Rhetoric vs. reality
Thursday, Oct 8, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Pearson…
Gov. Bruce Rauner restated his demand Wednesday that weakening the collective bargaining rights of public workers must be part of a deal to end the political stalemate that has kept Illinois without a budget since July 1. […]
In his speech, Rauner contended that a change in collective bargaining inside government “is not a radical idea and it is not a partisan idea.” The governor said Democrats across the country have made union-weakening rules, including in Illinois by allowing the outsourcing of Chicago Public Schools janitors and the elimination of CPS union teachers’ ability to negotiate over longer school hours.
“It’s not about Republicans versus Democrats. It’s about good government. It’s about making sure tax dollars go to education, economic growth, tourism marketing and services for the most vulnerable — not to expensive government bureaucracy,” Rauner said.
“It’s time we in Illinois get serious about collective bargaining reform and unfunded mandate relief in government. It’s a critical bipartisan issue where we can find common ground. Getting rid of unfunded mandates and giving decision-making authority on bargaining, bidding and contracting back to local communities,” he said.
* Burnett…
Rauner also argues he’s already compromised by dropping some items he was pushing earlier this year, such as letting local communities create so-called “right-to-work zones,” where union membership would be voluntary. And he notes that Democrats in Illinois and elsewhere have previously backed changes to collective bargaining, even though labor unions are among their most staunch supporters.
He’s right that they have passed bills that unions opposed.
* But this is from Gov. Bruce Rauner’s own pension reform bill…
Prohibited subjects of bargaining.
(a) A public employer and a labor organization may not bargain over, and no collective bargaining agreement entered into, renewed, or extended on or after the effective date of
this amendatory Act of the 99th General Assembly may include,
provisions related to the following prohibited subjects of collective bargaining:
(1) Employee pensions, including the impact or
implementation of changes to employee pensions, including
the Employee Consideration Pension Transition Program as
set forth in Section 30 of the Personnel Code.
(2) Wages, including any form of compensation including salaries, overtime compensation, vacations,
holidays, and any fringe benefits, including the impact or
implementation of changes to the same; except nothing in
this Section 7.6 will prohibit the employer from electing
to bargain collectively over employer-provided health insurance.
(3) Hours of work, including work schedules, shift
schedules, overtime hours, compensatory time, and lunch periods, including the impact or implementation of changes
to the same.
(4) Matters of employee tenure, including the impact of
employee tenure or time in service on the employer’s
exercise of authority including, but not limited to, any
consideration the employer must give to the tenure of
employees adversely affected by the employer’s exercise of management’s right to conduct a layoff.
The governor said yesterday that his proposals were not “radical.” That’s radical. Period. It’s time he disavowed that proposal and got down to some do-able changes.
- Mama - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 10:36 am:
If these demands are NOT radical, I would like to know his definition of “radical”.
- Jack Stephens - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 10:38 am:
No thanx, Bruce.
What is it with the obsession with Unions?
- Stones - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 10:41 am:
I get that this is a goal for the Governor (albeit an unrealistic goal) but why does he insist on implementing all his proposals immediately rather than making incremental changes? It’s just plain goofy and makes him look amateurish.
- Wordslinger - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 10:42 am:
Some real silly stuff here.
The governor did not “compromise” on right to work.
He took it out on the road to sell it and got ran out of towns all over tne state.
- Streator Curmudgeon - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 10:43 am:
It is a partisan issue. Traditionally, the Democratic Party has supported unions and the Republican Party has supported business. It’s not as clear-cut as it was 50 years ago, but it’s also not hard to interpret Rauner’s “pension reforms” as anti-union.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 10:44 am:
It’s going to be up to the Labor Movement to make this case that the two things that absolutely unite all… all… unions of all stripes…
Collective Bargaining. Prevailing Wage…
…are what Rauner wants to eliminate and they all need to work together… until the Labor Movement embraces tgat and educates all members on this, Rauner will continue to be disingenuous to what he really wants to happen.
Remember; the Raunerite Caucuses? They are there to make these two Union positions dissapear. Make no mistake. How do I know? Remember all the walkers and “Yellow” up on the board of former GOP Union allies in the GA.
The Labor Movement needs to get their own house in order.
- Team Sleep - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 10:48 am:
Here’s the definition of a win and a compromise that would be beneficial to all parties involved:
Pass the property tax freeze and drop the CBA provisions. Both sides win. The taxpayers win. The trade unions, teachers unions and public safety (police & fire) unions win.
Governor Rauner - that is the textbook definition of “not radical”.
- Jack Stephens - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 10:51 am:
@streator:
Actually the Republican Party has also traditionally supported Labor Unions.
It is a recent development that “conservatives”, a Minority sect of the Republican Party, that fight them.
- Jack Stephens - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 10:54 am:
There is no such thing as “right to work”.
