| United Working Families | |
| Formation: | 2014 |
| Headquarters: | Chicago, Illinois |
| Leader Title: | Chair |
| Leader Name: | Stacy Davis Gates |
| Leader Title2: | Vice-Chair |
| Leader Name2: | Abbie Illenberger |
| Leader Title3: | Executive Director |
| Leader Name3: | Kennedy Bartley |
United Working Families (UWF) is an independent political organization based in Chicago, Illinois.[1] It was formed in 2014 as a coalition between the Chicago Teachers Union, SEIU Healthcare Illinois Indiana, Grassroots Illinois Action, and Action Now.[2] [3] Although it is not a formal political party, the organization recruits and trains political candidates and organizers, endorses and provides support to political candidates, and engages in community organizing. Its stated goal is to "create space for independent politics" in Chicago and Illinois and to enact a "vision for a city and a state that provides for the many, not just the wealthy few."[4] The organization has been characterized as part of the progressive movement and the labor movement.[5]
In 2015, UWF backed the candidacy of Jesus "Chuy" Garcia against incumbent mayor Rahm Emanuel.[6] Garcia placed second in the first round and proceeded to the run-off election, where he lost to Emanuel.
The below table shows the candidates endorsed by UWF in the 2015 Chicago aldermanic election.[7]
| Leslie Hairston | 5 | Incumbent | Won in first round | 52.55% | |
| Roderick Sawyer | 6 | Incumbent | Won in first round | 56.2% | |
| Tara Baldridge | 8 | Challenger | Lost in first round | 15.67% | |
| Susan Sadlowski-Garza | 10 | Challenger | Won in run-off | 50.09% (run-off); 24.09% (first round) | |
| Toni Foulkes | 16 | Incumbent | Won in run-off | 50.94% (run-off); 47.65% (first round) | |
| David Moore | 17 | Open seat | Won in first round | 52.93% | |
| Ricardo Muñoz | 22 | Incumbent | Won in first round | 57.65% | |
| Juanita Izirray | 26 | Challenger | Lost in first round | 33.89% | |
| Zerlina Smith | 29 | Challenger | Lost in first round | 4.66% | |
| Scott Waugespack | 32 | Incumbent | Won in first round | 78.95% | |
| Tim Meegan | 33 | Challenger | Lost in first round | 34.01% | |
| Carlos Ramirez-Rosa | 35 | Challenger | Won in first round | 67.26% | |
| Tara Stamps | 37 | Challenger | Lost in run-off | 46.99% (run-off); 32.13% (first round) | |
| Nicholas Sposato | 38 | Incumbent | Won in first round | 53.58% | |
| John Arena | 45 | Incumbent | Won in run-off | 53.89% (run-off); 45.46% (first round) |
UWF did not make an endorsement in the 2019 mayoral election, but did create a digital advertisement featuring activists who critiqued candidate Lori Lightfoot for actions during her tenure as president of the Chicago Police Board.[8] Lightfoot proceeded to win the election.
The below table shows the candidates endorsed by UWF in the 2019 Chicago aldermanic election.[9] [10] All endorsed candidates who won would later join the City Council's Progressive Reform Caucus.
| Cleopatra Watson | 9 | Challenger | No | Lost in first round | 25.80% | |
| Susan Sadlowski Garza | 10 | Incumbent | Yes | Won in first round | 68.82% | |
| Tanya Patiño | 14 | Challenger | No | Lost in first round | 29.40% | |
| Rafael Yañez | 15 | Challenger | No | Lost in run-off | 40.30% (run-off); 21.83% (first round) | |
| Jeanette Taylor | 20 | Open seat | Yes | Won in run-off | 59.71% (run-off); 28.78% (first round) | |
| Michael Rodríguez | 22 | Open seat | Yes | Won in first round | 63.80% | |
| Byron Sigcho-Lopez | 25 | Open seat | No | Won in run-off | 54.20% (run-off); 29.23% (first round) | |
| Rossana Rodríguez Sanchez | 33 | Challenger | Yes | Won in run-off | 50.06% (run-off); 42.05% (first round) | |
| Carlos Ramirez-Rosa | 35 | Incumbent | Yes | Won in first round | 59.43% | |
| Tara Stamps | 37 | Challenger | No | Lost in first round | 40.17% | |
| Andre Vasquez | 40 | Challenger | No | Won in run-off | 53.87% (run-off); 20.09% (first round) | |
| John Arena | 45 | Incumbent | No | Lost in first round | 36.21% | |
| Erika Wozniak Francis | 46 | Challenger | Yes | Lost in first round | 16.84% | |
| Matt Martin | 47 | Open seat | No | Won in run-off | 62.50% (run-off); 39.31% (first round) | |
| Maria Hadden | 49 | Challenger | Yes | Won in first round | 63.37% |
In the 2023 Chicago mayoral election, UWF endorsed challenger Brandon Johnson, who previously served on the Cook County Board of Commissioners. Chuy García, who had received UWF's endorsement for Mayor in 2015, requested a delay in the endorsement process while he made his decision about whether to enter the race, but UWF proceeded with endorsing Johnson in September 2022, citing Garcia's unwillingness to provide a timeline for his decision.[11] Johnson was ultimately elected.
