piece from The Valley Labor Report, which recently released an incredible series of in-depth interviews focused on Bolivia and why what happened there with redistribution of wealth, a coup and resistance by the labor movement, matters to us here in the U.S.  On Labor History in 2:00 we learn about the “Cordiner Doctrine,” released at the height of McCarthyism and the Second Red Scare. Then, from Labor Vision, how two organizing drives in Rhode Island turned into victories.  Our final segment this week is from the CTU Speaks podcast, and focuses on fighting for clerks and techs in Chicago public schools. Highlights from labor radio and podcast shows around the country, part of the national Labor Radio Podcast Network of shows focusing on working people's issues and concerns.  Also, check out our new weekly livestream show, available at on Facebook and YouTube, where you'll also find profiles of members of the Network. #LaborRadioPod @sagaftra @chatter_blue @LaborReporters @LaborVisionRI @CtuSpeaks @hardballpress Edited by Evan Papp and Patrick Dixon; produced by Chris Garlock; social media guru: Harold Phillips

This episode of CTU Speaks! has co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros speaking with Deanna Myron, who has worked at CPS for the last 20 years and as a CPS clerk for the last 10, as well as CTU Recording Secretary(and PSRP for Life) Christel Williams-Hayes. They talk about the arbitration victory allowing clerks and tech coordinators to work from home at least four days a week, which CPS has refused to honor in defiance of the law, public health guidance, and a basic sense of decency. Find out more about how to support the clerks and tech cos: https://www.ctulocal1.org/posts/psrp-appreciation-day-2020/ And as always, please share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888.

Labor Radio examines the unprecedented corporate misinformation campaign that led California voters to approve a landmark anti-worker ballot measure. On Building Bridges, Black Voters Matter Fund cofounder Cliff Albright on how to "increase power in our communities." Grit NorthWest is a Carpenters Union podcast and one of the newest members of the Labor Radio Podcast Network; this week they answer the question “Dude, Where's our reps?” In the wake of the horrific devastation of the Almeda Fire, the Brain Labor Report visits with contractor Anthony Kirtz about plans to clean up and rebuild with an emphasis on local jobs in Oregon's Rogue Valley. And CTU Speaks! looks back at the 2019 Chicago teachers strike, not just all that the teachers won, but all that they have yet to realize. We wrap up with two shows that feature inspiring music this week: Activate L!ve interviewed the producer and director of “Stand!”, the movie musical which premieres December 1 in 46 states across the country; and the San Francisco Mime Troupe recently wrapped up their great radio drama Tales of the Resistance: Will the Resistance become a Revolution, or will the fascist corporate overlords maintain their control over the workers? Highlights from labor radio and podcast shows around the country, part of the national Labor Radio Podcast Network of shows focusing on working people's issues and concerns. #LaborRadioPod @bbridgesradio @GritNw @CtuSpeaks @MachinistsUnion @SFTroupers Edited by Evan Papp and Patrick Dixon; produced and hosted by Chris Garlock; social media guru: Harold Phillips

In this episode of CTU Speaks!, co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros look back at the 2019 strike — all that we won and all that we have yet to realize. The strike holds some important lessons for the current fight against CPS and its push to return to school buildings despite spiking cases of COVID-19 and the lack of adequate safeguards for students, educators, and their families. We also replays some of the voices and sounds of those days in October 2019. As always, please subscribe to our show on whatever is your favorite podcast platform! And share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888.

In this episode, co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros have an in-depth discussion with Illinois State Senator Robert Martwick and Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson about the many reasons to vote yes on the Fair Tax on November 3. They outline how the Fair Tax would benefit the state as a whole while 97 percent of state residents would see a decrease in their taxes or have no change at all. That’s because the millionaires and billionaires of Illinois will finally pay their fair share. Senator Martwick also dishes about the question that his mom texted him about the Fair Tax. 

Links for this Episode

 The CTU’s case for the Fair Tax - https://www.ctulocal1.org/fair-tax
 Fair Tax Calculator - https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/gov/fairtax 

As always, please subscribe to our show! Share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888.

