Brandon Johnson received a lot of support from the unions

An influential labor group affiliated with the Chicago teachers union announced its endorsement of Brandon Johnson for mayor on Wednesday, adding to the list of labor organizations that have decided to back the Cook County commissioner over other progressives, including U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chewy” Garcia.

Service Employees International Union Local 73 announced its 2023 election choice outside county government offices downtown, officially joining the CTU in its bid to replace Mayor Laurie Lightfoot in the February election with someone more aligned with their interests.

Johnson, a longtime CTU organizer, accepted a teachers union endorsement and a $59,900 political contribution earlier in September, shortly before he entered the race.

The support of two heavyweights in Chicago’s labor space gives the union-friendly Johnson a critical boost in his bid to stand out among a crowded field of progressives also fighting to oust Lightfoot. Both unions have grown in political power over the past decade, especially in the case of the CTU, although the mayoral candidates they supported most recently — Cook County Council President Tony Preckwinkle in 2019 and Garcia in 2015 — failed to win.

[ Who’s in, who’s out and who’s thinking about running for Chicago mayor  ]

SEIU’s announcement also further complicates how Garcia — a darling of the political left who is expected to announce a mayoral run — will maneuver the field if he enters the race. He is certainly more popular among Chicagoans than Johnson, and forced then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel into a runoff during his last campaign. But with CTU and a key SEIU local this time behind Johnson, Garcia’s path forward is murkier.

Johnson told the Tribune earlier last month that he was in talks with SEIU Local 73, which represents non-teaching staff in Chicago Public Schools, about the endorsement.

The union represents more than 31,000 service workers in schools, government agencies, social services and elsewhere in Illinois and Indiana. There are two other Chicago-based SEIU locales: Local 1, which represents maintenance and janitorial workers, and Healthcare, both of which previously met with Local 73 but have yet to announce their choice.

In recent years, Lightfoot has tried to work with SEIU leaders and even hired SEIU State Council Executive Director Benjamin Capelup as a senior adviser on union affairs. But despite having quietly built a productive relationship with some SEIU leaders, it’s unclear whether she can translate that into official support.

Meanwhile, Johnson worked to raise money and earn the support of labor groups, including his teachers union. Since its initial donation to Johnson, CTU contributed an additional $11,250 to his political committee last month. Johnson has raised $150,000 in contributions from the Illinois Federation of Teachers, and the American Federation of Teachers has pledged $1 million to his race. Unions representing local carpenters and electricians also donated to Johnson’s political fund.

Lightfoot had a long feud with the CTU and other progressive organizations during her first term. She led the city’s response to an 11-day teacher strike in 2019 and several rounds of confrontation with the union during the COVID-19 pandemic over its plan to return to face-to-face instruction. Although the CTU has been at the forefront of these labor disputes, SEIU Local 73 joined the CTU in 2019 and has also largely supported the demands of the teachers union.

For her part, Lightfoot has argued that she is a progressive mayor and has constructive relationships with some labor leaders who value her record on labor issues.

In her first few months as mayor in 2019, Lightfoot pushed through a Fair Work Week ordinance that would require Chicago’s largest employers to give at least two weeks’ notice of their schedules and compensate them for last-minute changes. Later that year, Lightfoot passed his first budget, which laid the groundwork for a $15 minimum wage long sought by local unions.

When Lightfoot won City Council support to break ground on Chicago’s first casino, she spoke alongside Chicago Federation of Labor President Bob Reiter and members of UNITE HERE Local 1, which represents hospitality workers, at a celebratory news conference.

In addition to Johnson, state Rep. Kambium “Kam” Buckner, Ald. Sophia King, Ald. Roderick Sawyer and activist Ja’Mal Green are self-proclaimed progressive mayoral candidates. Also in the race are businessman Willie Wilson, Ald. Raymond Lopez and former CPS CEO Paul Wallace.

Johnson first took public office in 2018 when he defeated Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin in the West Side county’s Democratic primary after the incumbent drew the ire of organized labor by voting against the county’s soda tax. Before that, Johnson was a CPS teacher.

During Johnson’s time on the county council, he pushed through a measure that would ban refusing to show or rent properties to people with certain criminal records. He also drafted a symbolic resolution supporting the diversion of money from the police following nationwide protests demanding the police budget be cut.

He repeated his criticism of the political establishment at a recent mayoral candidate forum, vowing not to increase the Chicago police budget before decrying: “Can we be honest? They don’t want black people here,” regarding policies like demolishing public housing, closing schools, or Lightfoot’s recent move to build bridges during the civil unrest of 2020.

ayin@chicagotribune.com