Philadelphia teachers’ union endorses Helen Gym for mayor

The union that represents Philadelphia public-school teachers on Monday endorsed former Councilmember Helen Gym for mayor, throwing the weight of one of the city’s most politically potent labor unions behind a longtime education advocate.

Members of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers voted overwhelmingly for the union to pick Gym, who won four times as many votes as the candidate who finished in second, said Jerry Jordan, president of the PFT.

Jordan said in an interview that he wasn’t surprised by the outcome, saying Gym “has been around the members of the PFT for literally decades.” He recalled marching alongside her more than 20 years ago in protest of the state takeover of the city’s school district.

“She’s been with us when in fact no other [mayoral candidate] was,” he said.

Gym, a former teacher who in 2006 founded the organization Parents United for Public Schools, is a longtime activist who for years railed against the School Reform Commission, the state-controlled board that ran the School District of Philadelphia for 17 years.

She has since built her political image around improving the city’s schools, and said she vowed to PFT membership that she’d be a reliable partner if elected mayor.

“Saving our city is going to come in many ways through caring for our children and families, and that especially includes public schools,” she said. “I have a real vision for how they should be in harmony with people’s lives and with the vision of the city going forward.”

Gym said her education plan includes “reengaging families back into our schools” following a turbulent three years, addressing a shortage of teachers that has plagued schools across the country, and modernizing school buildings.

The endorsement comes as the city government and the School District are at odds. Last week, the district sued the city over legislation passed last year that forms a public oversight board that evaluates environmental conditions and determines whether school buildings are safe enough for children and staff.

The announcement also comes nearly four months ahead of the May primary election. In 2015, when Mayor Jim Kenney ran for the office for the first time, he won the PFT endorsement in March — just two months before election day.

What’s different this cycle is the size of the field. Nine Democrats have officially launched campaigns, and at least two others are still considering getting in the race, reflecting one of the most sprawling fields in decades.

» READ MORE: And then there were nine: The Philly mayoral field could be the largest in years

The PFT’s endorsement typically comes with a substantial get-out-the-vote apparatus, which can be especially useful in municipal election years when voter turnout is generally low. And while the group can only contribute $25,200 to Gym per year under the city’s campaign-finance laws, individual members can contribute to the campaign, and the American Federation of Teachers could spend in the Philadelphia race.

The only other major union to have made an endorsement in the mayor’s race so far is District Council 33 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents 9,500 blue-collar municipal employees. Earlier this month, the union — Philadelphia’s largest representing municipal workers — endorsed grocer Jeff Brown, a first-time candidate, in a surprise vote by its leadership board.

Other labor unions that typically get involved in municipal races are gearing up to make their picks. The local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union, usually among the more progressive groups in organized labor, is expected to make an endorsement next month.

The city’s coalition of building trades unions also has yet to make an endorsement, and it remains to be seen whether the more than 50 locals that make up the council will coalesce around one candidate.

And the unions that represent police and firefighters have not made public their timeline for when — or if — they’ll pick a candidate to back.