Dennis Gannon steps down after asking Mayor Daley's permission
New labor boss will be put in place to continue screwing Chicago Union membership out of dues and benefits. I suggest James Sullivan just to get him out of the Plumber's Union. Job description for new labor leader, kiss Daley butt. Photo of Dennis Gannon by Patrick McDonough.
Chicago labor boss Dennis Gannon quits
'I'm just drained,'
February 4, 2010
By FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter
Chicago's most powerful labor leader is calling it quits.
Chicago Federation of Labor President Dennis Gannon -- who went toe-to-toe with Mayor Daley in the fight against Wal-Mart -- has decided not to seek re-election to another four-year term.
Chicago Federation of Labor President Dennis Gannon has decided not to seek re-election.
The federation -- which represents more than 300 unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO -- will choose a new president in June.
"I'm just drained," Gannon said in an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times this morning. "I'm just tired. Between the politics and the labor stuff and trying to keep people together and making sure labor's issues are front and center -- it's just time for somebody else to take the reins."
Gannon, 56, has been with the CFL for 17 years. That includes eight years as president, eight before that as secretary-treasurer and one year as assistant to the president.
"You need to give this job 120 percent every single day," he said. "If you're only giving it 75 or 50 percent, you know it's time to turn it over. I'm at a point in my life where me and [wife] Diane have made this decision. Will I miss things? Sure. But, politically, it's time."
The changing of the guard comes at a difficult time for organized labor. Amid pressure to create jobs and boost city revenues, labor is still trying to fend off a furious push by Wal-Mart to build as many as five Chicago "super-centers" that sell groceries. The CTA is poised to lay off 1,100 employees and impose dramatic service cuts on Sunday, despite Gannon's public plea for CTA unions to make the concessions necessary to avert those layoffs.
Last year, Gannon helped engineer a package of cost-cutting concessions--including furlough days, comp time instead of cash overtime -- that helped Mayor Daley avert more than 1,000 layoffs.
But the relationship between Daley and Gannon has hardly been a cozy one. During the battle royal over a big-box minimum-wage ordinance, Daley and Gannon were at loggerheads. At one point, the mayor went so far as to lay Gannon out in an expletive-deleted tirade in front of AFL-CIO President John Sweeney.
Gannon exacted his revenge four months after the mayor used his first-ever veto to kill an ordinance that would have required Wal-Mart and other retailing giants to pay their employees at least $13 an hour in wages and benefits by 2010.
For the first time in the CFL's modern history, in 2007, the powerful organization decided not to endorse an incumbent Chicago mayor for re-election. Union leaders also put up millions to elect a City Council more independent of Daley.
The big-box veto might have been forgiven if it had been labor's only beef with Daley. But it was more like the straw that broke the camel's back.
The bill of particulars also included the mayor's privatization frenzy, hundreds of employee layoffs, the 28-month wait for a new union contract that ultimately denied retirees back paychecks, charter schools and the demand for right-to-work legislation for striking hotel workers.
After the election, Daley and Gannon buried the hatchet in a way that guaranteed labor peace through 2016, when the mayor had hoped Chicago would host the Summer Olympics.
The 10-year contract with 8,000 city tradespeople locked in the prevailing wage paid to their counterparts in private industry. The agreement was subsequently reopened when the city ran up a $500 million-plus shortfall.
Gannon said he met with Daley Friday to inform the mayor of his decision. And despite their sometimes-rocky relationship, he said the mayor wished him well.
"Don't forget -- when he ran for states attorney [in 1980], I was with him. I was with him again for mayor the time he lost against Harold" Washington in 1983, Gannon said.
"But, at times, we just seem to find ourselves on different sides of issues I'm not gonna back down from, and he won't back down from."
Gannon is a former steamroller operator for the city of Chicago.
He also collects the largest pension of any retired city employee, though his city pension of $153,649 a year isn't based on the salary he earned as a steamroller. Instead, Gannon used a little-known state law that allows him to have the amount that he gets for his city pension be based on the salary he made as a top union boss.
