1920's Education | The Courts, Politics, and the Chicago Schools

C.F.T.

The Chicago Federation of Teachers (C.F.T.) was founded in 1897 by a group of female elementary-school teachers. Led by Ella Flagg Young, Catherine Goggin, and Margaret Haley, the C.F.T. membership grew rapidly after the turn of the century, enrolling more members than did the National Education Association. One of the goals of the Chicago teachers was to win better working conditions and higher salaries. Discovering that, contrary to Illinois law, Chicago's public utility companies were not paying taxes upon the value of their franchises, the union brought lawsuits against these companies. C.F.T. lawyers won these suits, which forced the utilities to pay fair taxes. Similar lawsuits were filed and won against the Pullman and Swift Companies. Although the C.F.T. expected that the increased funding generated by these taxes would be spent on teachers' salaries, the board of education instead used these new revenues to build...