THE LOOP (WBBM Newsradio) -- Four years ago, a coalition of labor unions including the Chicago Teachers Union and the Service Employees International Union came together to endorse a Cook County commissioner and former CTU organizer named Brandon Johnson as he ran for mayor.
That coalition propelled Johnson to the fifth floor of City Hall in 2023 ... but now, that alliance has publicly broken apart, with the announcement from two SEIU locals that they've endorsed Johnson's rival Alexi Giannoulias, the Illinois Secretary of State, in the February 23 citywide election.
"Chicago's working families are ready for change," said SEIU Local 1 president Genie Kastrup during the endorsement announcement Tuesday morning at the union's headquarters, 200 E. Randolph St. "Chicago needs a mayor who works for working people."
Kastrup's counterpart from SEIU Local 73, Dian Palmer, joined her for the endorsement announcement: "We're going to organize, we're going to vote and we're going to win."
The union leaders touted Giannoulias' endorsement of bargaining rights for rideshare drivers and changes at Secretary of State's offices that they say make it easier for people to access DMV services. "Imagine what that kind of leadership can look like at City Hall," Kastrup said.
Giannoulias, the former state treasurer and onetime Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, began his remarks in Spanish, in a nod to the union's diverse membership, before continuing on in English to say he's "honored" to receive the union's endorsement.
"Chicago's greatest strength has always been its people," Giannoulias said. "You will always have an ally and a partner and a friend in the mayor's office."
The announcement is the latest sign of the fracture between SEIU and the Johnson-aligned CTU. When asked what factors caused the union to drop its endorsement of Mayor Johnson, Kastrup made references to the CTU's recent attempt to organize some Chicago Public Schools support workers already represented by SEIU, and the decision by the CTU-aligned Chicago Board of Education to approve layoffs for support personnel instead of teachers.
"We have lost more members under this current mayor," Kastrup said. "He has done more damage to working families than the last three mayors combined."
Palmer added that the union would stand up for anyone who stands up for their members and their interests: "There's no permanent friends, and there's no permanent enemies."
The SEIU endorsement means more than a direct monetary contribution to the Giannoulias campaign, though with $19 million in his political fund it could be argued that's the last thing he needs. It also means an army of volunteers able to door-knock and leaflet on his behalf.
It also means that virtually the only union in Chicago to have publicly endorsed Johnson is his former employer, CTU. The mayor has shrugged off the impact of that split, telling reporters last week that he's still the candidate who best represents working people in the city.
"It's gonna come down to the needs of working people and the perpetuated coddling of corporations and billionaires," the mayor said. "I'm here because I have the heart and the well-being of working people."
Government worker union abandons support for Johnson
Government worker union abandons support for Johnson
