Defend Bosses Who Hid Union Financial Information From Members
Thanks primarily to the monopoly privileges they wield under Illinois law, the top bosses of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU/IFT/AFT) oversee the most powerful political organization in the Windy City.
In FY 2025 alone, CTU kingpins poured, by their own admission, over $4.2 million into “political activities and lobbying.”
Meanwhile, the CTU hierarchy has flagrantly flouted its obligation under its own constitution to give dues-paying educators at least some idea of what the union is up to by furnishing “an audited report of the Union which shall be printed in the Union’s publication.”
Only after federal lawmakers and watchdogs began demanding that the CTU produce its audit records going back to 2020 did they finally see the light of day.
Members Who Asked to See Audits Were Stonewalled, Possibly Lied to by CTU
This January 16, President Stacy Davis Gates and other CTU honchos finally made five years’ worth of audits available for union-“represented” educators and other taxpayers to review.
Getting them to do this was akin to pulling teeth.
In October 2024, four CTU duespayers filed a lawsuit demanding the audits be released, citing the union’s own rules. Union bosses tried to get the case tossed. But a judge refused, citing the CTU constitution’s plain language stating audits must be made freely available
Last November, the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce (E&W Committee) issued a demand letter that the CTU release the documents or face increased congressional scrutiny.
Finally, this January 15, the U.S. Department of Labor announced it would investigate the union, citing as possible reasons its failure to publish its audits and/or discrepancies in previous annual mandatory filings to the DOL.
The next day, when the CTU relented, it was obvious why union bosses had tried to keep their audits hidden.
“Official records combined with public statements show Ms. Davis Gates was telling members and the Cook County Circuit Court the audits were incomplete, while simultaneously telling the IRS and DOL the audits were complete,” said Greg Mourad, vice president of the National Right to Work Committee.
“Obviously, she was either lying to members and the court, or she was lying to the DOL and the IRS.”
“Moreover, two of the annual audits that were finally released, for 2021 and 2024, were given adverse opinions by the auditor for sleight of hand in omitting finances from related entities the CTU controls, like its foundations.
“In plain English, that means the CTU failed those audits.”
Big Labor Politicians Have Defended Union’s Brazen Flouting of Its Own Rules
Unfortunately, Big Labor politicians from Illinois evidently do not see anything wrong with the CTU’s flouting of its own rules and its contempt for rank-and-file educators. On January 15, nearly the entire U.S. House delegation from Chicago (all union-label Democrats) questioned in a public letter why the E&W Committee was targeting the union!
To readers of this Newsletter, however, this should be no surprise, because then CTU has made its mission to become the kingmaker of Chicago politics, and, by extension, of Illinois.
Teacher union operatives have systematically worked to obliterate all opposition at the city, county and state levels with massive political donations and manpower.
In 2023, they even elected one of their own — Democrat Brandon Johnson, hitherto a CTU operative — as Chicago mayor.
Free Teachers Quit CTU
Mr. Mourad observed that, despite the chokehold it maintains over the Windy City’s government schools and politics, the CTU does have an Achilles’ heel: the freedom of teachers and other school employees to cut off all financial support for the union without losing their jobs.
“Eight years ago this spring,” explained Mr. Mourad, “the U.S. Supreme Court recognized, for the first time, public employees’ constitutional right to work for the taxpayer without being forced to bankroll a government union as a condition of employment.
“A High Court majority reached this conclusion in Janus v. AFSCME Council 31, a case argued and won on behalf of an independent-minded Illinois civil servant by National Right to Work attorney Bill Messenger.
“Since Janus, CTU membership has begun to fall, even though Chicago Public Schools’ payrolls have soared by roughly 20%.
“This shows the formidable power of the CTU is built on government coercion — not educator support.”
This article was originally published in our monthly newsletter. Go here to access previous newsletter posts.
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