Thousands of government workers exercise rights in the year after landmark Janus case

By Mailee Smith

06/27/2019

This is the first anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling government employees cannot be forced to pay a union. In that year, about 20,000 workers from just three of Illinois’ public-sector unions have said “no” to union membership.

TAGS: fair share, Janus v. AFSCME, labor

Pritzker’s AFSCME deal gives 12% automatic raises, $2,500 bonus to state workers

By Adam Schuster

06/26/2019

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 additional compensation from taxpayers to state workers.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, JB Pritzker, labor, pension guarantee, pensions, state worker pay, taxes

More than 6,800 Illinois educators have stopped sending money to IFT

By Mailee Smith

05/07/2019

More than 6.7% of employees represented by Illinois Federation of Teachers in Illinois are no longer paying dues or fees to the union.

TAGS: fair share, IFT: Illinois Federation of Teachers, Janus v. AFSCME, unions

More than 8,000 Illinois workers have stopped paying AFSCME Council 31

By Mailee Smith

04/29/2019

Thousands of Illinois workers are no longer sending a part of their paycheck to one of the state’s most politically active unions.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, fair share, Janus v. AFSCME, labor, unions

AFSCME Council 31 spent just 17% of funds representing workers in 2018

By Mailee Smith

04/26/2019

Union’s own reporting shows only 17% of overall spending went for “representational activities” in 2018. Just what are Illinois public employees paying for?

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, collective bargaining, Janus v. AFSCME

Illinois House passes bill making it easier for Chicago teachers to strike

By Mailee Smith

04/03/2019

Two of the nation’s largest government union strikes in the past decade happened in Illinois – both by the Chicago Teachers Union. And now a bill in the General Assembly would give Chicago teachers more chances to go on strike.

TAGS: Chicago, collective bargaining, CPS: Chicago Public Schools, CTU: Chicago Teachers Union, strike, unions

Duped: How millions of dollars in AFSCME member dues flow to politics

By Vincent Caruso

02/12/2019

State workers don’t really know much about how AFSCME spent $7.7 million on politics. That’s because records don’t detail and the union’s Illinois chapter obscures how most of the money was used.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, Janus v. AFSCME

Union worker representation only 20 percent of AFSCME spending in Illinois

By Vincent Caruso

02/12/2019

Federal financial filings from Illinois’ largest government union show only 20 percent of its spending goes toward representing its members.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, Janus v. AFSCME

Worker freedom: More than 3,700 Illinois state workers stopped paying money to a union in 2018

By Vincent Caruso

12/23/2018

Of the more than 3,700 Illinois state workers who stopped sending part of every paycheck to a union, 2,800 stopped sending their money to AFSCME.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, dues, fair share, Janus v. AFSCME, unions

Geneva teachers union strike leaves 5,800 students in the lurch

By Janelle Cammenga

12/05/2018

Six years after last threatening to strike, the teachers union walked the picket line – a collective bargaining tactic not allowed in any of Illinois’ neighboring states.

TAGS: education, IEA-NEA: Illinois Education Association, pensions, strike, teacher salaries