The Liberty Justice Center announced today that seven additional members of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) have joined its efforts to hold CTU leadership accountable for failing to produce audits for over four years.
CTU’s constitution requires its leadership to provide members with annual audited financial reports—an obligation it has failed to meet since 2019. Despite being given an opportunity to avoid litigation by complying with a formal demand letter sent on October 1, CTU leadership has refused to release the missing audits or even agree to a timeline for their production—leaving members no choice but to take legal action.
Rather than produce the audits, CTU leadership has attempted to discredit and silence the four members who initially filed suit, dismissing the legitimate concerns of decades-long union members as part of a “right wing” conspiracy tied to “Project 2025.” Despite these false accusations and intimidation tactics, more CTU members are stepping forward to hold union leaders accountable and to demand financial transparency.
“As CTU members, we deserve transparency and accountability from our leadership. By joining this effort, we are standing up for the principles our union should embody,” said client Anthony Juggan, who has been a CTU member since 2013. “Despite attempts by CTU leadership to dismiss this lawsuit as a ‘right wing’ effort, the truth is simple: we are union members demanding accountability from our own leaders. This is a nonpartisan effort to ensure the union operates with integrity for the benefit of all members.”
“Hardworking, dues-paying members deserve financial transparency,” agreed plaintiff Bridget Cuevas, who has been a CTU member since 2012 and is one of the four union members who initially filed suit.
“The Chicago Teachers’ Union is failing its 25,000 members—and millions of Chicago taxpayers—by withholding years of legally required audits. All our clients are asking for is transparency. If CTU has nothing to hide, why not just produce the audits?” said Dean McGee, Senior Counsel for Educational Freedom at the Liberty Justice Center.
Weiss v. Chicago Teachers Union was filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County on October 8, 2024. The Liberty Justice Center is representing the CTU members pro bono.
The Liberty Justice Center’s legal filings in Weiss v. Chicago Teachers Union are available here.