The Lake County Federation of Teachers (LCFT) represents approximately 5,500 men and women in Lake County. LCFT members include elementary and secondary teachers, school-related personnel and support staff--teaching assistants, clerks, secretaries and bus drivers--higher education faculty and staff. Our federated local consists of twenty-two councils located throughout Lake County.

The LCFT is a member of the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT), an AFL-CIO affiliated Union and a state federation of the American Federation of Teachers, an organization of more than 1 million education professionals, public employees and health professionals headquartered in Washington, D.C.

We share the common goal of the Illinois Federation of Teachers--to improve public education and public services for Illinois students and citizens. In order to improve public education, we recognize that it is important to protect the rights guaranteed to our members by their individual contracts, as well as to ensure that our members receive fair and just treatment by their employers. Beyond the protection of our members we are involved in the professional development of our members, offering courses designed to increase their knowledge and experiences. We are also actively involved in the support of legislative measures designed to benefit the educational system on a local, state, and national level.

The LCFT has one primary governing body. Elected delegates from each of our twenty-two councils attend bi-monthly meetings to set policy and direct the actions of the Union. The executive board is comprised of LCFT officers, chairpersons and council leaders from throughout the county. President Mike McGue, a veteran teacher formerly of Zion-Benton Township High School, currently heads the LCFT.