Illinois Not Yet Wisconsin When it Comes to State Worker Unions
John Tillman was quoted in a State Journal Register story about the unlikelihood that Gov. Quinn would take on public employee unions the way Gov. Walker is doing in Wisconsin.
By Chris Wetterich
John Tillman, chief executive officer of the conservative-leaning Illinois Policy Institute, who favors curbing collective bargaining rights for public employees, said Madigan?s willingness to discuss further pension changes ?tells you that there?s something afoot.?
Tillman said collective bargaining rights give public employees an unfair advantage over taxpayers because of their ability to stop working if a contract isn’?t to their liking.
?This is not a radical idea. Franklin Roosevelt himself when this topic first started coming up in the modern era said that he didn?t think public employees should be unionized and have collective bargaining rights,? Tillman said.
?I actually think the leadership is coming out of the Illinois House and it?s coming out on both sides of the aisle,? Tillman added. ?(I)f you keep pursuing policies that ? keep putting voters? wallets into the mix and having them give up more and more, those Democratic voters will abandon the Democrats, and that?s what Madigan?s worried about.?