98 Comments - Man with a plan - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 10:39 am: Municipalities passing resolutions to skirt federal labor law on RtW. That should work. - RNUG - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 10:41 am: Continuing the divide and conquer strategy … - Liberty - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 10:41 am: Lookin for that lawsuit. - x ace - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 10:42 am: Join Me, Get Sued , Lose , Bigtime Taxpayer Dollars Gone - Formerly Known As... - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 10:42 am: ==But you could show your gratitude for not cutting the revenue sharing in this budget fix.== ==I’m going to hammer until something shakes loose. That is shaking up Springfield.== - LisaC - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 10:45 am: Cut the pay for workers making a pittance but let’s increase his staff’s pay to unbelievable levels…some make way more than the governor’s scheduled salary. Unbelievable… - Carhartt Union Negotiating Team - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 10:45 am: Brilliant! Perhaps we should add a few more items to the list of any Corporate Profit Empowerment Zones in local communities… For starters, lets go ahead and require that any municipality approving their right to work status also forfeits their state-issued income tax kickback from the Local Government Distribution Fund. It makes perfect sense in the twisted logic if you think about it. Because growth in jobs will explode, the local governments will not need the state kickback. And, the State CEO will be able to apply the unused funds to tax breaks for large Illinois businesses. When is this clown gonna stop? He won’t. Because he has a mental obsession with unions. It’s pathetic, sad and sick. - anonin' - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 10:45 am: Apparently the thinskinsters in Scabistan did not like the fact that some towns have already voted to trash the BVR budget plans — cut LGDF, freeze prop taxes, referendums on contracts. Wonder shat happens when Mayberry City Council votes down his res? Why IML joined the folly is very curious Yikes - Downstate GOP Faithless - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 10:45 am: That is a dicey line to cross, but one both sides use…I believe the IML is now run by a longtime Rauner & Kirk supporter in Brad Cole (if I am wrong, apologies). Passing on the information is one thing, but municipalities like their independence (in spite of reliance on the state). I think it is to be respected - paddyrollingstone - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 10:45 am: “Join Me, Get Sued , Lose , Bigtime Taxpayer Dollars Gone” and raise turnout in my next election, lose. - A guy - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 10:47 am: In meetings around the area, the trade-off for reducing (or more) the Distributive Fund, is removing unfunded state mandates, which in some cases would benefit the munis more than the fund. Maybe in most. Haven’t heard of any horse trading on the Right to Work front. A lot of muni employees are unionized by tradition. Lately, clerks and office workers have been convinced to do so as well and may not be as happy about it. There just aren’t as many things a union can do for folks in that job classification. Suspect downstate IML members would be more open to this initiative. Chicago and Burbs are used to a lot of unions. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 10:48 am: The IML is also polling by e-mail to all municipalities lists of unfunded mandates and projected costs of them. this is a fair issue for debate but there seems to be a lot of coordination going on with a Governor who may not be the best leader for local government issues. - Tollway Ivory Tower - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 10:50 am: Nobody said it would be easy! Bwahahahah. - relocated - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 10:50 am: No quid pro quo Nice city you got here, it would be a shame if something were to happen to it….. - Das Kapital - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 10:52 am: When I worked in Sales, everytime MGT revamped the pay schedule we sales people always got screwed. Same thing here. Employees benefit from unions. PERIOD - bluecollargal - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 10:52 am: This is straight out a fairly new ALEC local community initiative called ACCE (American City County Exchange) which seeks to target policymakers from “villages, towns, cities and counties”. According to a Guardian article from 3-2014 “The new ALEC organization will offer corporate America a direct conduit into the policy making process of city councils and municipalities. Lobbyists acting on behalf of major businesses will be able to propose resolutions and argue for new profit-enhancing legislation in front of elected city officials, who will then return to their council chambers and seek to implement the proposals.” Rauner is definitely promoting the Koch Brothers Agenda. