Support from Nearly 150 Elected Officials for Art Institute of Chicago Workers’ Union
We’re getting a big boost from nearly 150 elected officials who represent the Chicago area at the federal, state, county and city levels.
The leaders have signed a statement of support for us, employees of the Art Institute of Chicago and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, who are forming our union as Art Institute of Chicago Workers United (AICWU)—part of AFSCME Council 31—saying that our union will make the museum and school better places for all to visit, learn and work.
Signers include US Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, seven Members of Congress, 20 state senators, 54 state representatives, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and 14 county commissioners, Chicago city treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin and clerk Anna Valencia as well as 42 members of the City Council and other elected officials.
Crucially, the statement sends a strong message to senior leadership of the museum and the school that employees must be allowed to exercise our right to organize “free from employer interference”. Both the museum and school have been engaging in anti-union activities such as sending anti-union email messages to all staff, training managers in anti-union talking points and holding captive-audience meetings. These are familiar corporate anti-union tactics pushed by the “union avoidance” industry, and in fact the museum has already retained costly anti-union consultants.
The statement from the unified front of elected leaders makes clear that they support us and that anti-union behavior is wrong.
Following is the text of the statement and the full list of 147 signers.
“I support AIC and SAIC employees, their voice, and their choice to form their union free from employer interference. By coming together as Art Institute of Chicago Workers United (AICWU), employees will have a say in the decisions that affect them, helping to make the museum a better place to visit, the school a better place to learn and both better places to work for all.”
Signed,
US Senator Dick Durbin, US Senator Tammy Duckworth
US Representative Danny K. Davis, US Representative Jesús “Chuy” García, US Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, US Representative Marie Newman, US Representative Bobby L. Rush, US Representative Jan Schakowsky, US Representative Bradley S. Schneider
State Senator Omar Aquino, State Senator Melinda Bush, State Senator Jacqueline Collins, State Senator John Conner, State Senator Bill Cunningham, State Senator Sara Feigenholtz, State Senator Laura Fine, State Senator Ann Gillespie, State Senator Michael Hastings, State Senator Mattie Hunter, State Senator Patrick Joyce, State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel, State Senator Robert Martwick, State Senator Laura Murphy, State Senator Cristina Pacione-Zayas, State Senator Robert Peters, State Senator Mike Simmons, State Senator Karina Villa, State Senator Celina Villanueva, State Senator Ram Villivalam
State Representative Jaime Andrade, State Representative Dagmara Avelar, State Representative Kelly Burke, State Representative Kambium Buckner, State Representative Jonathan Carroll, State Representative Kelly Cassidy, State Representative Lakesia Collins, State Representative Deb Conroy, State Representative Terra Costa Howard, State Representative Margaret Croke, State Representative John D'Amico, State Representative Will Davis, State Representative Eva Dina Delgado, State Representative Anthony DeLuca, State Representative Daniel Didech, State Representative Marcus Evans, State Representative Mary Flowers, State Representative La Shawn Ford, State Representative Robyn Gabel, State Representative Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, State Representative Edgar Gonzalez, Jr., State Representative Angelica Guerrero-Cuellar, State Representative Will Guzzardi, State Representative Sonya Harper, State Representative Greg Harris, State Representative Elizabeth Hernandez, State Representative Maura Hirschauer, State Representative Thaddeus Jones, State Representative Lindsey LaPointe, State Representative Camille Lilly, State Representative Theresa Mah, State Representative Natalie Manley, State Representative Joyce Mason, State Representative Rita Mayfield, State Representative Debbie Meyers-Martin, State Representative Bob Morgan, State Representative Martin Moylan, State Representative Michelle Mussman, State Representative Cyril Nichols, State Representative Aaron Ortiz, State Representative Delia Ramirez, State Representative Robert Rita, State Representative Lamont Robinson, State Representative Elgie Sims, State Representative Justin Slaughter, State Representative Nicholas Smith, State Representative Anne Stava-Murray, State Representative Mark Walker, State Representative Denyse Wang Stoneback, State Representative Ann Williams, State Representative Jawaharial Williams, State Representative Kathleen Willis, State Representative Janet Yang Rohr, State Representative Michael Zalewski
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi, Cook Co. Commissioner Frank Aguilar, Cook Co. Commissioner Alma Anaya, Cook Co. Commissioner Luis Arroyo Jr., Cook Co. Commissioner Scott Britton, Cook Co. Commissioner John Daley, Cook Co. Commissioner Dennis Deer, Cook Co. Commissioner Bridget Degnen, Cook Co. Commissioner Brandon Johnson, Cook Co. Commissioner Bill Lowry, Cook Co. Commissioner Donna Miller, Cook Co. Commissioner Stanley Moore, Cook Co. Commissioner Kevin Morrison, Cook Co. Commissioner Peter Silvestri, Cook Co. Commissioner Deborah Sims
City of Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, City of Chicago Clerk Anna Valencia, Ald. Anthony Beale, Ald. Howard Brookins, Ald. Walter Burnett, Ald. James Cappleman, Ald. George Cardenas, Ald. Felix Cardona, Ald. Stephanie Coleman, Ald. Derrick Curtis, Ald. Pat Dowell, Ald. Jason Ervin, Ald. Maria Hadden, Ald. Leslie Hairston, Ald. Michelle Harris, Ald. Brian Hopkins, Ald. Sophia King, Ald. Daniel La Spata, Ald. Raymond Lopez, Ald. Roberto Maldonado, Ald. Matthew Martin, Ald. Gregory Mitchell, Ald. Emma Mitts, Ald. David Moore, Ald. Anthony Napolitano, Ald. Samantha Nugent, Ald. Harry Osterman, Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, Ald. Ariel Reboyras, Ald. Michael Rodriguez, Ald. Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez, Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza, Ald. Roderick Sawyer, Ald. Michael Scott, Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, Ald. Debra Silverstein, Ald. Nicholas Sposato, Ald. Silvana Tabares, Ald. Chris Taliaferro, Ald. Jeanette Taylor, Ald. Patrick Thompson, Ald. Andre Vasquez, Ald. Gilbert Villegas, Ald. Scott Waguespack
MWRD Commissioner Eira Corral Sepúlveda, MWRD Commissioner Cam Davis, MWRD Commissioner Josina Morita, MWRD Commissioner Debra Shore
Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss
