‘Chuy’ García gets $1 million from labor union as race for Chicago mayor enters ballot-challenge phase

Powerful labor union IUOE Local 150 is giving U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García’s campaign a $1 million donation in his bid to unseat Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 announced its support for García late last month, giving his candidacy a boost after some of his key backers in his 2015 race against Mayor Rahm Emanuel declared their support for Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson.

Aside from Lightfoot, García and Johnson, none of the candidates for mayor has been able to generate major union backing.

García’s campaign sought again to underscore the level of support he’s received since declaring his candidacy less than a month ago.

“In the short time since we launched this campaign, we’ve seen an outpouring of support from Chicagoans of all walks of life - and that is a testament to Congressman García’s history as a coalition builder,” Manuel Diaz, spokesperson for the campaign, said in a news release.

Lightfoot, García and Johnson — along with Ald. Sophia King, state Rep. Kam Buckner and former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas — were also among the mayoral candidates who avoided challenges to their nominating petition signatures prior to Monday’s deadline. Other contenders — Willie Wilson, Ja’Mal Green, Ald. Roderick Sawyer, Frederick Collins and Johnny Logalbo — are facing challenges that could potentially knock them off the ballot.

Barring anyone getting knocked off, ballot order was also determined Tuesday, with Green winning a lottery to appear first on the ballot, followed by King and then Buckner.

Local 150′s endorsement of and financial support for García comes at a time when the City Council is weighing an ordinance favored by the union to lower the threshold for when a crane operator requires a license. Currently, the city requires crane operators to get a license for any equipment with capacity to lift more than 2,000 pounds, but the operating engineers wants to lower the threshold to 1,000 pounds.

That legislation has been stalled in the City Council for months and is opposed by several other labor unions. A Local 150 spokesman said García made no commitments about the ordinance.

Asked her position recently on the ordinance, Lightfoot said it’s up to the City Council to figure out.

With the business community largely sitting out the mayor’s race so far, union support will be especially critical in the outcome. Lightfoot has tried to ally herself with trade unions, while Johnson has received support from progressive labor groups, including the Chicago Teachers Union, SEIU Local 73 and SEIU Healthcare.

Though Lightfoot’s time as mayor has been defined in part by constant fights with police and teachers unions, she has also quietly built a strong relationship with some labor leaders who appreciate her record on worker issues.

As mayor, Lightfoot pushed through a $15 minimum wage hike and a predictive workplace scheduling ordinance long backed by unions, two items that she often points to while highlighting her record. Labor groups have also lent support to her plans for a Chicago casino in River West and the union jobs it stands to bring.

But the mayor’s backing from labor unions also comes with public tensions. The plumbers union, for instance, has been supportive of Lightfoot. But the membership has twice booed her during large meetings with the rank and file, including one in mid-November.

To underscore how large a donation García received, Lightfoot’s biggest individual contribution came from the LIUNA Chicago Laborers’ District Council PAC in March 2019, which gave her $500,000 while she was in the runoff against Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.

Chicago Tribune’s A.D. Quig contributed.