After serving eight years in his current post, Chicago Federation of Labor President Dennis Gannon has decided not to seek re-election to another four-year term. Gannon had butted heads in recent years with the Daley administration, most notably in their fight for a big box living wage ordinance. "I’m just drained," the labor leader told the Sun-Times today. "Between the politics and the labor stuff and trying to keep people together and making sure labor’s issues are front and center — it’s just time for somebody else to take the reins."

Who might replace him? The CFL's second in command is Secretary-Treasurer Jorge Ramirez, a former United Food and Commercial Workers executive director with some strong progressive bonafides. Currently, he sits on the executive coard of Chicago Jobs with Justice and on Citizen Action/Illinois' Policy Council.