SEIU Donates $1.1 Million to Chicago School Board Candidates Amid Ongoing CTU Dispute

The Service Employees International Union SEIU has donated $1.1 million to candidates in the upcoming Chicago School Board election. This is the latest step in an ongoing feud between SEIU Local 73 and the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), former political allies that both represent Chicago Public Schools CPS employees.

The feud dates to February 2025, when a labor dispute between the two unions erupted after the CTU proposed that CPS allow CTU members assigned as teacher assistants to perform the job duties of special education classroom assistants, a job title represented by the SEIU.  In response to the CTU’s proposal, the SEIU wrote a letter and issued a press release saying the SEIU was under attack from the CTU.

“We would say that it threatens the integrity of our bargaining unit that we’ve represented for over 20 years, and typically that is defined as a raid,” said Stacia Scott Kennedy, executive vice president of SEIU Local 73.

In the latest step in the feud, the SEIU has endorsed Jessica Biggs for school board president, who is running against Hilario Dominguez, the current CTU Political Director.  The SEIU is donating $1.1 million to several candidates who are at odds with the CTU-endorsed candidates over several school board seats; however, despite the ongoing feud, both unions are aligned on 5 candidates for the 21-member school board.

For more information about government relations in the City of Chicago, please contact the qualified attorneys at Rock Fusco & Connelly, LLC.