Shorewood, IL – Suppose you were working hard with a limited budget to win back a Democrat state Senate seat in a district that should be solidly conservative Republican, and you found out a teacher union was paying its members to walk for her?
That's what happened to GOP state Senate candidate Thomas McCullagh. McCullagh says Wednesday he "was presented" internal emails from the American Federation of Teachers Union revealing the solicitation of local teachers to walk for Meg Cappel's campaign.
This email comes just days after school boards voted to keep classrooms closed, out of fear for the safety of teachers from Covid19. Democrat Meg Cappell was looking for help, wrote American Federation of Teachers Local 604 Support Staffer Kathy Harris:
"Meg Cappel and her campaign office has contact AFT Local 604 looking for help in the last week before elections," the text says. Cappel wanted 200 people and AFT is willing to pay $15 an hour for walking precincts or making phone calls, up to $600.
Instead of being in classrooms, support staff at AFT specified that Cappel is requesting 200 local teachers to canvass for her.
McCullagh said he was outraged with this tactic.
"I find this duplicitous messaging that it is too unsafe for teachers to be in a classroom, but safe enough to walk door to door… alarming," said McCullagh "If the AFT thinks it is safe enough to have teachers out campaigning, why can they not be in classrooms?"
Meg Cappel voted three times, as a JTHS board member, to keep Joliet Township High Schools closed. She deemed that schools must remain remote on grounds that it is too dangerous for teachers and students to learn in person. Within 7 days of that vote, Cappel has emails sent to the same teachers requesting that they campaign in person for her.
"With as much hypocrisy as Meg Cappel shows on this subject, I wonder how anyone can trust her to be transparent with any of her decision making." McCullagh concluded.
