On February 2, 2022, the CTU House of Delegates voted to endorse HR 5124 by a vote of 600 to 1. The union recognized the importance of re-building our manufacturing sector in a way that’s profoundly inclusive. They’ve also committed to reaching out to the American Federation of Teachers, the Illinois Federation of Teachers, and others to endorse the bill and help build the movement.
This is an exciting development for the campaign. Teachers play an absolutely critical role in introducing our young people to the great careers available in manufacturing. They can help young people and their parents see past the misperceptions about manufacturing as a dirty, dangerous, and boring job and recognize the opportunities to learn about engineering, product development, management, finance, and ownership as well as how to run a machine.
The CTU has been a long supporter of Manufacturing Renaissance and our efforts to re-connect our public education system with the manufacturing sector. The CTU joined with MR, the National Institute for Metalworking Skills, and Daley College in creating the Instructors’ Apprenticeship for Advanced Manufacturing designed to develop teachers who are technically, culturally, and pedagogically prepared to teach courses linked to manufacturing.
And the CTU also knows how to organize. They are a welcome addition to our campaign!
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Resolution in Support of HR 5124 in Congress
Whereas the Manufacturing Renaissance Campaign and the Manufacturing Connect program run an inclusive training program for students and educators that is rooted in equity and environmental, social, and environmental sustainability, and
Whereas the Chicago Teachers Union was an early supporter of the Manufacturing Renaissance Campaign and the Chicago Teachers Union Foundation has been both a funder of Manufacturing Renaissance and a professional development provider for educators who work in the Manufacturing Connect program, and
Whereas there remains a crucial need for Career and Technical Education (CTE) across the Chicago Public Schools and school districts across the country to provide learning opportunities so that all interested students, including students of color and students with disabilities, are prepared for the needs of high-skilled jobs in areas like advanced manufacturing, and
Whereas Rep. Jan Schakowsky, a CTU supporter, has filed HR 5124, a bill to expand and fund manufacturing training programs, including Manufacturing Connect, in the US House of Representatives, and the language of that bill has been included in other pieces of legislation that are moving through the Congressional legislative process. Therefore,
Be it resolved that the Chicago Teachers Union supports HR 5124 and the use of the bill’s language in other legislative measures, and
Be it further resolved that CTU representatives will actively advocate that other affiliated organizations including but not limited to the American Federation of Teachers, the Illinois Federation of Teachers, the Chicago Federation of Labor, and the Illinois AFL-CIO also become supporters of the aforementioned legislative measures.