US President Donald Trump's administration is using the Department of Labor to audit one of the country's largest and most active public workers' unions, the Chicago Teachers Union. According to a letter obtained by The Intercept, the DOL requested that the union provide detailed information about its financial records, bookkeeping practices, and internal controls.
The union sees this as an attack fueled by conservative dark-money groups aligned with Trump administration. The union has been vocal in criticizing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions and providing "defend your rights" training for families and students.
In November, the House Committee on Education and Workforce demanded documents from the union that mandated by the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act. However, the union complied with this request while objecting to the characterization of its failure to provide the documentation as presented in the letter.
The Illinois Policy Institute (IPI) has been a key player in this saga. The IPI is a conservative think tank with deep ties to Republican megadonors and has produced award-winning reporting on government unions, including the CTU, for more than a decade.
Critics say that the House inquiry is part of a coordinated attack on the union by right-wing entities looking to damage the labor movement and public education. The Chicago Teachers Union fears that the audits could become accessible to the public, including IPI and Liberty Justice Center, which are currently suing the union for its financial audits.
The union has denied any wrongdoing, stating that it is transparent about its finances. However, experts say that the timing of this audit is suspicious, coming as it does on the eve of the deadline for the union to turn over financial documents to a House committee targeting the union based on claims circulated by an Illinois right-wing anti-union group.
The Trump administration has been criticized for its relentless attacks on unions and public education. The president's fixation on Chicago, where the union is run by a Black woman, has been noted by some as particularly concerning.
Stacy Davis Gates, the CTU president, said that her union is powerful and therefore a target for those who seek to undermine it. "If you look at the Illinois Policy Institute and the MAGA movement," she said, "what I think you'll see is this intense focus on refusing to fund health care, refusing to fund public education, refusing to fund the social good."
The union's efforts to support working families, Black students, immigrant students, and Brown students have been seen as a clear opposition to Trump's policies. The CTU has also provided training for students and their families to safely avoid immigration agents.
As one labor historian noted, "If what you're trying to do is bust unions, you go after the big ones."
The union sees this as an attack fueled by conservative dark-money groups aligned with Trump administration. The union has been vocal in criticizing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions and providing "defend your rights" training for families and students.
In November, the House Committee on Education and Workforce demanded documents from the union that mandated by the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act. However, the union complied with this request while objecting to the characterization of its failure to provide the documentation as presented in the letter.
The Illinois Policy Institute (IPI) has been a key player in this saga. The IPI is a conservative think tank with deep ties to Republican megadonors and has produced award-winning reporting on government unions, including the CTU, for more than a decade.
Critics say that the House inquiry is part of a coordinated attack on the union by right-wing entities looking to damage the labor movement and public education. The Chicago Teachers Union fears that the audits could become accessible to the public, including IPI and Liberty Justice Center, which are currently suing the union for its financial audits.
The union has denied any wrongdoing, stating that it is transparent about its finances. However, experts say that the timing of this audit is suspicious, coming as it does on the eve of the deadline for the union to turn over financial documents to a House committee targeting the union based on claims circulated by an Illinois right-wing anti-union group.
The Trump administration has been criticized for its relentless attacks on unions and public education. The president's fixation on Chicago, where the union is run by a Black woman, has been noted by some as particularly concerning.
Stacy Davis Gates, the CTU president, said that her union is powerful and therefore a target for those who seek to undermine it. "If you look at the Illinois Policy Institute and the MAGA movement," she said, "what I think you'll see is this intense focus on refusing to fund health care, refusing to fund public education, refusing to fund the social good."
The union's efforts to support working families, Black students, immigrant students, and Brown students have been seen as a clear opposition to Trump's policies. The CTU has also provided training for students and their families to safely avoid immigration agents.
As one labor historian noted, "If what you're trying to do is bust unions, you go after the big ones."
it's supposed to be pretty good. Anyway, I heard this union thing and it seems kinda fishy to me. Like, why are they auditing them now? Are they worried someone is going to find some wrongdoing or something? But at the same time, it just seems like another attack on unions and public education... you know? My neighbor's kid started working for a tutoring service this summer and I asked him how he liked it 
. He said it was okay but his mom is still mad because they don't pay enough. Yeah, that makes sense. The union might be doing some good, I guess. 
It sounds like there's something more to it, maybe some big donors or groups trying to silence them. I'm not surprised that the Trump administration is targeting unions - we've seen them try to undermine public education and workers' rights before. The fact that this audit comes out now, just as the deadline for the union's financial documents is approaching, seems like more than a coincidence... 
. First it's Chicago Teachers Union, now other public worker's unions are in the DOL's crosshairs? It seems like a coordinated effort to dismantle labor movements and public education funding 
. The timing is suspicious too - just before the deadline for financial documents to be turned over to the House committee. IPI (Illinois Policy Institute) is heavily involved, which raises red flags about their motives 
. This could be an attack on workers' rights and the social good, not just the union itself 
. The Trump administration's stance on unions has been super divisive, but this seems like a clear attempt to undermine public services 
like who exactly is behind it? i don't trust the ilinois policy institute (ipi) one bit - those guys are all about spreading propaganda against public workers and schools. trumps admin is trying to break the ctu's spirit, but they're not gonna succeed 
it's just more evidence that trump's anti-union stance is all about hurting marginalized communities. the fact that they're going after a black woman-led union is like, super concerning 
this attack on public education and unions is just another reason to be pro union and support our teachers and workers 
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. This whole thing reeks of a coordinated attack by right-wing groups who hate unions and public education. It's no coincidence that this audit comes out just as Trump's policies are starting to unravel, with students and families getting fired up about their rights.
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. I mean, we need strong teachers' unions like the CTU more than ever, especially with all the crazy stuff going on in this country 
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The fact that the audit is happening on the eve of a House committee deadline suggests that there's more to this than just good governance. It feels like a coordinated attack on public education and unions.
. And yeah, it's not hard to see why some people would want to target unions and public education – they're seen as threats to corporate interests and the status quo 
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. The CTU has done nothing wrong, so let's not be hasty to attack them without evidence 
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. We need to acknowledge the very real concerns that unions like the CTU are raising, while also recognizing the importance of labor laws and worker protections 
. I mean, what's up with the Illinois Policy Institute being in the mix? They've got ties to right-wing donors and have a history of producing anti-union content 
. It all feels like a big smear campaign to discredit the union and weaken public education 
. The CTU is powerful and they're definitely a target for those who want to undermine it 
I'm literally shaking with rage over this 
. The fact that this is happening just before the deadline for the union to turn over financial documents is just, like, so suspicious 
! I mean, who tries to take down a powerful union on the eve of a deadline? This is just textbook bullying tactics 
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. Newsflash: we won't be silenced! We'll keep fighting for our rights, for our schools, for our communities 
. And if that means taking down the Chicago Teachers Union, so be it 
. Bring it on, I say 