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 10:53 am: Just so I’m clear, Mayors want to be able to declare bankruptcy, wiggle out of pension obligations, be allowed to NOT pay prevailing wage, lower workers comp costs, and not honor collective bargaining agreements all while not touching LGDF. Come on. Little much, no? - chiatty - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 10:54 am: Channeling Scott Walker as a gubernatorial game plan seems remarkably shortsighted to me, but then again, that lightweight is a contender for the Republican nomination, isn’t he? - Wordslinger - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 10:54 am: A grass-roots movement, from the top-down. Gee, remember when Rauner said this nonsense wasn’t going to be a priority if he was elected? I guess he meant to say “only priority.” - hisgirlfriday - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 10:57 am: To the resolution, just what would one collectively bargain if not contracts wages and benefits? - Langhorne - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 10:57 am: Wow. Thats unbelievably heavy handed. If i were an IML board member, i would be very unhappy w brad cole. The governor can send his own suggested resolution to the locals. The most cole should have done is provide an objective update on the pros and cons of the issues involved. That would be appropriate and helpful. can anyone on this blog imagine steve sargent, ken alderson, or larry frang allow the IML to be used like this? - Just Me - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 10:59 am: That’s the Chicago Way. - DDR - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 11:03 am: Is there a way my tax dollars won’t go to paying for my municipality’s lobbying? I don’t agree with their politics even though the majority of voters elected the leaders. - ventihot - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 11:05 am: Are these governmental or political communications? Are taxpayer resources really being expended to push Rauner’$ personal political agenda, or is Bruce using his own money to wage this protracted political war? From my perdpective, Rauner appeats unable to move from political to governmental mode! - Anonymous - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 11:05 am: Another decree by King Rauner translated: “Play my way or pay the consequences!” - DuPage - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 11:06 am: Another day, another attack on public employees. Rauner is burning a lot of bridges. - walker - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 11:06 am: Is Rauner becoming a stooge of outside interests and their pet projects? Some of what he spends his time and resources doing make no other sense. It is an attack on the credibility of government and our rule of law, to encourage entities to pass ordinances or resolutions that are on their face currently illegal and unachievable. It encourages a victim mentality, and a feeling that their votes don’t count in America. Kind of like the fraudulent Term Limits petition drive of Rauner’s campaign, which was legally doomed from the start. A fake, futile, grassroots movement cynically driven down, is an attack on the trust in participation underlying American democracy. Stepping back and looking at it generically, it is outrageous. - Abe the Babe - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 11:07 am: Rauner to locals: Do the heavy lifting with right to work, swallow my draconian cuts, and please smile while doing both. - Obamas Puppy - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 11:07 am: Gee I wonder if the Guv’s buddy Rahm will suffer the consequences if he does not pass the resolution? Does this guy think about anything else, this is not healthy. - bored now - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 11:07 am: i warned you thusly… - Wordslinger - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 11:11 am: DDR has a point. Certainly our First Amendment rights are being violated by Rauner’s use of our tax payments to promote his political agenda. - Crispy - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 11:11 am: When will this obsession with pulverizing the unions end? Or, more to the point, when will Rauner be forced to stop inflicting it on the rest of the state? Also, appreciate bluecollargal pointing out the ALEC connection. Clearly, Rauner and the Kochs are political brethren; would be interested to know how extensive their personal and monetary ties are. - Jorge - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 11:14 am: I get it that the governor doesn’t like unions. But for the love of god, get a hobby rather than trying to create a new Illinois in Bruce’s image…..”The new, improved, renamed and union free Raunerstan.” - Cassandra - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 11:15 am: The unions are doing a pretty good job of disappearing on their own in the US, making Rauner’s interest in highlighting the issue somewhat puzzling. Could be a birds on a wire phenomenon, not just Wisconsin but other state execs have taken the same tack in recent years, I believe. - Wensicia - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 11:16 am: Is Rauner asking local municipalities to secede from the Union? - Crispy - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 11:16 am: Are there any figures for how many fair shares have converted to full membership since