Union dues are a $15 billion tax deduction
Union dues are a $15 billion tax deduction
Union members are allowed to deduct their union dues on their taxes, equating to an estimated $15 billion nationwide. According to the Internal Revenue Service, workers are allowed to deduct union dues as part of their itemized deductions: “You can deduct dues and initiation fees you pay for union membership… You can also deduct assessments for...
By Justin Hegy
Linda Chapa LaVia’s 14,000 reasons for crippling charter schools
Linda Chapa LaVia’s 14,000 reasons for crippling charter schools
A week ago, my colleague Josh Dwyer reported an exchange between state Reps. Linda Chapa LaVia and Ron Sandack. Sandack, R-Downers Grove, recently asked Chapa LaVia – when they were debating the bill in the House to end the state charter school commission – what the logic was behind crafting the bill. Chapa LaVia responded:...
By Paul Kersey
Illinois politicians weaken local control
Illinois politicians weaken local control
About three weeks ago, we sounded a warning about House Bill 5485, which would allow arbitrators to set minimum staffing levels in fire departments throughout Illinois. Since then, news outlets throughout Illinois have been taking note of this bill, pointing out to readers that it would take Illinois in the wrong direction by making unions...
By Paul Kersey
CTA train operator fired after Blue Line crash at O’Hare
CTA train operator fired after Blue Line crash at O’Hare
The Chicago Transit Authority, or CTA, has effectively fired the blue line operator who fell asleep and crashed a train into the O’Hare International Airport terminal. CTA authorities announced today the worker was issued a termination notice, which is effective immediately. They may have fired the operator for now, but this is just the beginning...
By Justin Hegy
CTA: Blue Line crash comes just five months after previous crash on same line
CTA: Blue Line crash comes just five months after previous crash on same line
UPDATE: The CTA is changing how rail operators are scheduled as a result of a review of the crash that injured at least 30 people at the O’Hare International Airport Blue Line station, the agency said today. READ MORE … Does the latest Chicago Transit Authority, or CTA, Blue Line crash at O’Hare feel like déjà...
By Justin Hegy
3 troubling facts about the CTA transit union contract
3 troubling facts about the CTA transit union contract
On March 23, a Chicago Transit Authority operator crashed a Blue Line train into the O’Hare National Airport terminal. The train hopped the tracks and smashed into an escalator at 2:50 a.m., injuring more than 30 passengers. Union representatives said the operator “works a lot of overtime” and was “extremely tired.” The operator admitted to...
By Justin Hegy
Illinois still has secret collective bargaining: Bill fails to get to floor
Illinois still has secret collective bargaining: Bill fails to get to floor
In Illinois, elected officials and government unions negotiate their contracts completely hidden from the eyes of taxpayers. This means taxpayers end up paying for increases in government workers’ salaries, benefits and other expenses – but aren’t even allowed to see what they’re paying for until it’s too late. Unfortunately, about two weeks ago a bill...
By Justin Hegy
New bill would give arbitrators too much power
New bill would give arbitrators too much power
A new bill proposed in Illinois, House Bill 5485, would allow arbitrators to impose “minimum staffing requirements” on local fire departments. While this might seem like a minor, technical matter, it has the potential to impose major costs on taxpayers, as elected officials from communities such as Rockford and Oak Lawn are warning in a...
By Paul Kersey
Illinois’ biased eighth-grade labor history curricula
Illinois’ biased eighth-grade labor history curricula
Illinois state law requires that students be taught the history of organized labor by the end of eighth grade. And there is a bill in the General Assembly that would expand on that, so schoolchildren would have to learn more about unions. Unions are powerful institutions, so it’s reasonable to expect that children be taught...
By Paul Kersey
Three-year anniversary of Gov. Walker signing Act 10
Three-year anniversary of Gov. Walker signing Act 10
Three years ago today, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker overhauled the state’s labor law by signing Act 10. Act 10 changed the balance of power in Wisconsin, shifting it from government union officials back to taxpayers. Government unions were limited to bargaining over salaries. Complicated work rules and lavish benefits – often on terms that were...
By Paul Kersey
Spotlight on Waukegan teachers strike
Spotlight on Waukegan teachers strike
Waukegan’s teachers have authorized a strike and plan to walk out April 16. The Waukegan teachers union wants a 2.25 percent pay raise, retroactively effective into last year, plus step-and-lane increases, which average 4 to 5 percent in additional increases annually. The union’s demands would cost an additional $4.8 million to taxpayers. The school board...
By Justin Hegy
Illinois politicians considering changes to law under review by U.S. Supreme Court
Illinois politicians considering changes to law under review by U.S. Supreme Court
The Illinois General Assembly is poised to consider a bill that looks harmless at first glance, but should be raising eyebrows across the state. House Bill 5935 is supposed to make technical changes to the state’s Medicaid programs, but in the process it affects people who are involved in a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case....
By Paul Kersey
Government unions protecting Chicago city worker scofflaws
Government unions protecting Chicago city worker scofflaws
Remember in 2011 when Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said he was going to get “deadbeat” city workers to pay up on unpaid parking tickets, fees and fines? Back then, he threated lengthy suspensions or termination. Emanuel scolded workers, stating “the free ride is over for everybody.” It turns out public unions are making this a lot...
By Justin Hegy
UIC faculty strike hurting students
UIC faculty strike hurting students
Faculty members are going on strike for the first time in the University of Illinois at Chicago’s history after ongoing negotiations with administrators failed. Although union leadership repeatedly makes the argument that they are fighting for the students, the truth is the students are the ones being hurt by this strike. Some 16,000 undergraduates are...
By Justin Hegy