By continuing practices such as automatic raises and taxpayer-subsidized platinum health insurance, along with a new $2,500 bonus, the AFSCME contract will transfer more than $3.6 billion in extra compensation from taxpayers to state workers.
Civic Federation calls for tax hikes, opposes sensible reform in budget criticism
The Civic Federation’s criticism of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposed budget is a mixed bag, with its own proposals for Illinois’ financial crisis – including nearly $3 billion in tax hikes – missing the mark.
Tax Day: Where do Illinoisans’ state tax dollars go?
Pensions and employee health insurance costs consumed nearly a quarter of Illinois’ fiscal year 2018 budget.
Illinois AFSCME workers receive, on average, nearly $110,000 in total compensation
The highest state worker salaries in the nation, overtime pay, generous state pensions, taxpayer-subsidized health care coverage and free retiree health insurance for career workers combine to give the average Illinois AFSCME worker six-figure annual compensation.
Never enough: AFSCME votes to strike, declines Rauner’s contract offer that retained many lavish perks
The state’s largest government-worker union just voted to authorize a strike for state workers. The union perpetuates a myth that Gov. Bruce Rauner is waging war on the middle class – all while ignoring that his contract offer to state workers includes benefits unavailable to most Illinoisans working in the private sector.
Illinois Department of Insurance: Premiums for plans on ObamaCare exchange set to skyrocket
New data released by the Illinois Department of Insurance reveal premiums for health insurance plans on Illinois’ ObamaCare exchange could soar by an average of 44 to 55 percent in 2017.
Illinois taxpayers pay $15,000 per AFSCME worker in annual health care costs
AFSCME balks at Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposal that state workers chip in more for their Cadillac health insurance.
New poll: Illinoisans want to bring state employees’ health-insurance benefits in line with their own
The health-benefits package provided to state workers contains much richer benefits than the average Illinoisan might receive, while paying a smaller amount for these benefits.
ObamaCare: Americans want control
The president’s signature health-insurance overhaul is as unpopular as ever. And the underlying causes for dissatisfaction continue to worsen.
The fiscal nail in the single-payer coffin
Health-care access and affordability are important goals. But they will never be achieved with a single-payer system – and that isn’t bad news.