The below table shows candidates endorsed by UWF in the 2023 Chicago aldermanic election.[12]
| Candidate | Ward | Status | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel La Spata | 1 | Incumbent | Won in general election | |
| Khari Humphries | 4 | Open seat | Lost in general election | |
| Desmon Yancy | 5 | Open seat | Won in run-off election | |
| William Hall | 6 | Open seat | Won in run-off election | |
| Cleopatra Draper | 9 | Challenger | Lost in general election | |
| Oscar Sanchez | 10 | Open seat | Lost in general election | |
| Julia Ramirez | 12 | Open seat | Won in general election | |
| Vicko Alvarez | 15 | Challenger | Lost in general election | |
| Jeanette Taylor | 20 | Incumbent | Won in general election | |
| Jessie Fuentes | 26 | Challenger | Won in general election | |
| Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez | 33 | Incumbent | Won in general election | |
| Carlos Ramirez-Rosa | 35 | Incumbent | Won in general election | |
| Lori Torres Whitt | 36 | Challenger | Lost in run-off election | |
| Denali Dasgupta | 39 | Challenger | Lost in general election | |
| Angela Clay | 46 | Open seat | Won in run-off election | |
| Matt Martin | 47 | Incumbent | Won in general election | |
| Maria Hadden | 49 | Incumbent | Won in general election | |
| Mueze Bawany | 50 | Challenger | Lost in general election |
UWF endorsed the following candidates in the 2018 Illinois elections:[13] [14]
| Delia Ramirez | Illinois House of Representatives, 4th district | Open seat | Won in Democratic primary and general election[15] | |
| Aaron Ortiz | Illinois House of Representatives, 1st district | Challenger | Won in Democratic primary; unopposed in general election[16] | |
| Brandon Johnson | Cook County Board of Commissioners, 1st district | Challenger | Won in Democratic primary; unopposed in general election[17] | |
| Alma Anaya | Cook County Board of Commissioners, 7th district | Open seat | Won in Democratic primary; unopposed in general election[18] |
The below table shows candidates endorsed by UWF in the 2020 Illinois elections.[19] [20] The organization also endorsed Bernie Sanders in the Democratic Party presidential primary election.
| Kim Foxx | Cook County State's Attorney | Incumbent | Won in Democratic primary and general election | |
| Celina Villanueva | Illinois Senate, 11th district | Incumbent | Ran unopposed in Democratic primary and general election | |
| Robert Peters | Illinois Senate, 13th district | Incumbent | Won in Democratic primary; unopposed in general election | |
| Aaron Ortiz | Illinois House of Representatives, 1st district | Incumbent | Won in Democratic primary; unopposed in general election | |
| Theresa Mah | Illinois House of Representatives, 2nd district | Incumbent | Won in Democratic primary; unopposed in general election | |
| Nidia Carranza | Illinois House of Representatives, 3rd district | Challenger | Lost in Democratic primary | |
| Delia Ramirez | Illinois House of Representatives, 4th district | Incumbent | Ran unopposed in Democratic primary and general election | |
| Lakesia Collins | Illinois House of Representatives, 9th district | Open seat | Won in Democratic primary; unopposed in general election | |
| Will Guzzardi | Illinois House of Representatives, 39th district | Incumbent | Ran unopposed in Democratic primary and general election |
The below table shows candidates endorsed by UWF in the 2022 Illinois elections and 2022 Cook County elections.[21]
| Candidate | Office | Status | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delia Ramirez | U.S. House of Representatives, 3rd district | Open seat | Won in Democratic primary; unopposed in general election | |
| Robert Peters | Illinois Senate, 13th district | Incumbent | Won unopposed | |
| Celina Villanueva | Illinois Senate, 11th district | Incumbent | Won in general election | |
| Cristina Pacione-Zayas | Illinois Senate, 20th district | Incumbent | Won in general election | |
| Theresa Mah | Illinois House, 24th district | Incumbent | Won unopposed | |
| Lakesia Collins | Illinois House, 9th district | Incumbent | Won unopposed | |
| Lilian Jimenez | Illinois House, 4th district | Open seat | Won in Democratic primary and general election | |
| Michael Rabbitt | Illinois House, 15th district | Challenger | Lost in Democratic primary | |
| Will Guzzardi | Illinois House, 39th district | Incumbent | Won unopposed | |
| Norma Hernandez | Illinois House, 77th district | Challenger | Won in Democratic primary and general election | |
| Fritz Kaegi | Cook County Assessor | Incumbent | Won in Democratic primary and general election | |
| Brandon Johnson | Cook County Board of Commissioners, 1st district | Incumbent | Won unopposed | |
| Alma Anaya | Cook County Board of Commissioners, 7th district | Incumbent | Won unopposed | |
| Anthony Joel Quezada | Cook County Board of Commissioners, 8th district | Challenger | Won in Democratic primary; unopposed in general election |
In May 2019, all UWF-endorsed candidates who won in the 2019 Chicago aldermanic election (along with alderman Daniel La Spata) signed onto a legislative policy agenda entitled "Our 100 Day Plan to Reimagine Chicago."[22] [23] The agenda includes ordinances supporting public housing and affordable housing, a new real estate transfer tax, an increased minimum wage, a Community Benefits Agreement for the Obama Presidential Center, eliminating exemptions in Chicago's welcoming city ordinance, and reform of tax increment financing.
In November 2019, aldermen affiliated with UWF hosted a series of town halls on the city budget, in support of their proposed alternatives to Mayor Lightfoot's budget.[24] The organization itself released a statement opposing the mayor's budget on the grounds that it lacked funding for affordable housing, failed to re-open closed mental health clinics, and did not contain sufficient progressive revenue measures.[25] On November 26, eight of the nine UWF-endorsed aldermen voted against Lightfoot's budget proposal, which passed by a vote of 39–11.[26]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, UWF worked with other community organizations and some local elected officials to create and endorse a "Right to Recovery" package at the city, county, and state levels.[27] [28] [29] The package would include paid emergency leave, emergency housing for those unable to self-quarantine, a moratorium on Immigration and Customs Enforcement check-ins, and weekly payments of $750 to families with children and workers facing layoffs and furloughs.[30]