After going on strike 63 times in the previous 13 years, Illinois teachers unions gave families a break and didn’t walk out on students in 2024. But the Chicago Teachers Union may change that soon.

The Chicago Teachers Union rejected recommendations from a neutral factfinder. The union will be free to strike after the report is public for 30 days and the union gives 10 days’ notice of striking.

New polling shows 3-in-5 Chicago voters have an unfavorable view of the Chicago Teachers Union. More than 55% said they would be less likely to vote for someone who accepts CTU donations.

Rapid growth in government jobs during 2024 did little to fix the downward trajectory of union membership in Illinois. Just 13.1% of workers are union members in the state.

Government unions posed threats to public welfare that were recognized by founders of the labor movement and by progressive icon Franklin D. Roosevelt. Those threats have become reality, with government union power dominating – especially in Illinois.

Public records show the Chicago Teachers Union and other union entities pay Stacy Davis Gates a very healthy salary. But union transparency ends there. CTU is refusing to show members how it spends their money, despite that mandate in CTU’s rules.

The Chicago Teachers Union spent $1.74 million on its endorsed school board candidates. But most of them were defeated, signaling the unpopularity of CTU and Mayor Brandon Johnson.