Marxist Chicago Teachers Union VP

CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION VP BUSTED PARTICIPATING IN MIDWEST MARXISM CONFERENCE

Sharkey: What our union has done, is work very hard to build a coalition between people who work in the schools and depend on the public schools and the people who go to school, the students and community …And, uhm, I think the fact that we’re dedicated to that is reflected in the fact that there’s been broad support for the things we're trying to do.

Proft: Where do the revolutionary movements fit into that coalition? I understand that a couple weeks ago that you appeared at the Midwest Marxist Conference at Northwestern University to talk about the important support that Chicago teachers get from revolutionary movements’ use of the strike weapon. What’s the alignment with Marxist organizations and revolutionary movements?

Sharkey: Ha, ha, ha, look guys, I mean, thanks...

Proft: That’s a legitimate question. That’s actually just happened. That’s actually true. That’s not McCarthyism.

Sharkey: Thanks for the 1950s McCarthyism.

Proft: It’s not McCarthyism.

Sharkey: Uh, uh, well look it, the, the, the um—every time that unions or social movements have raised issues about what’s fair and what isn’t in base and equality, people have branded them as communist. I, I know…

Proft: Wait a second. You spoke? Did you, or did you not, speak at the Midwest Marxist Conference?

Sharkey: I… [pause] No I did not speak at the Midwest Marxism Conference.

Wolf: You were there though.

Proft: You didn’t?

Wolf: You were there.

Sharkey: Uh.

Wolf: You were there. We’ve got you on video there. Why were you there?

Sharkey: Uh. I’m allowed to attend a Marxist conference, like I’m allowed to [inaudible]…

Wolf: Do you subscribe to their beliefs Mr. Sharkey?

Sharkey: Eh. Look, look guys, I mean, if you want to have me on as part of a, uh, uh, witch-hunt…

Wolf: It’s not a witch-hunt. What do you believe?

Proft: You attended this conference, I’m just asking you what value you derive from this conference and how you see revolutionary movements as so described to connect to the teachers unions, that’s all. It’s not a witch-hunt. It’s something you did.

Sharkey: Ah, uh, look gentlemen; I’m not sure where you’re going with…

At that point Bruce Wolf was forced to cut the interview for a commercial break and thanked Sharkey for the “lucid interview.” (Listen to the full interview here)

During the conference, a heavy focus was placed on the relationships between revolutionary organizations, including the International Socialist Organiation’s intervention in the Chicago Teachers’ strike.

In a breakout session about Marxism and education, Sharkey participated by discussing what he referred to as an interesting dilemma regarding the challenges facing a revolutionary movement isolated by geography and chronology in relation to the lack of other concurrent revolutionary movements:

It’s very hard to have a huge struggle in Chicago over the set of things that are being pushed—education reform, or frankly workplace reform—and not have that struggle taken up anywhere else.

Just in the same way, it’s hard to have you know, if one freight way, has got wages that are $10 an hour higher than their competitors. Guess what! The logic is that high wage place gets smashed down, and that’s the logic of the market. And it’s only when you start to generalize that there could be some alternative to that, that you have the ability to push back…

The magic of struggle is just how easy it is to generalize those lessons. Whether it’s Wisconsin or Occupy or the CTU strike.

Sharkey then went on to joke about class discrimination lawsuits over what is considered appropriate attire for female teachers in schools.

This occurred at the same all-day event where, upon being labeled as “not in solidarity” and recognized as a Breitbart News correspondent, I was forcefully removed by a group of teachers, social workers, and others members of the ISO attending the Marxism conference.

WLS radio’s follow-up coverage of the Chicago Teachers Union’s presence at the conference (they were even selling CTU t-shirts in the foyer) provided some additional light on the collaboration between the ISO and CTU leadership.

That is more than local mainstream media provided; two days later, after Sharkey’s appearance at the Midwest Marxism conference, I attended a protest being led by the CTU, ISO, and many leaders of socialist and communist organizations headquartered in Chicago. While there, I questioned Mr. Sharkey about his participation in the conference and the ISO’s celebration of their coordination with the Chicago Teachers Union during the teachers strike, but Sharkey refused to answer any of my questions.

Continue reading here: Breitbart News