The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) announced Tuesday that it is now responsible for representing members of a local charter school union in matters involving contract negations and enforcement.

The charter school union in question is the Chicago Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff Local 4343 (ChiACTS), an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT).

IFT previously handled contraction negotiations and enforcement for Chicago ACTS, which has 1,000 members at 32 Chicago charter schools.

"Our sisters and brothers in Local 4343 have fought extremely hard for unionization, and welcome the opportunity to represent them," CTU President Karen Lewis said in a news release. "This partnership will strengthen the work of both ChiACTS and the CTU, which will empower all of our educators and students in making their school buildings a better place to work and learn."

ChiACTS President Brian Harris added: "This servicing agreement will strengthen the relationship our two unions have been building for years. As teachers at charters and CPS both teach the same students, we need to work in solidarity in opposition to the agenda of the unelected school board in order to bring our students the schools they deserve."