Amidst the politically charged rhetoric over the issue of forced unionization and the highly anticipated U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Janus v. AFSCME case, the real world stories of the people whose lives, and livelihoods, are deeply impacted are sometimes lost. People like Chicago public school teacher Joseph Ocol, who in 2016 was kicked out of the Chicago Teachers Union for crossing the picket line during a one-day strike to coach his after-school chess club students who were three weeks away from a national competition (which they ended up winning).
For Joseph Ocol, a math teacher at Englewood Elementary School, his students are more than a bargaining chip to be leveraged. They represent a promise he made when he began teaching in what has been called “one of Chicago’s toughest neighborhoods.” His promise was to do everything he could to offer a future to his at-risk students, more than 90% of whom come from families living below the poverty level. Many come from families plagued by gangs, crime, and drugs, while others have no parents at all. Many were coming to school just to get free meals. In other words, the students that society has given up on and forgotten about.
Through his dedication to these students, and his determination to help them see a future beyond crime and poverty, Joseph built an after-school chess club that started with 8 students and today boasts a team of 65. And as his chess club grew, so did the math scores of his students.
So when faced with toeing the union line or helping his students prepare for a national championship, Joseph said the decision to choose his kids over his union was easy:
“My loyalty to the union ends where my dedication to my students begins.”
Rather than praise Joseph Ocol for putting his chess team students first, Chicago Teachers Union bosses publicly ostracized and booted him out of the union. Of course, Joseph still has to pay so-called “agency fees” to the union so they can “represent” him. Ironically, the “agency fees” he is forced to pay are used to cover the expenses related to organizing the strikes that he refuses to participate in.
Stories like Joseph Ocol’s are why WPC believes reforming how public sector unions operate is not just good public policy, but the right thing to do. No teacher should be punished for choosing to help students instead of the union. And no teacher should be forced to pay the union for the strikes they do not support.
That is why a ruling in favor of Janus is so important. Not because it could dilute the political power of unions, or that it might result in fewer campaign contributions to Democrat candiates and causes. It is because of teachers like Joseph Ocol.
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Update: Joseph Ocol continues to coach his chess club students to victory. His team of six students—ranging from 4th to 8th grade—have qualified for the 2018 National Junior High (K-9) Championship in Atlanta next week. As if that is not impressive enough, they are the only students from a non-selective school to compete in the Illinois state championship. Through hard work, Joseph has raised enough money to cover his students’ airfare. He’s struggling to cover other expenses—food, lodging and tournament registration.
The Illinois Policy Institute has generously started a campaign to raise donations to help Joseph’s chess team student's in 2018. Click here if you would like to consider making a donation to support these students who are defying great odds.