This episode is a little different. Co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros forgo a guest interview so they can dish essential facts about the Fair Tax, which will be on the Illinois ballot this November. They dispel many of the myths and outright lies that opponents of the Fair Tax — like billionaires Bruce Rauner and Ken Griffin — are blasting into people's homes through relentless TV advertising. This opposition is hoping to sow doubt in voters' minds about this badly needed measure that will generate revenue for the state's most vulnerable families and communities by taxing those who can afford to pay more. Share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888.

Co-hosts Jim Staros and Andrea Parker talk to author, activist and Nation magazine sports editor Dave Zirin. In addition to his editorial duties at The Nation, Zirin has authored almost a dozen books about sports, athletes, and the struggles for justice and civil rights. The three discuss how the sports scene has changed very quickly from the vilification of Colin Kaepernick just a few years ago, to seeing him as a hero in the vanguard of athletics taking a stand for the rights of Black and Brown communities. So join us for a romp through history's most icon athlete activists — including Kaepernick, LeBron James and Muhammad Ali — as well as a discussion of practical ideas about what we can do in our own communities and in our classrooms to make a difference today. Links mentioned in the show: • More about Dave Zirin: https://www.edgeofsports.com, https://www.thenation.com/authors/dave-zirin/ • CTU committees: www.ctulocal1.org/union/committees/ And as always, please share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888.

This episode of CTU Speaks! has co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros speaking with Mueze Bawany, a teacher at Roberto Clemente High School, about another epidemic hitting our city...housing instability. They discuss issues of homelessness, rising rents, and gentrification as well as the overarching need for safe and affordable housing in Chicago. These issues impact our students and families throughout the city and across the racial and socio-economic spectrum. Join the CTU Housing Committee, more info here: www.ctulocal1.org/union/committees/ Check out the CTU Housing Committee on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1073793049475850/ Homeless student advocate positions now open at 14 Chicago public schools: https://www.ctulocal1.org/posts/homeless-student-advocate-positions-now-open-at-14-chicago-public-schools/ And as always, please share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888.

In this episode of CTU Speaks!, co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros discuss the recent release of CPS' remote learning framework as the first day of the school year approaches. They also speak with Walter Taylor, the director of Professional Development for the Chicago Teachers Union, about classes for teachers to help them improve their remote teaching chops. Finally, they invite to the show two rank-and-file members — teacher assistant Marilyn Piggee Williams and special education teacher Roman Henclewski — to discuss what teachers, students, and parents need to be successful at the start of this new year. There were several links mentioned in this episode: Information about CTU committees: www.ctulocal1.org/union/committees/ Professional development classes about remote learning: www.ctuf.org/questcenter/ And as always, please share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888.

On this week's show… What's evil about privatization is that privatization destroys what belongs to all of us. Author and historian Diane Ravitch talks about her new book, “Slaying Goliath” on CTU Speaks. The new postmaster general is actively working to destroy the product, the service and the integrity of the United States postal service. That's from the latest My Labor Radio podcast, out of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Workers are losing rights, are losing jobs, are losing lives. One thousand Brazilians have been dying every day, due to coronavirus for the last three weeks; 40 million Brazilians have no jobs. That's from the Brazil Worker's Podcast, one of the Labor Radio Podcast Network's newest members. The Brazil Worker's Podcast  is an English language broadcast on labor news and current affairs in Brazil, Latin America and opinions on the struggle of the working class around the world. I believe there's power in numbers. And when you got the numbers, you can do a lot of things. Reverend Edward Pinkney, on another brand-new Network member, Hero Americana, from Empathy Media Lab. Hero Americana focuses on the eternal struggle between labor, capital, race, and political economy. I was coming across particular workers, in our neighborhood, in the grocery store and I just wondered, well, what would it look like to hear directly from them? That's from Speaking of Dignity, Workers on the Front Lines and the Common Good, the new podcast from The Center for Social Concerns at the University of Notre Dame. This podcast aims to listen to the voices of those workers whose labor we recognize as essential but who rarely get an opportunity to be heard in a public forum. You need to be dependable and inclusive and people have to be able to trust you. Micki Varney, Chief Steward for SEIU 503 in Oregon, talks about what it takes to be a union steward, on the latest episode of Stronger Together. Plus: Labor History in 2; Another Working Class Martyr Edited by Evan Papp of the Empathy Media Lab, a production house, artist's studio and an event space in Washington DC with a focus on labor, political economy, and art & culture. Produced by Chris Garlock; chris@laborradionetwork.org Social media guru: Harold Phillips

