CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- There were tears and praise Thursday as leaders of the Chicago Teachers Union discussed the decision by President Jesse Sharkey not to seek re-election for a fifth term.
Jesse Sharkey was portrayed as a tireless advocate by union leaders during a sometimes emotional Zoom call.
"This is bittersweet for me. This is deeply emotional. We will never have another labor leader like Jesse Sharkey," said Union Vice President Stacy Davis Gates. "You will have labor leaders modeling themselves off of Jesse Sharkey, and endeavoring to hold up his legacy and to emulate his compassion, his empathy, his heart, his brilliance, his fearlessness."
Sharkey said he’s been thinking about this for some time "for reasons that are both personal and political."
"Personally this is a hard job. Certainly, it's taken its toll, and I've been doing it for a long time and it's time for me to do something different. Politically, I've never viewed the goal of being in office as to accumulate influence or power and hold onto it for as long as possible," Sharkey said.
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He said it was about goals; and he’s accomplished many, including class sizes and an elected school board.
He said he’ll return to the classroom to teach.
"I'm not walking away from the labor movement. I am not walking away from the union. It's just time for me to change my role," Sharkey said.
Sharkey is supporting Stacy Davis Gates to succeed him as union president.
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