Your “right to work” roundup
Wednesday, Dec 16, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Daily Herald…
Lincolnshire officials approved a controversial right-to-work ordinance that’s been called illegal by Attorney General Lisa Madigan without first getting an opinion from their own attorney, village emails indicate.
When Village Manager Brad Burke specifically asked Mayor Elizabeth Brandt and the trustees in late November if they wanted an opinion on the proposal from attorney Adam Simon, nearly everyone declined. The strongest response came from Brandt, who had brought the plan to the board.
“I had already expressed that I did not want an opinion from Adam … and do not want to over react to a threat of litigation,” Brandt wrote in a Nov. 30 email to Burke.
Brandt also said she thought Madigan’s opinion on the right-to-work issue “was weak.” […]
When reached via email Tuesday, Brandt noted the Liberty Justice Center — a group associated with the Illinois Policy Institute — will provide free legal counsel if the ordinance is challenged.
Whew.
* They’re gonna need the legal help…
The AFL-CIO of Illinois will go to court over a Chicago suburb’s new ordinance that would bar private employers from requiring workers to join unions or pay dues, setting up a challenge to a key aspect of Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s business-friendly agenda. […]
“The city of Lincolnshire was notified that the vote was illegal, they moved forward with adopting the ordinance anyway, so we’ll move forward to take legal action,” said Illinois AFL-CIO President Michael Carrigan.
Rauner’s spokesman, Lance Trover, declined to comment.
* And this person appears unclear on the concept…
Long-time [Lincolnshire] board member Tom McDonough said the concept is misunderstood by its opponents.
“The underpinning issue is, it helps union members organize,” McDonough said after the meeting. “There is a theory that it’s a first step toward weakening a union, and that is not the case.”
Yeah. OK.
- Demoralized - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 8:46 am:
They didn’t want an opinion from their own lawyer because the feared what he might conclude. And they dismissed the opinion of the AG because they didn’t like what it said. They found a lawyer who told them what they wanted to hear.
And what is with these nonsense arguments that RTW has nothing to do with unions? Are they not familiar with RTW?
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 8:48 am:
If I were the Munger Crew, I’d try to get ahead of this. The response yesterday did nothing to soothe or put at ease that she, Munger, differs from Rauner when it comes to Labor and RTW zones. If anything, the response made it clear, the Munger Crew doesn’t want to say anything.
Looks like Lance and IPI aren’t providing any cover for the Comptroller from Lincolnshire either.
The fear has to be a hardening of Labor with Munger with a clear and symbolic talking point that Mendoza’s opponent’s home town wants RTW, and Munger was silent.
The very last, simple, prism that the Munger Crew wants is a clear position that Munger is as anti-Labor as Rauner. Nothing like IPI helping the Labor Movement by picking the symbolic “battleground”.
With friends like IPI…
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 8:50 am:
Look, your honor. We’ve already made it clear we don’t care what the “law” says. We’ve already ignored our own lawyer and the AG so go away!
- RNUG - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 8:50 am:
At least this time it won’t be the State taxpayers defending one of Rauner’s questionable proposals.
- Give Me A Break - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 8:51 am:
Seems Lincolnshire has their own set of Superstars.
- illini97 - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 8:54 am:
So, are we supposed to believe it was coincidence that the Governor’s “wingman” Munger was caught unawares that her hometown was picked to be the test case for local right to work? She’s too busy fighting Madigan and the machine to know?
- slow down - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 8:55 am:
If Board member Tom McDonough is representative of the Lincolnshire Board, they have no idea what they’ve just approved.
- Anon221 - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 9:11 am:
Packet that was provided to the board from IPI.
http://www.dailyherald.com/assets/pdf/DA1406991215.pdf
- RNUG - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 9:15 am:
== they have no idea what they’ve just approved. ==
It’s my experience that (usually smaller) village board members often don’t have a clue from a legal perspective, either about what is being discussed or existing laws on their books. I’ve seen more than one “deer in the headlights” moment when a citizen stands up and starts reading off a village ordinance the board is clearly in violation of …
- Just Observing - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 9:36 am:
I’m just very surprised that it is Lincolnshire that is leading on this issue. It’s not like Lincolnshire is some bastion of conservative politics — I would guess that Lincolnshire is split pretty evenly or even leans a bit more to the left.
- Norseman - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 9:41 am:
Tom McDonough knows what’s going on, he’s just lying.
- Big Joe - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 9:47 am:
Very interesting that Lincolnshire didn’t include the teachers at Stevenson HS in this RTW issue. Bigtime problems would occur if those teachers got up in arms about this at such a high profile academic school.
- GA Watcher - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 10:46 am:
Yoda: The IPI force strong in Lincolnshire it is.
- walker - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 10:47 am:
Hats off to DH who did some good reporting, and even provided the packet IPI provided to the board to misinform them.
- Allen D - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 11:17 am:
about time someone moved on the Right-to-Work… Now it is out in the open to have more battle for it.
- illini97 - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 2:14 pm:
Hold up. The Mayor of Lincolnshire has made it’s clear that this is not about the Right to Work. These are Worker Empowerment Zones.
The emails linked above also indicate that IPI will cover the bills and the Village’s contracted attorney will provide no aid in this.
- Precinct Captain - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 5:54 pm:
==- illini97 - Wednesday, Dec 16, 15 @ 2:14 pm:==
You might be in the running for Densest Comment of the Year