In this episode, co-hosts Jim Staros and Andrea Parker interview author and historian Diane Ravitch, who is Research Professor of Education at New York University. In this episode's deep dive into the exploitation of our school system by "disruptors" and public education profiteers, Andrea and Jim will discuss Ravitch's latest book "Slaying Goliath" and how the current coronavirus shutdown has offered fertile ground for those who want to privatize education, diverting money intended to help schools through the pandemic, into private charter operations and other corporate reform agenda items. Ravitch outlines how education is an integral part of our democracy and how charter schools and other privatizers destroy communities by choking off their central place to organize and fight for their local issues. This is particularly true in impoverished and marginalized Black and Latinx neighborhoods. She also talks about the critical role of unions in joining the anti-privatization resistance. And she talks about the key role played by former CTU President Karen Lewis in spearheading the resurgence of the the struggle for the rights of children, teachers, parents and workers all across the country. Share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888.

In this episode of CTU Speaks!, co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros talk to teacher Kent Martin and security guard Denzell Sanders, both of whom work at Ms. Parker's own Robert Fulton elementary school. This episode focuses on the smoldering issue of police in public schools—and how it came to be that today there are plenty of schools with cops but no counselors and no social workers who are actually trained to deal with students. Instead, we have police who are trained to treat those they patrol as "criminals," not kids.

CTU Vice President Stacy Davis Gates speaks with co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros in this episode of CTU Speaks! about the right to recovery for the students and families of Chicago. She discusses how in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, an economic downturn, and widespread demands for racial justice, we have a unique opportunity to redesign how our society looks, and with bold government action, meet the needs of those in our society who have been left behind for generations. For more information on the Right to Recovery and the various partners committed to this effort: https://www.ctulocal1.org/posts/the-right-to-recovery/ https://www.righttorecovery.org/ https://actionnetwork.org/campaigns/right-to-recovery Want to be part of the conversation? Send us your thoughts about remote learning by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888.

In this episode of CTU Speaks! co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros meet with Walter Taylor, the director of Professional Development for the Chicago Teachers Union and an expert on remote learning as well as training others on how to implement digital education. He talks with Jim and Andrea about what a true public education should entail and how irreplaceable in-person teaching really is. Mr. Taylor also discusses the essence of teaching remotely, the "savage inequalities" that exist within our city, and the three main ingredients necessary to make remote learning successful in Chicago. Share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888.

In this episode of CTU Speaks!, co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros talk with the organizers of a historic vote to unionize at EPIC Academy, a charter school on Chicago's South Side. Three educators and a CTU organizer reflect on their struggles, successes, and the impact of the pandemic, including how EPIC tried to compel teachers to come to the school to vote instead of allowing for a mail-in election (for real, y'all). For more information about the EPIC union drive, check out their stuff on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and the CTU website. Instagram: https://instagram.com/epicunion2020?igshid=llh5hc03yy87 Twitter: @epicunion2020 Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/epicunion2020/ Web: https://ctulocal1.org/epic As always, please share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888.

This week, IBEW Local 3's Chris Erikson Jr talks to UCOMM Live about the daily salute to frontline workers in Electchester, a New York City community built in the 1950's by Local 3 to house their members: The windows open up, people start banging pots and pans and whooping and hollering. Actor Harold Phillips talks about the financial impact union TV shows have on the community: There were a lot of different unions that benefited from that one production being based in Portland, Oregon. On CTU Speaks, the podcast of the Chicago Teachers Union, it's pretty clear that teachers don't like remote learning, and students like it even less, but what about the parents? CTU Speaks talks with CPS parents Andrea Mosley and Valerie Nelson: I was so confused, and I'm like, well, how do you start remote learning? But we don't have the tools in order to make that first week successful. Plus, Labor History in 2:00 on labor pioneer Richard Trevellick, one of the early leaders of the US labor movement and the fight for the eight-hour work day. #LaborRadioPod Produced by Chris Garlock; chris@laborradionetwork.org