On July 1, 1971 the Constitution of the United States of America was Amended to give 18 Year Old Citizens the Right to Vote.
The 2 are not even vaguely similar.
Bruce wants to bust Unjons but he is in no way giving anyone a “right to work”.
- Concerned - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 10:55 am:
If Rauner’s concern is property taxes, freeze them. If his concern is how much government employees make, then freezing taxes (government’s revenue) would make it pretty tough for those wages to go up. But because Rauner insists on eliminating all collective bargaining rights (not just some “reforms”) then his game has to be to lower government employees’ wages (in a world where employers don’t have to bargain and can present take it or leave it employment at will, wages will go down). Not that there is much doubt among those watching closely what Rauner’s real goal is, but the general public needs to be made aware that Rauner wants public employees to make less. That in turn will create the conditions for private employers to pay less.
Rauner wants all the little people to make less money. Period.
- Federalist - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 10:57 am:
This is merely one part of the overall national destruction of the union movement in this country.
Meanwhile we export jobs to foreign countries and have massive legal immigration of over 1 million people each year most of whom have no unique skills but provide a greater ‘labor pool.’ Over a period of time this has had drastic negative effects for our citizenry. Few want to recognize this reality and are in denial.
Certainly ‘globalization’ and technology have played roles in this process but the above factors have made this process much more severe.
Unfortunately as there are fewer people in unions, be they public or private, the more the public resents those better paid union employees.
And thus a race to the bottom.
- Langhorne - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 10:57 am:
You would expect someone as successful and savvy as rauner to be good at assessing risk and probability. Drive and determination can help, but they cant reverse reality. Reality: dems arent going to provide votes to gut unions and collective bargaining. Move on. I am not a union guy, but i would hate to see what would happen if rauner succeeded.
- Langhorne - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 11:00 am:
JS: you can simplify your rtw posts by writing “ditto”. We got it.
- Bemused - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 11:02 am:
Rauner Team on opening play of game throws the long bomb, ball is batted down.
Next up, a play to get the Rauner Team to the budget line without having to push those green buttons and sign off on a huge tax increase.
Actually part of the initial game strategy.
- Norseman - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 11:08 am:
Anyone, other than a person who has a total obsession with gutting unions, would realize that there are areas where Madigan would be willing to curtail AFSCME rights. I noted so before Rauner took office. Rauner noted the examples in his speech. However, Rauner’s (and his frat boys) ham-handed approach and his ego has created an environment where negotiation has become non-existent.
- Norseman - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 11:11 am:
Doesn’t everybody want to pay union dues to basically maintain the right to collectively bargain casual Friday’s. Which is all they have left to negotiate.
- Jack Stephens - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 11:12 am:
@Langhorne,
Sure. When “RTW” is properly referred to as Union Busting….exclusively.
- VanillaMan - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 11:12 am:
Somebody is not listening and he is the governor.
- Enviro - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 11:13 am:
The proposed anti-worker agenda will not be negotiated in exchange for passing a balanced budget and increases in revenue.
When the budget and tax increases are passed the other issues such as unfunded mandates, collective bargaining, minimum wage, tort reform, corporate welfare, right to work, etc…will be discussed and/or negotiated.
- Todd - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 11:17 am:
if wages, bennies and shifts are taken out, what’s left to bargain over? Christmas and the Fourth of July?
- Gruntled University Employee - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 11:17 am:
” It’s a critical bipartisan issue where we can find common ground.”
Bipartisan? I don’t think that word means what he thinks it means.
- Jack Stephens - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 11:21 am:
@enviro:
As long as “unfunded mandates” include ensuring that whatever Corporate Welfare that Con-Agra is asking for is properly funded and not an Entitlement Program.
- Graduated College Student - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 11:22 am:
===If these demands are NOT radical, I would like to know his definition of “radical”. ===
All public workers must pray 5 times daily in the direction of the Governor’s mansion.
- Kerfuffle - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 11:22 am:
=== Todd - if wages, bennies and shifts are taken out, what’s left to bargain over? Christmas and the Fourth of July? ===
No, I’m pretty sure those holidays are covered under #3 - which then leaves the dress code as the only thing that can be negotiated.
- Anonin' - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 11:23 am:
Wonder if TeamBungle will jet to St. Louis (hide the plane in Red Bud) to root for the Cubs or wait and ride a goat into Wrigley on Monday?
Meantime can anyone else recall when both sides of labor ( public & trades) have been this unified?
This should tell TeamBungle to grab some biz giveways, enough cash to run the government and do a victory lap.
No one believes the tax freeze is any good. Only winner when BLinkyJim Edgar got it was biz bosses. Losers were parents and all of local government.
- Skeptic - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 11:36 am:
“which then leaves the dress code as the only thing that can be negotiated.” You forgot the vending machines and what color the microwave will be.
