Job Title: Green Schools Organizer
Work Location: Chicago, IL
Reports to: CTU Organizing Director & CJI Campaign Mobilization Director
Compensation: Based on staff union contract and funding available.
To apply, please send your resume and cover letter to Mia Korinke at mkorinke@climatejobsillinois.org with the email subject line “Green Schools Organizer.” Be sure to answer the following question in your cover letter: “What is your vision for green and healthy schools in Chicago?”
About the Chicago Teachers Union and Climate Jobs Illinois
The Chicago Teachers Union is an organization of educators dedicated to advancing and promoting quality public education, improving teaching and learning conditions, and protecting members’ rights. For more than 75 years the Chicago Teachers Union has fought for the schools Chicago’s students deserve. The CTU represents more than 25,000 teachers, paraprofessional and school-related personnel, and school clinicians working in the Chicago Public Schools and, by extension, the students and families they serve. Learn more at www.ctulocal1.org.
Climate Jobs Illinois (CJI) is a coalition of labor organizations advocating for a pro-worker, pro-climate agenda in Illinois. We are affiliated with the Climate Jobs National Resource Center and the Illinois AFL-CIO. Our mission is to advocate for a clean energy economy at the scale climate science demands, create good union jobs and support more equitable communities. CJI leads the Carbon Free Healthy Schools campaign to decarbonize Illinois’ public school buildings and invest in healthier classrooms for our students. Learn more at www.climatejobsillinois.org/schools.
About the Green Schools Campaign
The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) in collaboration with community organizations across the city launched the Transformative Schools Campaign, also known as the Green Schools Campaign, a three prong approach to improve the overall school experience of students and families: 1) improving the physical nature of the school building, including green energy such as solar, updated HVAC systems, heat pumps, etc., 2)increase student access to Career and Technical Education of the 21st Century and 3) transform the way we do school centered on the Sustainable Community Schools model. The Chicago campaign is rooted in engaging CTU members, students, parents and community partners on the Educational Facilities Master Plan. The CTU is also assisting to develop a labor table with CFL affiliates, CTU leadership, and rank and file educators to inform the CTU’s 2024 CPS contract campaign regarding green energy systems, CTE programs, and supports.
Position Summary
Under the supervision of CTU’s Organizing Director and in collaboration with CJI’s Campaign Mobilization Director, the Organizer will work with labor, environmental, and community allies to sustain and expand a grassroots Green Schools Campaign in Chicago. The Organizer will play a key role in building our coalition, strengthening the Climate Jobs movement, and ensuring green and healthy schools for students and school workers across Chicago. This is a full-time in person position, based in the Chicago area with one day a week at CJI offices. The Organizer’s employment status will be as a CTU employee, supervised by CTU’s Organizing Director.
Responsibilities (Essential Duties and Responsibilities)
- Engage community stakeholders, school leaders, and rank-and-file union members to expand grassroots support for GreenSchools in Chicago;
- Convene a Chicago Green Schools coalition table;
- Work with union staff to work with district staff on opportunities to upgrade and decarbonize Chicago’s public school buildings;
- Execute strategic organizing plans under the direction of the Organizing Director and in collaboration with the CJI Campaign Mobilization Director to support the CTU and CJI’s education campaign;
- Identify and recruit CTU members to involve them in the Green Schools Campaign;
- Prepare CTU members to successfully organize their coworkers and parents;
- Develop and support grassroots leadership;
- Assist with webinars, workshops, and in-person presentations on state and federal legislation that prioritizes school decarbonization, particularly Illinois’ Climate and Equitable Jobs Act; and
- Collaborate with CJI Executive Committee members, specifically the Illinois Federation of Teachers and Illinois Education Association, to support grassroots engagement targeted at local and state elected officials.
Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)
- Demonstrated full-time experience in union, community, environmental justice, and/or political organizing, particularly in building unity with a diverse group;
- Ability to work irregular, often long hours;
- A strong commitment to progressive social change, environmental justice, and a familiarity with the issues that are central to CTU’s work and vision;
- College degree or equivalent life experience;
- Demonstrated experience working with labor leaders, community stakeholders, school administrators, and/or elected officials in Chicago;
- Ability to work under pressure while maintaining a professional and collegial demeanor;
- Ability to manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously and meet established deadlines;
- Ability to navigate complex organizations, resolve conflicts and work effectively in high-pressure environments;
- Excellent communication skills in one-on-one and group settings; and
- Ability to travel to appropriate work sites and in-person meetings.
- Teaching, bargaining, and organizing experience is encouraged but not required.