It’s pretty clear that teachers don’t like remote learning, and students like it perhaps even less than teachers, but what about the parents? In this episode, CTU Speaks! co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros talk with CPS parents Andrea Mosley and Valerie Nelson about their assessment of the first couple weeks of remote learning. How are parents dealing with the digital divide? Are their children learning? And what does remote learning demand from parents themselves? Want to be part of the conversation? Send us your thoughts about remote learning by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888.

In this episode of CTU Speaks!, co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros have a discussion with Professor David Stovall from University of Illinois-Chicago about race and inequity in Chicago schools, and how the current pandemic has highlighted problems that have existed within Chicago’s most vulnerable communities for decades. And Andrea talks with Jim about prior episodes in American history when the government stepped in to save the free market from itself. Listen now at www.ctulocal1.org/podcast.

In this episode, co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros speak with Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey and Vice President Stacy Davis Gates about the COVID19 pandemic and its far-reaching impact on schools, the union, the city, and the world. Then they interview Emily Hecht, the CTU delegate at Vaughn Occupational High School that was closed a week before the rest of CPS because a teacher aide at the school tested positive for COVID19. Emily provides an inside look at how Vaughn’s school community is responding to the urgent needs of students and parents. Share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312 467 8888.

This special episode of CTU Speaks! was recorded live to commemorate Black History Month. Brandon Johnson, Cook County Commissioner and CTU member, chaired a panel of four intriguing speakers. Nina Hike in a 20-year veteran science teacher who works at Curie High School; Latanya McSwine has worked at CPS for 16 years and currently teachers computer science at Morgan Park High School; Monique Redeaux-Smith is a CPS teacher and Dyett hunger striker who currently works for the Illinois Federation of Teachers as the Director of Union Professional Issues; and Charles Preston is a journalist and activist who is the former communications co-chair of Black Youth Project 100. Over the last two decades, CPS, the nation’s third-largest school district, has lost half of its Black teachers. The percentage has fallen from 41 percent to 21 percent—a loss of more than 5,000 Black educator. This panel seeks to grapple with all the implications of this shift for Black teachers, students, and communities. Share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312-467-8888.

On this episode, Andrea and Jim discuss the train wreck of CPS' school funding formula with sociology professor Stephanie Farmer. CPS calls it Student-Based Budgeting, but it has damaging consequences for students, teachers, and whole communities, particularly those school communities on the majority-Black South and West Sides. Dr. Farmer's recent paper on the subject is accessible, clear, and compelling, and you can find it here. Share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312 467 8888.

In this episode, co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros grapple with the causes and consequences of the disappearance of Black educators from Chicago Public Schools. Jackson Potter, history teacher at Back of the Yards High School, and Gervaise Clay, teacher on leave and field rep at the Chicago Teachers Union, discuss the racist impact of school closings and turnarounds pursued by a host of Chicago mayors. Then, Jim talks with Jesse Hagopian, one of the founders of the Black Lives Matter at School national movement, about the origins, the demands, and the curriculum of Black Lives Matter At School movement and its February 3-7 week of action. Share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312 467 8888.

On this episode, Jim and Andrea review the last couple weeks, during which the Chicago Teachers Union has been on strike, with a number of guests, including CTU Chief of Staff Jen Johnson, President Jesse Sharkey, and Deputy General Counsel Thad Goodchild. Jen takes a step back to look at what we won and how, Jesse describes some of the negotiations he was a part of (and gets a surprise phone call from a special guest), and Thad goes on a deep dive about the class size provisions in the new contract. Share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312 467 8888.

