Local Right-to-Work ordinances could help struggling communities
Promote worker freedom by creating local right-to-work zones.
4 ways to break out of Illinois’ pension trap
Causes, costs, how to set the state free
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D.C. court to rehear Halbig ObamaCare decision
Good news for the Obama administration: the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has granted the administration’s request to rehear the court’s July 22 decision in Halbig v. Burwell. That decision struck down an Internal Revenue Service rule that made ObamaCare insurance subsidies available in all 50 states, even though the...
Judge rules state workers don’t have to pay for retiree health coverage
An Illinois 7th Circuit judge has ruled that the state cannot make deductions from state retirees’ pension checks for their retiree health insurance coverage. Based on this temporary injunction, state retirees no longer have to pay 1- 2 percent of their pension check for their retirement health-insurance coverage. Judge Steven Nardulli of the state’s 7th...
Harris v. Quinn freed workers from paying for union political agenda
The Illinois Policy Institute’s recent report on union spending focused on Illinois’ big, statewide public-sector unions, but there are lots of important locals that are misusing their members’ funds as well. One of the most interesting is Healthcare IL-IN, a Service Employees International Union, or SEIU, local that played a controversial role in organizing day-care...
Free to care
Laura and Sandy are small business owners in downstate Illinois. Because they receive state aid to care for low-income children, Laura, Sandy and 50,000 other Illinois day-care providers like them were forced by the state to join a union and pay dues. But in June 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a groundbreaking ruling in...
Teachers can opt out of paying for union politics
As the start of a new school year approaches, Illinois teachers deserve to know their rights. That includes the right to join or not join a union, and the right to support or not support union politics as the political season in Illinois heats up. Teachers unions are one of the most powerful lobbying groups...
National Employee Freedom Week tells workers about their options
Aug. 11 marks the start of National Employee Freedom Week, when nonprofit organizations in 44 states reach out to workers across the country to let them know they have choices when it comes to union membership. Even in states that do not have a Right-to-Work law, such as Illinois, workers don’t have to join a...
Harris v. Quinn detractors are missing the point
Since the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling in Harris v. Quinn, union supporters – including many politicians who have benefitted from union support themselves – have written articles and statements bemoaning the decision. These pieces have been notable for the things they don’t talk about: who the plaintiffs actually were and what the court...
Harris v. Quinn ruling shines light on importance of leadership
On June 30, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Gov. Pat Quinn was wrong to issue an executive order that forced the unionization of Illinoisans who are not state workers. This groundbreaking ruling asserts that state governments cannot force-unionize participants in state entitlement programs or force them to pay union dues as a condition of...
What’s next for ObamaCare in the courts?
Two federal appeals courts issued conflicting decisions about the future of ObamaCare on Tuesday. In one, the Halbig v. Burwell decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled that the Affordable Care Act means what it says: ObamaCare insurance subsidies are only available in states that have established their own health-insurance exchanges,...