- Juvenal - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 11:52 am:
I fail to understand why this is such an important issue for the governor.
If he wants state employees to work longer hours, just put it in the contract.
- Norseman - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 11:59 am:
Allen D, LOL. Of course union membership declines when collective bargaining is curtailed. Who wants to pay for a useless activity. Unions are not social clubs where one can get wasted on Saturday night. Unions are to protect the financial and work environment interests of workers. Rauner and his ilk want that to be eliminated to ensure they can do what they want to workers.
- Joe M - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 12:16 pm:
It just goes to show that the Governor sure pulled a fast one on those who believed him when he said he would bargain in good faith with AFSCME, and about health insurance for state and state university employees.
- JB - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 12:18 pm:
It is not surprising based on this governor’s spin–that he is a man representing big corporations and not a man of “the people.” This country’s middle class came into existence, based in part because of unions. With union membership evaporating, we can also expect a continuation of a shrinking middle class Is this what this governor wants?
- Carhartt Representative - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 12:22 pm:
This Bruce guy sounds mad. I bet he’s really furious at our governor right about now.
- Skirmisher - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 12:25 pm:
I have more than a few issues with AFSCME. However, I really am perplexed as to why Rauner wants to stake so much on an overt effort to limit bargaining rights. As someone else sort of pointed out, all he (Or any responsible governor) has to do is say “No” at contract negotiations time to any demands that compromise the state’s fiscal health. If he is independent enough to do that, then more power to him. But he is destroying his opportunity to do something positive by this single-minded obsession to be one up on Scott Walker.
- Dr. X - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 12:26 pm:
How do the words “class warfare” poll with the public? If it is an accepted phrase, the Dems need to hit the airwaves with ads honing in on it.
- Concerned - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 12:30 pm:
Did Rauner leave the stage holding a gun to his head saying “don’t anyone move or the Governor gets it!” And then someone from the crowd oohs, “I think he is serious!”
- A Jack - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 12:50 pm:
Jack Stephens is correct. In fact John L Lewis, the founder of the CIO was a Republican.
I am not sure from where this current crop of anti-union ‘Republicans’ spawned. But they are bringing down the party, both nationally and in the state of Illinois. They need to get back to their roots. I seriously doubt Abe Lincoln would have bought into this union busting agenda.
- LTSW - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 12:57 pm:
Those proposals are much like the federal governments rules. Federal employees can only bargain over work rules, not wages and benefits. There is a lot of language in the current AFSCME contract that does not concern wages and benefits.
- Gumby - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 1:05 pm:
If BVR gets to apply the tenets of the Turnaround Agenda, and state workers turn into serfs in the aftermath of contract “negotiations”, Illinois will be a case study of how the French Revolution would look in reverse.
And Rauner could put Ken Dunkin in charge of processing lateral transfer requests from state employees preferring a career in local fast food industries. /s
- Me too - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 1:18 pm:
LTSW, federal employees are not unionized but instead protected by the civil service code. It provides pay grades, semi-annual step increases, seniority rights as well as limits management’s ability to layoff or fire workers. Without it, workers could be let go for political reasons. If the personnel code in illinois were expanded to include all of the rights granted by the CSC then the unionization rate of state employees would be much lower. Most got certified for job security and the chance to get a raise they hadn’t seen in years. Btw merit comp employees have a pool of money to be given as merit raises. Guess what? Theres never enough to spread around to those who aren’t politically connected or the bosses friends.
- IL17Progressive - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 1:19 pm:
Gov. Rauner has an fundamental hatred of unions as Rich in one of his articles pointed out as do many corporate execs. Democracy is based on the interaction of EQUALS. Gov. Rauner can’t stand the thought of being only equal to a union (those low level serfs)! Gov. Brucie’s belief is he is somehow divinely more appropriate for leadership than any Union! Work with equals. Cannot be done in Gov. Brucie’s mind.
Hurrah!! for Speaker Madigan and Democrats standing up for ‘we the people’, aka, unions !
- Archiesmom - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 1:32 pm:
Guess we know why he blew off that bipartisan budget proposal, don’t we.
- Norseman - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 1:56 pm:
=== Btw merit comp employees have a pool of money to be given as merit raises. ===
Where has that money been for the last 9 years? There have been no MC raises since 2006.
- Me too - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 3:35 pm:
Norseman, no across the board raises. There have been raises given to specific MC employees.
- walker - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 3:41 pm:
Team Sleep: your definition and specific example of a “moderate” agreement are clear as day.
The day when the clean Tax Freeze bill was called a “sham” and got no Republican support, was when I gave up the hope that Rauner was willing to fairly negotiate the budget.
- Blue dog dem - Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 9:01 pm:
Anybody out there hearing Madigan sacrificed work comp laws as his compromise?