Even as Gannon collected a city pension based on his Chicago Federation of Labor salary, he was able to continue working for the CFL, which, according to the most recent records available, paid him $215,484 in 2007.
Daley called Gannon "a very good labor leader" who will be "missed" and downplayed their differences.
"Dennis has been a very good labor leader," Daley said. "He started working many, many years ago, worked his way up to it. He was always helpful -- not only to labor, but to the city. He'll be missed.
"The media portrays when you have disagreements with someone that there's hatred there -- there's not," Daley said.
Then, referring to his wife, he added, "Maggie has disagreements with me all the time -- I don't know why the media tries to portray this as you against them or them against you. People are gonna differ with you every day."
Although Gannon routinely stood his ground, Daley said he would miss having a labor leader with the strength to deliver what he promised.
"You have to be able to sit down and work things out," the mayor said. "If you don't, then the issue you're trying to confront will just get bigger and bigger, and it's gonna cost the taxpayers more and more money in the end result."
Contributing: Tim Novak
Comments
THE MAYOR YES MAN.
AFTER YOU SCREWED ALL THE CITY WORKERS NOW YOU WANT TO LEAVE.(WHY) IS IT BECAUSE THE (FEDS)ARE LOOKING AT YOU.OR IS THERE NO MORE MONEY TO BE HAVE.OR ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A BETTER JOB.WE ALL KNOW WHO YOU BACKED IN THE SENATE RACE ARE YOU GOING TO SCREW THEM TO BECAUSE YOU ARE A EVIL MAN.
Posted by: ANGELO | February 4, 2010 7:54 PM
WHAT A PIECE OF SHI?
Posted by: Anonymous | February 5, 2010 8:19 AM
Pat you have brought some good/bad issues front and center as should be. Going after Gannon who has more heart and goodwill for the union people of this city than you'll ever know is just wrong, to bad the likes of you will never know what the real of it is as you spew and stir the hatred you try and pass on instead of standing up on issues better investigated and make good of the wrongs that are actual. (Response) The labor situation in Chicago is at it's worst and getting worse. Dennis made a lot of money off the back of working men and women and is walking away now. Sad Sad.
Posted by: Tom Plumb | February 5, 2010 1:45 PM
MR.GANNON I HAVE TO GIVE YOU CREDIT.YOU RAN A GREAT DOG AND PONY SHOW WITH THE PHONEY BULLSHIT YOU PULLED WHEN YOU SOLD THE TRADES DOWN THE DRAIN TO THE GREAT AND POWERFUL WIZARD OF CHICAGO.I THOUGHT AT THE START OF THIS WHOLE MESS HEY THIS GUY IS FIGHTING FOR US AND YOU HAD MY RESPECT.UNTIL YOU GAVE IN. NOT ONE TRADE UNION HAD A CHANCE TO VOTE ON YOUR SELLOUT.YOU TRULY ARE A SHIT HEAD.P.S.ENJOYING YOUR 150,000 PLUS PENSION FROM THE CITY.
Posted by: CITY WORKERS PAY YOUR PENSION | February 5, 2010 11:10 PM
I've known Dennis since I was a little kid. He's a good man who did the best he could for working men and women in this town during a tough economy. There are too many who just don't get it. That's what's making the labor sitution worse.
Posted by: Union Man | February 6, 2010 6:42 AM
union man must be on his payroll.as good of a man you say he is he still sold out the city trade people
Posted by: i too am a union man | February 6, 2010 5:28 PM
He had scab side job tradesmen do the work at his home
Posted by: Anonymous | February 7, 2010 2:22 PM
Anonymous, your wrong and I'm not going to debate the truth with you on something you haven't a clue of.
Union Man, I'm sure I know ya, and I think your right that they "don't get it" but I do disagree with you about the heart of the problem (and yea, it's my opinion).
