Star of misleading ‘fair tax’ ad set to draw $1.1M in pension payments for 1 year of state work

By Brad Weisenstein

10/19/2020

‘Fair tax’ backers funded by Gov. J.B. Pritzker created the illusion of bipartisanship by using a former public employee union staffer who collects a generous taxpayer-funded pension due to a loophole in state law.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, pensions, progressive tax, Vote Yes for Fairness

7 misleading progressive tax claims public unions are telling Illinois members

By Mailee Smith

09/30/2020

Government unions and their PACs have spent more than $1 million pushing the progressive tax on the Nov. 3 ballot – and are using misleading information.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, fair tax, IEA-NEA: Illinois Education Association, IFT: Illinois Federation of Teachers, progressive tax, SEIU: Service Employees International Union, Vote Yes for Fair Tax

Illinois government unions give Madigan $10 million reasons to stay together

By Mailee Smith, Abigail Holtzman

08/13/2020

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.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, corruption, Democratic Party, Mike Madigan, unions

Illinois state workers receive $1,300 pay raises July 1

By Mailee Smith

06/29/2020

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.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, coronavirus, COVID-19, JB Pritzker

Illinois lawmakers pass Election Day holiday for government workers only

By Joe Barnas

05/22/2020

Election Day 2020 would be a paid holiday for all government workers – at an unknown cost to already ailing local governments.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, government workers, public sector, special session, vote-by-mail

Illinois bill would make Election Day a holiday, but only for government workers

By Joe Barnas

05/21/2020

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.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, government unions, public sector, vote-by-mail

Despite economic crisis, Pritzker won’t consider postponing $261 million in state raises

By Mailee Smith

04/24/2020

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.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, coronavirus, COVID-19, executive order, state worker pay

Illinois scheduled to give $261M in automatic pay raises to state workers

By Mailee Smith

04/13/2020

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.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, coronavirus, COVID-19, pensions, public sector, state worker pay

2019 laws in review, Illinois lawmakers passed both nice and naughty bills

By Mindy Ruckman

12/20/2019

The Illinois General Assembly passed over 600 new laws in 2019. Some helped taxpayers, but many more hurt as they spent $85 billion while doing little to fix the pension crisis.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, capital plan, consolidation, Cook County, corruption, expungement, free speech, gas tax, government unions, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, Illinois Constitution, JB Pritzker, lawmakers, Luis Arroyo, Martin Sandoval, Open Illinois Checkbook, progressive income tax, record sealing, Springfield, tax hikes, taxes, transparency, vehicle registration

How Illinois unions re-gifted member dues to Madigan for sexual harassment settlement

By Austin Berg

12/19/2019

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.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, Alaina Hampton, Christmas, government unions, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, Janus v. AFSCME, JB Pritzker, Kevin Quinn, Mike Madigan, PAC: political action committee, SEIU: Service Employees International Union, sexual harrassment, Springfield, unions