Union member suing CTU for audit sees ‘red flags’ amid intimidation tactics

(The Center Square) – One of the plaintiffs suing the Chicago Teachers Union to open the books for how union dues are spent says after bringing a complaint forward, leaders humiliated and intimidated them.

The Liberty Justice Center said CTU hasn’t met its obligation to publish an audit report for its members since it published an audit only covering the first half of 2019.

“CTU members deserve to know where their money is going. After four years of silence, it’s time for transparency,” plaintiff Phillip Weiss said in a statement announcing the lawsuit.

Attorney Dean McGee said at first they approached the union with a demand letter to voluntarily publish audits of how the group spent its members’ dues. The union then requested the names of those bringing the demand to ensure they are union members.

“But what it appeared to be was a ruse to start engaging with intimidation tactics against our clients,” McGee told The Center Square Thursday.

The audits were never released and the lawsuit was filed Wednesday.

Weiss, who is a school social worker and member of CTU, is also running for reelection to be a trustee on the union’s pension fund. He said union leaders recently singled him out during a “meet the candidates meeting” with other union members ahead of union elections.

“Before I was able to give my opening remarks, they put up a copy of the demand letter and described me as ‘the right wing’ and essentially the danger to the union,” Weiss told The Center Square. “It was in front of the entire delegate body, she humiliated me.”

McGee said politics has nothing to do with his clients’ case.

“They don’t know my politics and I don’t know theirs,” McGee said. “They have just stressed the importance as members of getting accountability.”

As a trustee on the pension fund, Weiss said he sees a lot of inconsistent money issues.

“I consistently ask for the audits and they give me the runaround and they lie and then when you press them they smear and defame you,” Weiss said. “So it’s just a red flag to me that there’s something there that’s seriously wrong.”

The lawsuit filed Tuesday is pending in the Circuit Court of Cook County.