By Earl Kelly Prince

Recently when asked why George Bush was able to get re-elected, one commentator put it this way. The Bush PR people could take any set of facts, about any topic and spin them around to support the Bush candidacy.

Chicago Teachers Union President Marilyn Stewart is trying to perfect the same art — disinformation, misinformation and outright distortions. In a recent article, Ms. Stewart attacked Arne Duncan for having only three years of experience while pointing out that CTU officers each had over 20 years of experience. The truth is Marilyn and her officers have only five months of experience as CTU officers. Apparently Marilyn does not understand — or thinks we don’t know the difference — between being a classroom teacher for 25 years and being a CTU officer for 25 years.

A close examination of the January 2005 “Chicago Union Teacher” illustrates the point.

• Front page article-House passes motion of approval of salaries-completely distorted. What actually happened was that the motion was presented to prevent Marilyn Stewart from paying one of the old UPC officers that you voted out in 2001 from getting a contract with salary fringes and perks of an estimated $600,000 over three years. Marilyn and the old UPC actually tried to block the motion.

• Another Front page article- (January 2005) CTU coalition delivers anti-Renaissance 2010 petitions – Truth: Marilyn and CTU were actually on the tail-end of the protest. CUE, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), parents and other organizations rallied against Renaissance 2010 outside the Board Meeting in June and July. (In June, it was the school closings, since Renaissance was just being announced). No Marilyn. In August, Marilyn passed right through the large picket line in front of 125 S. Clark St., not saying a word. What is really happening is that instead of leading, CTU is following. CTU has always led in the past — when we had a real Union.

Recently, Marilyn Stewart sent two letters to CTU members complaining about a small group disrupting CTU Delegates Meeting. The truth is that Marilyn and a large group constantly disrupted nearly every meeting between September 2001 and June 2004 — when Debbie Lynch was CTU president for three years.

Also, a recent letter from Marilyn referred to a terrible deficit in the budget. Truth? What she did not say was how much she is paying the old UPC that the members fired in 2001, when they were voted out.

When Marilyn tells members that she hired more field representatives, the truth is yes she did. But she hired her old UPC buddies to pay them off for being faithful to the UPC — not the CTU. Let us know how well they are doing their jobs representing the members. More representatives with no background, knowledge or experience are actually harmful to members when they appear to represent members at a hearing.

This column will be about workers’ rights. Apparently no one has told Marilyn that teachers, ESP’s and other employees of the Chicago Board of Education are being trampled on, abused and disciplined by an unconstitutional Employee Discipline Code. Under that code, the principal (or supervisor) accuses you, tries you, convicts you, and sentences you. The process is then rubber stamped by the Department of Labor Relations. No One is Free until Everyone is Free. If it is happening to someone else today, you might be the next to be abused.

It’s time for Marilyn to stop complaining — and whining and distorting the facts. Stop telling us all of the problems. We already know them. It is time for you the president of the CTU to solve them. The CTU is literally imploding in the face of Renaissance 2010. No one will have a safe secure job — including the current officers and their staff. To CTU Members. (Editorial Note) It is time that we join together to solve the workers’ rights problems-especially the rights to hold a secure job. I have already started and I need your help now. See the next issue of Substance. No One is Free, until Everyone is Free.