this whole blitz started? - Kevin Highland - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 11:17 am: –”what would one collectively bargain if not contracts wages and benefits?” work conditions & grievance procedures. - Langhorne - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 11:18 am: Btw, has rauner introduced bills on empowerment zones, prevailing wages, etc? Or is it all blather? - Wordslinger - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 11:20 am: Crispy, I suspect the effort will die down when it goes nowhere in the GA and Rauner stops getting national attention for it. Which will be soon. The GOP presidential race is heating up and there soon will be no interest in the antics of a rookie governor who will be no factor whatsoever in the Big Game. - hisgirlfriday - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 11:21 am: @walker: calling rauner a stooge implies that he isn’t aware of his administration’s anti union efforts or doesn’t agree with them. Why would you assume this to be the case? Everything we’ve seen from Bruce indicates this is his mission. His “philanthropy” in charter schools is part of the picture too. He simply hates that there is such a thing as organized labor to challenge organized capital interests like him. Remember what his greatest patron and ideological soul mate, Ken griffin, said about rich hedge fund people not having enough influence over public policy? This is what Bruce thinks too. It’s just a shame he is doing so as a member of the party of Lincoln to the land of Lincoln when Lincoln made it so clear that labor is prior to and independent of capital and thus deserves the greater consideration. - Casual Observer - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 11:22 am: My how the IML has changed. It used to be that they would lobby the Governor and Legislature based on the needs of local government. Now they are being used to lobby local government based on the wishes of the Governor. Now when they lobby a legislator, are they speaking on behalf of mayors or the Gov? Once your integrity is lost it’s near impossible to get back. - Rich Miller - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 11:22 am: ===When will this obsession with pulverizing the unions end?=== Never. - Skeptic - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 11:23 am: –”what would one collectively bargain if not contracts wages and benefits?” Job security, layoff rights, rights for promotion, procedures for demotion, limits of “other duties as assigned”, procedures for discipline…the list goes on. - Out Here In The Middle - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 11:26 am: Its becoming increasingly clear that Rauner ran NOT so he could be Governor but so he could remake the State of Illinois in his own image . . . . - Juvenal - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 11:28 am: Best part of the story: “Illinois Municipal League Executive Director Brad Cole said the governor’s request came after cities began fighting a proposal to divert income tax money that normally goes to municipalities to help plug holes in the state budget.” Learn a lesson from Quinn. Given a choice between fighting the things they don’t like about your agenda and backing the things they do like about your agenda, people will always dedicate 95% of their time and resources to killing the things they don’t like. - hisgirlfriday - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 11:28 am: @Cassandra: there is nothing puzzling about it when you consider who stands to benefit from the destruction of unions. Republicans are attempting to set up permanent political majorities via elimination of the union dues that support a party that opposes them and moneyed interests can buy off democrats to enact their preferred policies when they don’t have union money to support campaigns against republicans any more. - Carl Nyberg - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 11:28 am: “Conservatism” doesn’t love local control. They like getting their way. Local gun laws: no way. Local union busting: yay! - Obamas Puppy - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 11:28 am: Time to move bribery from behind closed doors into the light of day. Yeah Governor the only thing holding this state back is fair share dues and collective bargaining.Warped - walker - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 11:28 am: Where is Rauner’s request to all local units of government, to freeze or reduce property tax levies? He promised! - Anotherretiree - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 11:36 am: Walker He’s not a stooge for others. He really believes he was put here to destroy unions and lower standards of living. He’s the real deal. - Carl Nyberg - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 11:37 am: American capitalists are more obsessed with crushing unions and engaging in financial manipulations than they are interested in producing goods and services. American capitalism has produced parasite overlords like Ken Griffin, Mitt Romney and Bruce Rauner. - walker - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 11:49 am: Wordslinger: My guess is Rauner’s aiming for the 2020 presidential cycle. He just needs to build a steadily rising image