Your daily “right to work” roundup
Friday, May 1, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Nothing yet from the governor’s office or the Illinois AFL-CIO. But…
The Iroquois County Board will consider adopting “The Turnaround Agenda — Local Government Empowerment and Reform” resolution when it meets May 12.
The county’s policy and procedure committee, after hearing opposition yesterday morning from several people with regard to the resolution, voted unanimously to pass the measure on to the full county board.
* And…
Despite requests from Governor Bruce Rauner, the Sangamon County Board has no immediate plans to vote on a resolution supporting Rauner’s “Turnaround Agenda.” […]
In Sangamon County, the issue has not been introduced, and county executive Brian McFadden doesn’t know when, or if, it will be.
* Meanwhile…
Mundelein Village Trustee Ed Sullivan forcefully took a stand supporting Gov. Bruce Rauner’s “Turnaround Agenda” during an April 27 meeting, even though the topic had been removed from consideration days before.
At least one union activist was on hand and interrupted Sullivan several minutes into his remarks. Police became involved when the man ignored Mayor Steve Lentz and continued to confront Sullivan.
The governor asked municipalities throughout the state to approve a prewritten statement pledging support for a number of controversial economic reform ideas. Mundelein trustees considered the resolution April 13 and planned to revise the proclamation and reconsider it at a future meeting. When it became clear trustees were deadlocked on the matter, the item was pulled from the April 27 agenda.
“Two weeks ago we listened to about 34 individuals who were union members or union officials,” Sullivan said. “They seemed concerned that their life as they know it was going to end if changes were made in Illinois law. They told us those changes were illegal. They’re not illegal, because the legislature hasn’t made the changes yet.”
* Now, on to Wisconsin, where AFSCME no longer has payroll deductions of union dues…
Wisconsin’s three AFSCME councils are merging four years after the state rolled back public-sector union rights, prompting two out of three dues-paying members to drop out. […]
The three Wisconsin AFSCME councils claimed nearly 63,000 members in 2010. That number is likely less than 20,000 now.
Publicly available tax records for the state workers union show that Council 24 revenue dropped from over $5 million in 2010 to $1.5 million in 2013. Like the other councils it reduced staff to cut costs, but from 2011 through 2013 it spent $1.8 million more than it took in. […]
Some public-sector bargaining units have won recertification through annual membership votes under provisions of Act 10. They can bargain for small raises only, not for benefits or working conditions, and they have no recourse to arbitration if employers simply say no to their demands.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 11:31 am:
===* Nothing yet from the governor’s office…===
They seemed a bit busy, stopping the “Great Mushroom Melee”
To the Post,
I’d like to see Sangamon County discuss this. Like to know “who is with who”, like Rauner does I suppose.
I’ve yet to hear of a smart legislator call to a vote something that won’t finish with the vote outcome desired.
What a waste of time.
- Norseman - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 11:34 am:
=== They told us those changes were illegal. They’re not illegal, because the legislature hasn’t made the changes yet. ===
Genius. Our elected officials at work.
- Skeptic - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 11:37 am:
“They can bargain for small raises only, not for benefits or working conditions, and they have no recourse to arbitration if employers simply say no to their demands.” Ok, Raunerbots, is that *seriously* what you want for EVERYBODY?
- Ahoy! - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 11:40 am:
Is my math correct in that 68% of Wisconsin AFSCME workers didn’t think their union dues were worth paying when given the choice?
- AC - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 11:43 am:
Removing the unions power to bargain most things, disallowing direct payroll deductions for union dues (but not other private entities like parking) solely to make it inconvenient, and pretending the decline in unions is somehow the will of the people is how union busting is dine these days. It’s sad to witness, but even worse that too many people believe thus trend us due to an inevitable decline rather than a deliberate strategy. Not mentioned above are the increased retirement and insurance contributions that left the willing unable to afford union dues, even though they were supportive of their union.
- Crispy - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 11:43 am:
@Skeptic: That’s actually *more* than what they want for everybody. Even those minimal rights had to be won back by specific groups through re-certification under Act 10. Most don’t even have that much anymore.
- Common Sense 1 - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 11:48 am:
==Is my math correct in that 68% of Wisconsin AFSCME workers didn’t think their union dues were worth paying when given the choice?
Ahoy, when you strip the union of the right to bargain for anything or defend workers’ rights, then why would anyone pay? In Illinois the plan is to go “right to work.” That sounds like a catchy phrase. If non-members can receive the same rights as members and not pay for them, why wouldn’t they keep the money? I can’t believe the party of “personal responsibility” would be for this type of freeloading.
This is exactly what the wealthy want: divide and conquer, taking what little workers have because they are too uninformed to know better.
- jerry 101 - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 11:57 am:
Ahoy - well, when you strip the ability of the union to actually do anything useful, then yeah, people aren’t going to want to pay for something that creates no value.
- Politix - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 11:57 am:
Slow clap for Wisconsin. Elections have consequences.
- ah AH - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 11:58 am:
that is union busting at its heart.
- Anonin' - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 12:04 pm:
Did you mention that despite a heroic BVR speech the IML board said ain’t gonna happen and voted to table a watered down version..opps
- Wensicia - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 12:11 pm:
And Wisconsin shows a greater reduction of the middle class than any other state.
- Wordslinger - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 12:51 pm:
– They seemed concerned that their life as they know it was going to end if we made changes in Illinois law. They told us the changes were illegal. They’re not illegal, because the legislature hasn’t made the changes yet.–
Can’t argue with that kind of high-level ruminatin’ and logicalizin’ there, Sully.
That would be crazy.
- Springfieldish - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 12:53 pm:
Sullivan Sr. wanted desperately to have this turn-around gobbledeegook passed at that meeting as his own, personal, lame-duck bit of legislating, as he did not run for re-election and is no longer on the board. Apparently Ed Sr. never paid attention to his son’s tirades about the evils of lame-duck legislating.
- VanillaMan - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 2:08 pm:
Sully: “Captain Rauner, may I please have some of the doubloon nailed upon your mast. For my good faith work, sir!”
Rauner: “I do not pay for work unfinished. Not one gold coin until Moby Dick is MINE!”
- Ghost - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 3:49 pm:
Wisconsin median income used to be over the national average. Now it is under and declining annualy. The states gdp and sales have gone up, but worker pay is declining. So the state has money, but it is only going to a small number of people now instead of the workers.