Illinois

AFSCME, collective bargaining, Quinn and the fine line

By Paul Kersey
12/18/2012
It is a basic axiom of government collective bargaining: If you have to bargain with a union about anything, you are liable to have to bargain with them about everything, and that includes things that you aren’t supposed to bargain about at all. This why collective bargaining with government employees is such a problem: Even...

While Illinois burns, Moody’s threatens next downgrade

By Ted Dabrowski
12/14/2012
As the pension crisis threatens to engulf Illinois, legislators continue to fiddle. It’s no secret that Illinois has the worst-funded state pension systems in the nation. That’s an accepted fact by those on both sides of the aisle. Unfortunately, that fact hasn’t motivated any action from the state’s politicians. Now recent news point to even...

Bringing it all together: what Right to Work means for Michigan and its workers

By Paul Kersey
12/13/2012
On Tuesday Michigan’s Legislature took the final steps in passing Right-to-Work legislation, and Gov. Rick Snyder signed the bill into law. Outside the Statehouse, union protesters became more agitated, tearing down a tent where Right-to-Work supporters had gathered (a handful of people were almost trapped inside the canvas) and assaulting a Fox News correspondent. In...

PAC database reveals biggest union beneficiaries

By Paul Kersey
12/11/2012
CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE UNION PAC DATABASE The database shows which Illinois politicians have received donations between 2002 to 2012 from PACs associated with: American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO); American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME); Illinois Education Association (IEA); Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT); and Service...

The waste race: grants for entertainment in Illinois

By Benjamin VanMetre
12/11/2012
Ready for a weekend of entertainment? Start by cruising around a shopping festival on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. Then get some exercise on the eco-friendly, customized ziplines built by Shawnee Bluffs Canopy Tour Inc. in Williamson County. If that’s not enough, hit the wrestling matches at the Dual Meet Nationals in Springfield. Won’t be able to...

Right to Work: How did Michigan get to this point?

By Paul Kersey
12/11/2012
Right to Work has become a reality. The two-bill package passed both houses of the state legislature, and was signed into law by Gov. Snyder. Unions are continued to cry foul and staged wild protests outside the Michigan Statehouse – at one point they tore down a tent belonging to Americans for Prosperity. In yesterday’s post we discussed what...