Alison McIntosh, research manager at the Parkland Institute breaks down Alberta's new austerity budget. A short excerpt from the Chicago Teachers Union podcast CTU Speaks with CTU Chief of Staff Jennifer Johnson explaining the core issues 25,000 Chicago teachers are out on strike for. https://www.ctulocal1.org/ctu-speaks/ Lori Bossaer from SGEU explains why the Saskatchewan Employment Act handcuffs workers right to strike. https://www.sgeu.org/latest-news/news-releases/sgeu-calls-on-sask-party-government-to-amend-employment-act-and-provide-long-term-funding-for-community-based-organizations Barb Silva provides context for the protests in Chile and shares how Canadians can help support the Chilean people. https://www.change.org/p/justin-trudeau-canadian-government-to-denounce-chilean-president-piñeras-human-rights-violations

On this episode, Jim and Andrea have the absolute joy and privilege to sit down with writer, scholar, and people's mayor of Chicago Dr. Eve L. Ewing. Eve talks about how the lessons of her book Ghosts in the Schoolyard, which deconstructs the 2013 CPS school closings, connect to the current strike, the impact of structural racism on our school system, and her experiences as a CPS teacher. Share your thoughts and questions with the CTU Speaks! team by emailing ctuspeaks@ctulocal1.org or calling 312 467 8888.

CTU Speaks! is a monthly podcast by rank-and-file educators in Chicago Public Schools and our host Ben Joravsky was their latest guest. Ben talks with them about the teachers strike and they speak with him about tax increment financing (TIFs). The show is hosted by committee members Andrea Parker and Jim Staros.

Andrea and Jim take a deep dive into the wildly inequitable world of TIFs with Chicago's resident gadfly and journalism legend Ben Joravsky. Ben breaks down how TIFs became a slush fund for the Mayor's office, why they continue to serve as such, and how this connects to the CTU strike. Subscribe to CTU Speaks and write a review on Apple Podcasts!: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ctu-speaks/id1476412067 Photo by Glitterguts from the Chicago Reader

In Episode Why of CTU Speaks!, co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros speak with Chicago Public Schools nurse Dennis Kosuth about what it's like to be a nurse in a public school in our city. But first, they discuss some honest questions posed by a parent who's a friend of Jim. She supports the Chicago Teachers Union's demands for smaller class sizes and full staffing, but doesn't understand some of the CTU's other demands, such as better policies to address homelessness.

In this episode of CTU Speaks!, co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros begin with a discussion of recent events in the struggle for a new contract. Then they interview CTU legislative deputy Kurt Hilgendorf and CTU legal counsel Thad Goodchild about how Illinois labor law is stacked against the CTU. Next, they bring in two parents — Julie Dworkin and Erica Clark — to discuss the concerns and issues that parents are grappling with at this moment. Finally, they interview CTU Vice President Stacy Davis Gates about life as a parent, teacher, and unionist fighting for education justice. Oh, and there's a surprise guest at the very end too.......

Andrea Parker is a teacher and host of the "CTU Speaks!" Podcast. Hear her thoughts on the looming teachers strike in Chicago.

Chicago teachers are voting this week on whether to authorize a strike. This special episode of CTU Speaks!, which we are affectionately calling "Episode Yes," answers all your questions about this vote. Joining CTU Speaks! co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros are SEIU Local 73 members Antwon AJ Jennings and Luis Bhamundi as well as CTU members Jessica Rosenbaum and Paula Barajas.

CTU Speaks! co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros begin this episode talking with Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey and Recording Secretary Christel Williams-Hayes about the status of contract negotiations. After a solidarity statement from Dan Montgomery, president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers, Andrea and Jim talk with CTU Financial Secretary Maria Moreno and PSRP activist Lashawn Wallace about their experiences of the 2012 strike and what that can teach us about how to advance our agenda in 2019.

Welcome to Episode 1 of CTU Speaks! After introducing co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros, there's an interview CTU Chief of Staff Jen Johnson about how negotiations for CTU's next contract are proceeding at the bargaining table. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast so you get alerts about future episodes, and share this episode on your favorite social media platforms.

The Chicago Teachers Union is launching a podcast called CTU Speaks!, which is hosted by rank-and-file CTU members Andrea Parker and Jim Staros. In it, we'll be regularly discussing our union, bargaining for a new contract, and our fight for the schools our children and educators deserve. Watch for our debut episode in the coming days!