The remaining members’ dues fund 65 salaries of over $100,000.
What the Illinois Federation of Teachers just reported to the U.S. Labor Department might surprise some of its members.
In a required annual report, the union’s own words reveal that:
- It has 15,600 fewer members than it claims on its website.
- Less than 28% of its spending is on representing teachers — what should be its main focus.
- The union spent over $1 million on politics in 2025.
- Nearly half of the IFT’s officers and employees made over $100,000 last year.
That questionable spending is likely to get worse under the new leadership of Stacy Davis Gates, who became president in October. Chicago Teachers Union spending on politics has quadrupled with her at the helm, and she now leads both unions.
Here are the details Illinois teachers should know before they turn over any more of their hard-earned money in dues.
The union has 15,600 fewer members than it claims on its website
IFT has claimed to have 105,000 members in multiple recent press releases.
But the union just told the Labor Department something drastically different. That federal filing — signed in late March under penalty of perjury — said it had just 89,372 members.
That’s 15,600 less.
Either IFT misrepresented its member numbers to the Labor Department — under oath — or the union is lying to its members, the media and the public on its website.
Notably, IFT’s membership rolls have never hit 100,000, according to its previous filings with the Labor Department. Membership peaked in 2016 at just over 96,000. It hasn’t come anywhere close to 100,000 since.
This begs the question: If IFT is lying over something as simple as membership numbers, what else is it lying about?
Less than 28% of the union’s spending is on representing teachers
IFT’s report also shows it spent little last year on “representational activities,” which should be its main focus. The Labor Department defines representational activities as the negotiation of a collective-bargaining agreement and the administration and enforcement of the resulting contract.
IFT spent a total of $52.3 million in 2025. Just $14.4 million of that was on representing teachers — not even 28% of the total.
The rest went to politics, overhead and other union leadership priorities.
To put this in perspective, the Better Business Bureau’s Standards for Charity Accountability say at least 65% of a nonprofit’s total expenses should be used for program activities.
While the BBB’s guidelines are for charities, it stands to reason that IFT’s spending of less than 28% on representation — the purpose of a union — should concern members.
The union spent over $1 million on politics in 2025
IFT spent $1,057,611 on political activities and lobbying in 2025, down just slightly from 2024. But members can expect the union’s political spending to increase now that Davis Gates is president.
Most of IFT’s political spending was not itemized in its report. More than $951,000 went to officer and employee salaries for their political work and lobbying, and the report doesn’t include on what causes or candidate campaigns those employees worked.
Regardless of a member’s personal leanings, IFT’s politically motivated spending runs counter to the organization’s purpose of representing teachers on core compensation and educational issues.
Nearly half of the union’s officers and employes made over $100K last year
IFT employed 144 officers and other staffers in 2025, and 65 of them made over $100,000. That included former IFT President Dan Montgomery, who made over $274,000 between January and when he left in October.
It also included newly elected IFT president Davis Gates. IFT reported she received $100,607 in 2025. That’s likely to increase substantially next year when she has a full year of pay as president. She was previously IFT’s executive vice president and made $78,150 in that position in 2024.
That’s in addition to the nearly $195,000 Davis Gates made last year as CTU president.
Meanwhile, the average teacher salary in Illinois was less than $79,000.
In total, IFT spent $13.4 million on its own officers and employees’ salaries.
Teachers are sending their hard-earned money to IFT, which is taking advantage of them. IFT is using their union dues to prop up its own expensive employees while spending not even 28 cents of every dollar on representing those teachers.
Teachers have a choice. Public school employees in Illinois don’t have to be in a union — or pay fees — to keep their jobs or receive the benefits in their contracts. Learn more at LeaveIFT.com.
