By Brian Costin
06/24/2013
In a recent Facebook post, a local chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, or AFSCME, called a government pension transparency initiative by the Illinois Policy Institute “offensive.” From AFSCME Local 427’s Facebook page: Bills Amended to Address AFSCME Concerns
Assault on State Retiree Privacy (HB 1040 – Rep. Tryon/Sen. Althoff) This bill establishes...
by Paul Kersey So, here we are again, scrambling at the last minute to evaluate a complex document that accounts for billions of dollars of state employee wages. In March of this year it was the tentative agreement between Gov. Quinn and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31. The challenge...
As we try to evaluate the deal that Gov. Pat Quinn reached with state employees, we have plenty of reasons to be skeptical about Quinns claim that health care changes in the contract will save the state $900 million
There is precedent for fratricide between unions and their progressive allies, and the aftermath of a labor-versus-the-left donnybrook could very well create an opportunity for a free market oriented reformer.
TAGS: Chicago, unions
By Paul Kersey
03/14/2013
Yesterday a bill that would allow the public to see union contracts and comment on them before they are signed stalled in committee, becoming yet another victim of pressure from union officials who want to keep the public in the dark about the deals they make. The bill actually had both supporters and opponents from...
By Paul Kersey
03/13/2013
The more you know about the recent contract between the state and Council 31 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the less there is to like. While the final contract itself remains out of public view, a description put together by AFSCME for its members reveals troubling details. It appears that...
By Jonathan Ingram
03/07/2013
For years, retired state government workers have contributed little or nothing toward the cost of their health insurance premiums. This sweetheart deal costs Illinois taxpayers roughly $1 billion a year, with costs continuing to climb year after year. The state’s unfunded liability for retiree health insurance is more than $54 billion. Lawmakers decided to do...
By Paul Kersey
03/05/2013
Imagine a football game where the referees threw flags and called out penalties, but never actually marked off the yardage. That’s exactly how the “Affirmative Attendance Policy” within the previous American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees works: a state worker can blow off work at least 10 times with nothing worse than a...
By Paul Kersey
03/05/2013
The convoluted process of figuring out a unionized state government employee’s wages is a prime example of why the collective bargaining process needs more sunshine. While we wait for details on the contract that the state agreed to with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, it’s worth examining how to figure out...
By Paul Kersey
03/01/2013
Gov. Pat Quinn managed to avoid a government worker strike, but that doesn’t spell success. There is still much that remains unknown about the terms of the tentative agreement that Illinois just reached with Council 31 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, but the main features that are emerging paint a...