among the national movers and shakers, and not have anything blow up on him too badly in the interim. Rauner worked for years to set himself up for a Governor’s contest. It took Scott Walker 6 years to set himself up for the current race. - Down Here - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 11:58 am: Who cares what the AG says about the legality of these zones? What does she know? Rauner seems absolutely obsessed with gutting the unions; all unions, whether public service or construction trade unions. Has there ever been a statewide elected official anywhere who’s been so blatantly, unrelentingly, and publicly anti-union? I can’t wait to see how the Ds who have voted or will vote for the Road Fund sweep are going to explain that vote to the Laborers, the AFL and the construction trades. Seems to me the unions need to stop supporting Ds who do not support them especially with Rauner as Governor. Otherwise they will be steamrolled like the construction contractors are allowing themselves to be. - bluecollargal - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 11:59 am: Crispy - One of the largest recipients of Rauner’s generosity is the Donors Trust. The Donors Trust is a “donors advised fund” meaning that donors do not control who gets the money, but they can offer suggestions. The Donors Trust is commonly associated with the Koch Brothers. It raises money from wealthy individuals and foundations and gives it to right wing, libertarian organizations that emphasize private action to address social hardship, “as opposed to government involvement”. Mr. Rauner contributed a total of $700,000 to the Donors Trust in 2011 and 2013. During the two years that Rauner gave directly to the Donors Trust, the Trust gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to right wing advocacy organizations such as the Heartland Institute, Freedom Works and Americans for Prosperity. The very same groups that Bruce Rauner himself also funded directly through his family foundation. - TGS - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 12:03 pm: If a muni proceeds there will be plenty of non-profs and law firms that would probably pick up the case pro bono - Norseman - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 12:05 pm: Decision time for local aldermen and mayors. Pass a meaningless resolution to make nice to Gov. .01% and face the wrath of union constituents; or ignore the request and hope this really isn’t a quid pro quo. - Wensicia - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 12:05 pm: Rauner wants to accomplish what his hero in Wisconsin, Scott Walker, has achieved. Wisconsin leads the nation in shrinking the middle class. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/americas-incredible-shrinking-middle-class/ “While mid-income families are suffering, in many states the top 1 percent of income earners have captured all of the income gains since the Great Recession officially ended in June 2009.” - Does it matter? - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 12:13 pm: I guess unions never engaged in quid pro quo in Springfield. Inquire as to how many benefit increases were handed out to public safety pensions in the last 15 years and you’ll see the basis for the pension problem. Let’s see. I get paid extra because I might be injured, but if I’m hurt ( tripping in the parking lot) in any way so that I can’t do absolutely everything I do now, I get paid for life because I can’t be exposed to danger anymore. Think I’ll start another business (the income from which can’t have anything to do with a reduction of my disability payments) while the cities pay the insurance for myself wife, future wives, children, future children for the rest of their lives. Mmmmmmm. - Former Merit Comp Slave - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 12:17 pm: Crispy some Union folks I’ve talked to say they now have locals with 100% participation, a first in many areas - VanillaMan - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 12:25 pm: This governor has an unhealthy obsession. Worse, he is committed to destroying a societal institution which has been an important part of Illinois community heritage and history. He is no conservative. If he really was, he would be doing what he can to conserve the societal supports this state’s citizens depend upon. He is a man who grew rich ripping things up and selling them. A junk man. He is taking what is worth something to us, junking them, then claiming what is leaving behind is more valuable. Bruce Rauner is like the lumber baron chopping down entire forests, then pointing at the sawdust saying that he is actually providing fertilizer and helping the next generation of trees. He is no conservative. - Anon - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 12:32 pm: Does anybody remember when BVR promised rank and file state workers bonuses for good ideas? No surprise that that turned out to be %#**+^%*. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 12:45 pm: To the Post, What I am quickly learning about all that is swirling around are these important points; When Governor Rauner listens to the Crew he has around him, he succeeds at tasks needing accomplishing. It becomes apparent at times when Governor Rauner goes off the reservation. When Rauner is off the reservation, the Sonny Corleone governor appears, and doing what Sonny asks, even if it’s governmentally insane to the politics and the levers of governing is obliged. Governor Rauner isn’t prgmatic in “Sonny Mode”, so don’t look for pragmatism when he’s in “Sonny Mode” Finally, “Sonny Mode” feeds into Rauner’s obsession in governing and/or attacking when faced with roadblocks to wants and desires. Facing adversity or roadblocks won’t deter “Sonny Mode”, it forces the doubling down or “going to the mattresses” while attacking windmills that don’t need fighting or can’t be “defeated” “Sonny Mode” has little respect for the GA, but when out of that thought process, Governor Rauner himself, and his Crew can work with the GA and get things done (FY2015 “Fix”) All I can hope for, my realization, is “Sonny Mode” is reserved for the windmills that are unbeatable, and Rauner and his Crew know which issues are windmills and which issues aren’t. - Amalia - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 12:56 pm: now we get why they are weighing in on a Chicago City Council race with dollar support. Koch brothers hands are everywhere. - Grandson of Man - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 1:00 pm: Beside Rauner’s trail of lawsuits and legally questionable actions, what he is doing is so wrong economically. The middle class is struggling and needs its wages and benefits boosted UP, not down through union stripping. There is zero need to implement any kind of right to work in this union state. Indiana is not a good example to use for an economic model. That state’s median household income is far lower than Illinois. I haven’t checked lately, but last I checked Indiana’s unemployment rate wasn’t much lower than Illinois. Illinois’ unemployment rate dropped again. When we look at unemployment rates and median incomes, it’s no contest. Don’t get me started on Wisconsin. That state had less than half of the national growth in private sector jobs in the period of September 2013-September 2014. That state is facing a budget deficit even after its stripping of public unions. - A guy - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 1:04 pm: ====Norseman - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 12:05 pm: Decision time for local aldermen and mayors. Pass a meaningless resolution….==== Norse, too late for this kind of advice. Most of them pass meaningless resolutions at nearly every meeting. Hard to define what the meaningful ones are. - Norseman - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 1:10 pm: === Most of them pass meaningless resolutions at nearly every meeting. === True, but not all seek to antagonize a specific voting bloc. - A guy - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 1:21 pm: True. Union negotiations at the municipal level are adversarial and cantankerous very often. A lot of councils and boards have ambivalent feelings toward unions, as would some administrators and managers. The IML might just agree to be the messenger on this. I doubt it would change the game in a single place. Just like a lot of what they pass along. - dawn - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 1:23 pm: Did bvr support the con-con at all? If there was a chance to ammend the constitution it would have been then, right? - Dr X - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 1:23 pm: I don’t understand the resolution language:”should be forces to…” Maybe Rauner should “Spell check Springfield”! - Illini97 - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 2:26 pm: That’s a nice piece of LGDF you have there. It’d be a shame if it was diminished. So, I got this endorsement resolution here. I suggest you sign it. Yeah, that’s shaking up Springfield. - Enemy of the State - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 2:29 pm: If Gov. Rauner were anointed “Thane of Cowder” would he be happy? - Cheswick - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 2:34 pm: Lobbyist gets lobbied. Caves. - Countryboy - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 2:35 pm: The big picture why… defund the Democratic Party. Their three largest donor organizations represent public employees. Interrupt that flow, and you win more at less cost. Demographics are working against the GOP. Stop the Dem funding and it becomes easier to turn the whole country into Kansas. - Mouthy - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 2:35 pm: The last guy was put on the earth to fix the pension system by demonizing the working man. This guy wants to create an oligarchy by beating down the wages of the working man. I guess we’re lucky nobody wants to create a religious caliphate…yet… - Anon - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 2:37 pm: As a businessman, Rauner left devastation and broken lives in his wake. He did so with confidence and without remorse. And it is this experience that he touted to voters when he ran for office. It is not surprising that he is pathologically obsessed, as someone so aptly described him, with destroying unions. Nor is it surprising that he demands compliance from all those in his political party and threatens those who go against him. The question really is not when will he stop his current tirade and choose instead to govern. In short, I don’t think he will. I don’t think he can. He doesn’t believe in the public good. It is not in his make-up. He sees only his view of the world. The question is when will those around him, those in his own party and some Democrats, those who have an ounce of compassion and integrity left, those who believe in public service, have the courage to stand up to him. I hope we have an answer soon. - Anontwo - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 2:46 pm: Here is the Stopbullying.gov definition of bullying: Bullying Definition An unhappy teen boy walks away from bullying girls. Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Both kids who are bullied and who bully others may have serious, lasting problems. In order to be considered bullying, the behavior must be aggressive and include: An Imbalance of Power: Kids who bully use their power—such as physical strength, access to embarrassing information, or popularity—to control or harm others. Power imbalances can change over time and in different situations, even if they involve the same people. Repetition: Bullying behaviors happen more than once or have the potential to happen more than once. Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose. Seems like it fits to Gov. Clueless. - Anon - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 2:57 pm: @Anontwo. I agree that Rauner is a bully. It has worked for him and will until others stand up to him. Funny, isn’t it, that collective action, which he so hates about unions, on the part of his fellow Republicans could be his undoing. Collective action by legislators and leaders at the state and local levels who believe public service and social justice and by corporate leaders who believe in social responsibility would leave him, I think, dumbfounded and likely unable to function, raising the bar in terms of how many laws he would break to get his way. - AnonymousOne - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 3:06 pm: Agree with Anon. When people get upset about Rauner’s cuts that hurt people, you have to remember he doesn’t think much of people in the first place. If you aren’t smart enough– (cunning) to be in his club, at his status, then you don’t deserve anything. You are ordinary. This is a person who only understands numbers, certainly not human beings. This is not someone who should be in public service–public service. Who does he work for? - Joe Blow - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 4:13 pm: I think it is another attempt to break thr unions piggy bank and require them to use more of their resources now at the local level. Break them with legal fees now spend resources all over the state to fight these resolutions. - tobor - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 4:15 pm: Repeat after me, soh-see-uh-path. - JS Mill - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 4:18 pm: =Inquire as to how many benefit increases were handed out to public safety pensions in the last 15 years and you’ll see the basis for the pension problem.= Not!! You may want to check the math. The “basis”, as you put it, for the pension problem is the long term failure by the state to fund the pensions. If they had the annual cost of the pension payment would be about $5 Billion less than it is now. BILLION. The annual cost of the pnsion system is south of $2 billion at $1.8 Billion. How would the budget look then? The sweeteners and special legislation are fair game and totally appropriate targets for criticism but they are an incredibly small % of the total issue. Honesty or actual understanding would help your argument, but like the pols and the “I hate everything/all taxes are bad” crowd your failure to understand “the basis” diminishes your position. - Crispy - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 4:21 pm: Bluecollargal–thanks for connecting those dots. Former Merit Comp Slave–good tidings! Oswego Willy–your analysis should be in a psych textbook. Sigh. Given his past history and personality, Rauner must have some skeletons in one of his great big luxury closets. Don’t much want to see yet another “Illinois corruption” scandal, but on the other hand, if karma’s the only thing that’ll stop him. … - A guy - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 4:33 pm: It might be time to examine exactly who is not standing shoulder to shoulder with the unions right now. A lot of emotional talk here. A lot of media missives from the unions themselves. It’s not who’s with you that should be confounding to you. It’s who isn’t. New parameters for negotiation are being set and it appears to me there are some folks on the sidelines willing to allow that to happen. They just might be glad it’s someone else rechalking the field. - Enviro - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 4:53 pm: When unions are strong the economy does better. Unions restore consumer demand by raising wages for their members and increasing purchasing power. When labor unions are weak, income inequality increases. This is the problem we have now. Making the unions weaker is not the solution…it is the problem. - Norseman - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 5:10 pm: A Guy, I left my Star Trek universal translator in the car. I don’t understand your point. Obviously the negotiating process is changing. We have a Governor that hates unions and will not negotiate in good faith with AFSCME or any of the others. It’s also not surprising that their are a lot of people who are privately cheering this development. So I’m still trying to discern your point - Jorge - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 5:43 pm: Why don’t the exceptional individualists just say it. They hate anyone who isn’t wealthy wants to return to the guilded age. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 6:00 pm: ===A lot of media missives from the unions themselves. It’s not who’s with you that should be confounding to you. It’s who isn’t.=== As Ron Sandack would say, “Who”? (Tips cap to - Crispy -) - Wordslinger - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 6:06 pm: Guy, those are words arranged in sentences, but taken together they don’t communicate an intelligilble thought. - Call Me Crazy - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 6:53 pm: This encouragement of the munis to pass legally useless and what could be (for the munis) politically dangerous resolutions while simultaneously saying he wants to take so much of their funding is an unprecedented over the top threat by a Gov in office less than 90 days. What it tells me is that he will overplay his hand in very short order and he will become political kryptonite. Trying to repeatedly extract what he wants with repeated bald-faced threats may gain him some results in the short term but it will end up costing him his political position and his political credibility to accomplish his agenda. I’m sure that even the FOP legislators will soon tire of being treated as mere toadys of Sonny Corleone as OW so aptly called him. They will especially tire of it as BR’s approval ratings continue to tank and their constituents raise _—- about the Gov back in their districts. - Mitch59 - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 7:00 pm: This gov. Shook my hand in Flora, Il. Before elected and informed me as a afscme member do not worry, I am not coming after your job! Afscme is lying to you, and he pointed to my ascme shirt and said those people are creating these lies! Guess they were not lies Bruce! Still glad I did not vote for you! - Jeanne Dough - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 7:29 pm: “Are there any figures for how many fair shares have converted to full membership since this whole blitz started?” This is purely anecdotal, but I witnessed a group of adjuncts at a meeting last week, most of whom had previously been uninvolved in the union and content to be fair-share contributors, fill out their union cards for AFT. When we left the meeting, there was only one remaining fair-share contributor in the local group. - Railrat - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 7:41 pm: this ain’t good but it could be that the national effort to do away with collective bargaining is further along than the defense look at the complexion of local unions my guess is mot are not schooled and depend on lawyers that never worked in the labor environment so the learning curve of the lexicon is long and arduous, Rauner knows this and as long as labor doesn’t have a leader that can speak to the whole they are in trouble. Labor leaders today are no different than politicians they are always trying to get re-elected and the membership suffers…do any of us believe most “labor leaders” aren’t 1%rs? “ - Anonymous - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 8:25 pm: Railrat Unions do more positives than you think. If the 1%’s had full control of the economy, we would be going back to the days of Herbert Hoover. Rauner is has no concept of running the government. To him, when a person, just like what Bush said to a lady in Nebraska, you work 3 jobs to get by? That’s the American way. Fact is baby boomers are starting to retire and retirements were wiped out in 2008. Like everyone, I’d like to have time to retire and I think everyone in life deserves to. Rauner’s way of thinking reminds me of line of thinking of the nutcase who we defeated in Germany or Napoleon. If you disagree with him, then the you only get the unanimity of the graveyard. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Mar 25, 15 @ 8:28 pm: If you disagree with him, then the only unanimity he gets is the unanimity of the graveyard. - Tacitus - Thursday, Mar 26, 15 @ 5:29 am: He made a desert and called it “peace” - A guy - Thursday, Mar 26, 15 @ 7:46 am: Norse, go to the car and get the decoder. Share the results with Sling. “Good Faith’ is not exactly how I’d describe the negotiations on either side of union negotiations of late friend. As for the decoder, the unions are not enjoying a lot of legislative help these days. There are the obvious antagonists always. There are folks they have nurtured, cajoled and or intimidated into standing with them in the past who are not at this time. That’s what the decoder ring should interpret. - Anonymous - Thursday, Mar 26, 15 @ 9:57 am: Is this clown trying to start a class war? He just might suceed…. - coach215 - Thursday, Mar 26, 15 @ 4:36 pm: I hope nobody feels the need to “stand with” him like the guy up north. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.