Teachers’ unions have provided lots of campaign cash to Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan, who’s been implicated in a bribery scandal. Teachers who don’t want their money sent to a corrupt system can opt out of the union.
The state’s government unions have heavily funded the election committees run by longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan – who then uses his influence to pass union-friendly bills.
"There’s no benefit to [being in the union.] As far as I’m concerned, union [leaders] seem to be out for themselves."
State workers represented by AFSCME Council 31 will see pay increases averaging $1,343 starting July 1. Total cost of the raises is $261 million as COVID-19 continues depleting state revenues.
Election Day 2020 would be a paid holiday for all government workers – at an unknown cost to already ailing local governments.
Tucked into sweeping vote-by-mail legislation is a holiday provision that would make Nov. 3, 2020, a holiday for all state and local government workers.
While members can opt out of CTU at any time, the union says they may only stop paying the union if they do so during a one-month period. A lawsuit filed against the union argues this violates teachers’ First Amendment rights.
With more than 755,000 Illinoisans out of work, state employees are still scheduled to get their automatic raises. Gov. J.B. Pritzker is treating those raises as non-negotiable. Governors in other states would disagree.
Pritzker should join other Democratic governors in postponing automatic pay raises, which would free up funds for needy Illinoisans and potentially preserve state worker jobs in the long run.
A proposal in the Illinois General Assembly would prohibit right-to-work laws in Illinois, making Illinois the only state in the nation to ban the policy in a state constitution.
Leaders of Illinois’ largest local teachers’ union received swift blowback after their latest push into public politics. Members dissatisfied with the priorities of their union’s leadership deserve to know they have other options.
So who wants to fund a highly unpopular politician’s sexual harassment settlement on behalf of a disgraced political worker under federal investigation? Executives at Illinois’ largest public-sector labor unions.
SEIU’s political action committees gave $113,200 to Friends of Michael J. Madigan – the same election committee the longtime Illinois House speaker used to pay legal fees in a sexual harassment lawsuit against his organization.
AFSCME gave $71,400 in October to Friends of Michael J. Madigan – the same election committee the Illinois House speaker used to pay legal fees in a sexual harassment lawsuit.