The Chicago Teachers Union has agreed to submit complete financial audits to the House Committee on Education and Workforce following a probe by policymakers.
The Republican-led committee issued a letter Thursday to CTU President Stacy Davis Gates requiring the union to submit meeting minutes documenting any member requests for audits since September 2020 and all written requests for audits submitted since that time along with CTU’s responses, in addition to entire financial audits.
“We will respond to the House Committee on Education and Workforce and cooperate with any legitimate requests,” the union wrote in a letter shared with the Tribune. “We are confident that our responses will fully answer any legitimate questions and address the allegations contained in your letter.”
While CTU officials declined to comment on the matter, they made their response to the congressional committee available to the Tribune.
According to the committee’s letter, CTU leadership has not provided members with full audit records for more than five years, despite repeated requests for transparency. This omission violates the union’s bylaws, the committee wrote.
“Failure to disclose financial information strips dues-paying members of their basic right to understand how their money is spent,” the committee wrote.
Union members can access financial audits in various ways, including by appointment and through the union’s official membership platform, Memberlink, the union announced earlier this year.
The union emphasized this in their response to the committee, detailing other concerns they had about the committee’s letter. One of the main concerns for union leaders was that the committee’s inquiry mirrors allegations from a recent civil lawsuit against the union.
Beyond the immediate requests, the committee wrote that CTU’s response may help them better understand not only what is going on internally but potentially reform the Labor-Management Reporting Disclosure Act, since the committee has jurisdiction over it.
“Every dollar paid by workers should serve their interests, not those of a select few operating in the shadows,” the committee wrote.
After speaking with committee staff, CTU negotiated a new date for turning in documents. Instead of Dec. 8, the union will now have until Dec. 22 to file the requested information.
The committee did not specify in its letter what the consequences would be if the union fails to submit documents by that date.