Illinois Policy threatened with arrest at union-led trainings
Illinois Policy threatened with arrest at union-led trainings
State police have been threatening staffers from Illinois Policy with arrest because the Service Employees International Union, or SEIU, doesn't want us to tell home-based caregivers about their rights.
By Paul Kersey
At caregiver ‘trainings,’ first handout is a union card
At caregiver ‘trainings,’ first handout is a union card
Mandatory training sessions for Illinois caregivers are little more than union membership drives.
By Paul Kersey
The right to quit could give teachers unions their credibility back
The right to quit could give teachers unions their credibility back
What could be a lively debate among educators has become a dull monologue directed by entrenched union officials. Teachers unions have a lot to learn from other professional groups.
By Paul Kersey
Proposed law would force parents to attend union-led ‘training’
Proposed law would force parents to attend union-led ‘training’
Union recruiters have been relentless in making sure that caregivers get to hear the union’s pitch.
By Paul Kersey
Who’s behind Illinois Freedom PAC?
Who’s behind Illinois Freedom PAC?
Anti-Rauner PAC got nearly 90 percent of its funding from government-employee unions
By Paul Kersey
Caregivers forced to attend union-led training sessions deserve to know their rights
Caregivers forced to attend union-led training sessions deserve to know their rights
The Quinn administration ordered that all caregivers must attend a training session hosted by SEIU in order to continue receiving Medicaid benefits.
By Paul Kersey
Jacksonville tax dollars could be spent more wisely in teacher contract
Jacksonville tax dollars could be spent more wisely in teacher contract
The most recent Jacksonville District 117 teacher contract contains provisions that make the deal unaffordable for a struggling community with a poverty rate of 18 percent and incomes that are well below average for the state. The two-year agreement covered August 2012 to August 2014. Pay hikes: While the district managed to coax the Jacksonville...
By Paul Kersey
Waukegan strike shows need for labor law reform
Waukegan strike shows need for labor law reform
Waukegan Public Schools have been closed for more than three weeks because of a teacher strike called by the Lake County Federation of Teachers. At this point, the acrimony between the union and the administration must be severe; and the children who attend the district’s schools, along with a lot of teachers, are stuck in...
By Paul Kersey
Top 10 facts on labor policy in Illinois
Top 10 facts on labor policy in Illinois
Top 10 facts on labor policy in Illinois Unions are often presented as the plucky defenders of the working man or woman, whose only interest is seeing that workers get a fair shake on the job. But in reality, unions are well financed and powerful. And in government, at least, union influence goes beyond the...
Hinsdale school board poised to sign teacher contract full of pay raises … and the public has barely had a chance to see it
Hinsdale school board poised to sign teacher contract full of pay raises … and the public has barely had a chance to see it
The school board in Hinsdale Township High School District 86 is expected to approve a contract with the local teachers union this week, despite the fact that the school board refused to make the terms of this agreement available to the public. Luckily, on Oct. 19, the contract was obtained by the Illinois Policy Institute...
By Paul Kersey
Hinsdale district dispute highlights need for greater transparency
Hinsdale district dispute highlights need for greater transparency
For weeks, teachers in Hinsdale Township High School District 86 threatened to strike after contract negotiations went awry. But on Oct. 9, the union and district officials reached a deal. A strike was avoided, but at what cost? Hinsdale taxpayers won’t find out until after the ink is dry on the new contract because of...
By Paul Kersey
Hinsdale district dispute highlights need for greater transparency
Hinsdale district dispute highlights need for greater transparency
For weeks, teachers in Hinsdale Township High School District 86 threatened to strike after contract negotiations went awry. But on Oct. 9, the union and district officials reached a deal. A strike was avoided, but at what cost? Hinsdale taxpayers won’t find out until after the ink is dry on the new contract because of...
By Paul Kersey
IEA continues wasteful union spending
IEA continues wasteful union spending
The Illinois Education Association, or IEA, has gotten even more wasteful, according to new LM-2 spending reports filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. IEA has a history of being a very wasteful union. In my review of union spending, I went through IEA operations spending – money that went into representation, politics and lobbying,...
By Paul Kersey