Chicago Teachers Union
In 2011,Davis Gates joined the staff of the Chicago Teachers Union as political director. [8]
Vice President
In 2018,Jesse Sharkey succeeded Karen Lewis as president and Davis Gates was chosen as Sharkey's vice president following the recommendation of Lewis. [9]
As Vice President,she oversaw a 14-day strike in 2019,over failures to reach a contract. [10] [11] The majority of her time as vice president was characterized by the COVID-19 pandemic;in April 2020,Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker closed all schools to in-person instruction for the remainder of the school year. [12] In October of that year CPS announced a plan to return to in-person instruction,which Davis Gates and the CTU opposed. [13] Chicago Public Schools returned to in-person instruction in January 2021,despite concerns of the union and discussions of a potential strike from Davis Gates. [14] [15] In January 2022,the CTU went on a 5-day work-stoppage over safety concerns following a rise in COVID-19 cases. [16] [17]
In 2021,Governor Pritzker signed HB 2908 into law,establishing a fully elected board of education in Chicago by 2027,supported by the CTU and Davis Gates. [18] [19] [20]
President
In February 2022,CTU President Jesse Sharkey announced he would not seek reelection. [21] In May of that year Davis Gates and the rest of the Caucus of Rank-and-File Educators (CORE) were elected with 56% of the vote and she took office in July. [1] [22] [23]
In August 2022,she denied speculation that she would run for mayor in the upcoming 2023 election,instead endorsing CTU organizer and Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson. [24] [25] As president of the union,Davis Gates oversaw large contributions to Johnson's mayoral campaign;including,donating $8 per month per member's dues,to controversy and mixed support among CTU members. [26] [27] CTU contributed $2.4 million to fund the mayoral campaign,which Johnson ultimately won in an April runoff. [28]
In an August 2023 interview with South Side Weekly ,Davis Gates expressed optimism for the union's future relationship with the mayor and elected school board. [20]
