While states surrounding Illinois are enacting labor reforms that benefit residents, Illinois remains a bastion of labor power. Now the Chicago Teachers Union wants even more power – including the broadened right to go on strike and strand parents and students.
AFSCME’s obstruction of a contract for state workers costs taxpayers approximately $35 million to $40 million a month in healthcare costs alone. Gov. Bruce Rauner is seeking a direct appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court to bring relief to taxpayers burdened by AFSCME’s stall tactics.
The Illinois Supreme Court refused to hear Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s request to stop state employees from getting paid until a budget is passed.
Negotiations between government-worker unions and governing bodies are conducted behind closed doors, away from public scrutiny. And yet taxpayers are required to pay for whatever extravagant benefits the unions obtain. Recently a bill in the General Assembly would have brought more transparency – and accountability – to the process, but it failed to make it out of committee.
Through collective bargaining agreements with the state, government-worker unions require access to workers’ social security numbers – even if those workers are not members of the union. A bill protecting worker privacy recently failed to get enough votes to pass out of committee.
In a recent strike-authorization vote, fewer than half of state workers represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees cast ballots in favor of a strike, despite union leaders’ characterization of the outcome as majority approval.
An Illinois appellate court ruled in favor of AFSCME March 1, but that isn’t the end of the court battle between the state and its largest government-worker union. The court’s order to prevent the governor from implementing his contract offer is temporary, and there is much more to come.
Bus drivers, paraprofessionals and food services workers at Rockford Public Schools will go on strike March 15 if a new contract is not reached soon. Employees who want to go to work can be punished by AFSCME Local 692. They can avoid union punishment by becoming fair share payers.
An Illinois appellate court issued an order on March 1 preventing Gov. Bruce Rauner from implementing his contract offer to AFSCME, the union that represents approximately 35,000 state workers. That means the state and Illinois taxpayers will continue to lose millions of dollars a month while the case proceeds.
AFSCME Executive Director Roberta Lynch announced Feb. 23 that union members voted to authorize a state worker strike. But state workers have another option. By becoming a fair share payer, state workers can report to work during a strike without facing union punishment. Here’s what state workers need to know about fair share status.
Following a strike authorization vote by the union representing Illinois workers, the state launched a website that streamlines the application process for temporary workers. It allows the state to more easily carry on operations should state workers decide to walk out on the job.
State workers represented by AFSCME just voted to authorize a strike. Unfortunately, members might have based their votes on myths perpetuated by the union.
Illinois state workers who don’t want to go on strike can become fair share payers. Here’s how.
State workers represented by AFSCME are currently voting on whether to authorize a strike - here's what's at stake for employees who decide to honor a strike.