Over 22,000 Illinois school employees stop handing their pay to a union

By Mailee Smith

08/12/2021

Educators across Illinois are exercising their rights, with over 22,000 fewer school employees sending dues or fees to teachers unions than in 2017.

TAGS: IEA-NEA: Illinois Education Association, IFT: Illinois Federation of Teachers, opt out, teachers union

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 teachers’ unions funnel nearly $3.9 million to Madigan

By Mailee Smith

08/17/2020

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.

TAGS: AFT: American Federation of Teachers, ComEd, CTU: Chicago Teachers Union, IFT: Illinois Federation of Teachers, Mike Madigan

Illinois pensions 101: Paltry contributions yield million-dollar payouts

By Adam Schuster

01/17/2020

Across all five state retirement systems, typical career workers pay for about 5% of the cost of their pension benefits. They receive an average of $1.7 million to $3.6 million.

TAGS: Edgar Ramp, firefighter pensions, GARS: General Assembly Retirement System, government employees, government services, government unions, government workers, IEA-NEA: Illinois Education Association, IFT: Illinois Federation of Teachers, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, Illinois Constitution, Jim Edgar, JRS: Judges’ Retirement System, municipal government, municipal pensions, pension guarantee, pensions, police pensions, public sector, retirement age, Rod Blagojevich, SERS: State Employee Retirement System, Social Security, social services, Springfield, SURS: State Universities Retirement System, tax hikes, tax increase, TRS: Teachers’ Retirement System

Grayslake school employees who don’t want to strike: You have options

By Mailee Smith

11/08/2019

Not all teachers and support staff at Grayslake Community Consolidated School District 46 want to be on strike. Those who are not members of the union have more options – and more freedom – in deciding whether to walk the picket line.

TAGS: Grayslake, IFT: Illinois Federation of Teachers, strike

Nearly 12K Illinois educators have stopped paying a teachers union

By Mailee Smith

10/02/2019

Educators across the state are exercising their rights, with 12,000 fewer public school employees sending dues or fees to teachers unions today than before the Janus v. AFSCME ruling.

TAGS: CPS: Chicago Public Schools, CTU: Chicago Teachers Union, IEA-NEA: Illinois Education Association, IFT: Illinois Federation of Teachers, labor, strike, unions

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

Illinois government worker unions spend millions on political activities and lobbying

By Mailee Smith

06/27/2018

Government workers’ union dues are passed on to state and national affiliates, which spend millions of dollars on political activities and lobbying every year.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, IEA-NEA: Illinois Education Association, IFT: Illinois Federation of Teachers, Janus v. AFSCME, lobbying

Government union lobbying turns legislation against students

By Mailee Smith

05/14/2018

SB 2838 was meant to aid school districts – and students – by providing a means for schools to recruit substitute teachers. But government union lobbying transformed it into a pro-union, pro-strike bill that hinders educational opportunities for students during teacher strikes.

TAGS: AFL-CIO, CTU: Chicago Teachers Union, education, IFT: Illinois Federation of Teachers

Janus v. AFSCME: The myth of ‘free riders’

By Mailee Smith

02/27/2018

Government unions claim providing workers with a choice whether to pay fees to a union will result in "free riders" - but that claim is disingenuous.

TAGS: AFL-CIO, AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, collective bargaining, free rider, IFT: Illinois Federation of Teachers, Janus v. AFSCME, labor