Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot thanked the IBEW on Monday for staging its 40th International Convention in the city, reminding delegates during a morning speech at McCormick Place of the area’s labor history and that her city remains the national leader in union construction.
“Chicago has always been a great union town and Lori Lightfoot is committed to keeping it that way,” Chicago Local 134 Business Manager Don Finn said while introducing Lightfoot, the first Black woman to serve as the city’s mayor.
“Ladies and gentlemen, it’s a good time to be a tradesman or tradeswoman in the city of Chicago,” Lightfoot said.
“I cannot think of a better city for you to meet and renew your values. Our economy is booming. Chicago is rated the No. 1 destination in the country for new construction jobs.”
Her claim is backed by the National Center for Construction Education & Research at the University of Florida, which recently rated Chicago the No. 1 construction city in the United States. The Windy City is receiving a combined $63 billion from state and federal governments for infrastructure improvements following passage of the federal infrastructure bill last year.
The mayor was among the earliest backers of striking Chicago Local 1220 technicians, who walked off the job for three weeks against public television station WTTW earlier this year before agreeing to a fair contract. She appeared at a Local 1220 rally in front of the station during the walkout.
She also thanked the IBEW and Finn by name for supporting efforts to make the city more equitable. Local 134, she said, has expanded its trades education partnership with Chicago Public Schools, most notably with Paul Dunbar Vocational High School.
That work is exposing many students to a potential career in the trades for the first time and a better chance to move into the middle class, she said.
“I realize as you do how vital and instrumental unions must be in furthering equity,’’ she said. “That is why I will continue to work with unions on capital projects throughout our city.”
Speaking of the many legendary labor struggles that occurred in Chicago like the 1894 Pullman Strike and the 1886 Haymarket Affair, Lightfoot highlighted the host city’s importance to the labor movement for so many decades.
“More than 100 years after the rise of the labor movement, the fight for dignity and equitable treatment of all workers across all industries continues regardless of race, ethnicity and nationality,” Lightfoot said. “As mayor, I am proud to defend and protect the talented and skilled workers in the [construction] industry.”
During a lighthearted closing, Lightfoot said the warm, sunny weather forecast this week for Chicago was proof an electrical workers convention was in town.
“Enjoy the city, soak up the sun,” she said. And like any good mayor should, she added, “Spend a lot of money.”