I think the heart of the problem goes back to men or whores like Brabec (long ago Local 130 B.M) and then continued that whored out the union membership and their $ to the politicians...whole sale...supported the best liars or friends of theirs and then backed them with the union vote as did most other unions.... Nothing wrong with being close to the Pols, but stay out of their fucking bed! It's been a long time in my opinion that any politician supported the unions the way they use to or should. Fence riders once they get in, nothing but empty promises, and it has gotten to the point now where it is a major problem especially with the economy making things worse as we see it. How much $ has been given to the Pols year after year, along with the empty promises we have been given(all of the unions). Honestly I trust or believe very, very few of them. Repulicans or Democrats, they've become lying whores that would do anything for the union vote to help get them in. Daley and all the other Pols have all the attorneys and big business firms working for anything they can throw to them and obviously gets their donations (kick backs). Think we need to get back to basics with everything seemly getting out of hand. Counting on the Feds? C'mon... they feed the media what they want and throw a few in jail...they could care less about the unions... (they are attourney's too! There were a few guys that had balls enough to run against the plumbers Local 130 U.A. The electricians (134) had a shake up in their union also as well as a few other local unions...but, I think there is a lot of cleansing still needed as it seems to be the Same Old Shit ..Different Day. Alot of us better look in the mirror instead of pointing fingers all the time. "We" Union Members, allowed what or who is running our unions, and deciding for us what is to be...with or usually without our vote or voices heard first. MOST if not ALL unions have their favorite "Pet" politians and have their "own agenda" instead of a coalition of ALL the UNIONS. I didn't say it (wish I did) but, "United we stand...divided we fall" and that couldn't be truer in these times we are seeing now. Quit blaming everyone else and depending on the media to get out the word...Fuck the media....Do you really think the NON UNION media and their management give a rats ass for the union memebers of this town... The union membership of this city should be helping each other... and not trying to make their own roads....and then when the road ends blame the other guy.... If the unions don't come together and then STICK TOGETHER .... The Daley's and all the rest will still be there ...at the end of the road....But some would rather sit back and blame one guy...who's next? Just my opinion...
Posted by: Tom Plumb | February 8, 2010 2:28 PM
With all the CTA layoffs, I wonder if Gannon's brother, who is on the CTA payroll as a liason to labor, is getting laid off.
Posted by: phil | February 12, 2010 9:49 AM
Phil??? If you want to pick on the man, don't you think it should be more than "his brother is employed by the CTA? Personally I would think less of him if he didn't take care of, or help family as do all of us....one brother? I'm not here to argue, but I would think having his brother there IF, IF he is with CTA would be a good thing with having inside knowledge of what the skinny is. It just seems pretty weak to me, and like I said, I would think less of him if he didn't help family as do others in ALL walks of life...With people being laid off in all area's of the work force should he not have any family members working anywhere because of his title? As long as it isn't abused to the point of hurting others.... I believe OLD MAN Daley said it best..."If I can't or don't take care of my family...what kind of Mayor would I be"... If you manage a business would it be wrong to try and help your kid or brother with employment as long as it is allowed within that company etc...Is his brother the last man standing or last employee hired considering seniority... Gannon's a easy target for anyone to throw out charges like that as is anyone else that is in a higher ranking part of society as he has... If you want to go after someone I would think it should be warranted with a complete disregard for the people they represent or watch over, for lack of a better word....Just my opinion, but it seems people are going after the wrong guy?
Posted by: Tom Plumb | February 17, 2010 10:42 AM
I have know Dennis Gannon since the 3 grade. He is the kind of guy that would give the shirt of his back if you needed it. He started from the bottom and worked his tail off to get to where he is at today. He brought the labor union back> I am proud to be his friend
JL
Posted by: Anonymous | June 29, 2010 9:12 PM
Its all about who U know and family helps family its no secret its a reality that goes into the private sector of work and in municipal federal and state work these workers in the state, city, and federal are the backbone of the taxbase in this country if ya know somebody where ever you may work ya get the bigger slice of pie! FACT OF LIFE
Posted by: Reality Man | April 7, 2011 2:27 PM
Well how do you like Gannon now? He stiffed the city for long pension green and Dugan helped.
Posted by: Mike Quigley | September 22, 2011 8:32 PM