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

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

New Mexico passes bipartisan pension reform

By Adam Schuster

03/10/2020

As Illinois elected leaders continue to delay action on pension reform, a broad and bipartisan coalition has succeeded in pushing for reforms to public employee benefits in New Mexico.

TAGS: COLA: cost of living adjustment, constitutional amendment, government unions, Illinois Supreme Court, JB Pritzker, New Mexico, pensions

Illinois Forward: A 5-year plan for balanced budgets, declining debt and tax relief

By Adam Schuster

02/15/2020

The years 2010 through 2019 will go down in Illinois history as a decade of public policy failure and economic decline. High fixed costs for pensions and government worker health care have prevented the state from balancing its budget in any year since 2001. Since the Great Recession in 2008, the state’s fiscal imbalance has...

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

AFSCME dues help defend Madigan in sexual harassment lawsuit

By Mailee Smith

12/13/2019

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.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, Alaina Hampton, exclusive representation, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, Illinois State Board of Elections, Mike Madigan, sexual harrassment, Springfield, unions

Sexual harassment case against Madigan campaign ends with $275K settlement

By Brad Weisenstein

12/09/2019

Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan settled a sexual harassment case involving his former political lieutenant, but the related corruption implications are far from over.

TAGS: #metoo, AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, Alaina Hampton, ComEd, Democratic Party, FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation, federal investigation, federal lawsuit, house rules, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, Illinois House of Representatives, Kevin Quinn, Legislative Inspector General, lobbying, Mike Madigan, sexual harrassment, Springfield, Tim Mapes

Income tax hike dropped Illinois’ economic freedom rank, ‘fair tax’ would drop it more

By Orphe Divounguy, Bryce Hill

11/15/2019

The largest permanent income tax hike in Illinois history was followed by a slide to 34th least-free state in the union, behind nearly every neighboring state.

TAGS: economic freedom, fair tax, graduated income tax, income tax, pension guarantee, pension spiking, pensions, progressive income tax, taxes

Pritzker contract gives AFSCME unfettered access to workers’ private information

By Mailee Smith

09/02/2019

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker agreed to a deal with AFSCME Council 31 that threatens the privacy of state workers and violates workers’ rights.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, contract, JB Pritzker, labor

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees

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

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

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

New Mexico passes bipartisan pension reform

Illinois Forward: A 5-year plan for balanced budgets, declining debt and tax relief

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

AFSCME dues help defend Madigan in sexual harassment lawsuit

Sexual harassment case against Madigan campaign ends with $275K settlement

Income tax hike dropped Illinois’ economic freedom rank, ‘fair tax’ would drop it more

Pritzker contract gives AFSCME unfettered access to workers’ private information

Chicago Forward 2026: A pro-growth plan to end city budget deficits

Report Archive

Diana Graham

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students