The labor beat
Tuesday, Apr 3, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Miles Kampf-Lassin at In These Times writes about Sen. Daniel Biss’ problems with labor…
But it wasn’t just the sheer number of ads that aided the Pritzker campaign; it was also their content. As Biss’ support began to climb in February and he overtook Kennedy for second place, the Pritzker campaign’s mailers and TV ads began focusing squarely on Biss and his record of writing and championing legislation that would have slashed the pensions of state workers.
The attacks could easily be seen as cynical, since, in 2011, Pritzker himself donated $20,000 to a PAC that supported candidates willing to cut pensions and attack unions. Yet the attacks did focus on a legitimate flaw in Biss’ record, which appeared to undercut his progressive bona fides. In 2013, Biss was the co-author of S.B. 35, a bill that would have cut pension benefits for 467,000 Illinois workers, including retirees. The bill passed the legislature and was only prevented from going into effect because the Illinois Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional for the state to take away money promised to workers. At the time, the bill was referred to by its opponents in the labor movement as “pension theft.” […]
Biss’ record on pensions may have been part of the reason the Illinois AFL-CIO and building trades were comfortable coming out early for Pritzker, and why many other unions dragged their feet on endorsements. And it allowed Pritzker to attack Biss from his left on the issue of workers’ rights. […]
In Illinois, labor endorsements and support are invaluable to candidates hoping to win the backing of rank-and-file union members. Union membership in the state sits at 15 percent, compared to just 10.7 percent nationally, and 827,000 Illinois workers are represented by unions. A disproportionate percentage of these workers are African American, a demographic where Biss’ support lagged throughout the primary.
Something not mentioned is that Sen. Biss has the lowest lifetime Illinois AFL-CIO rating of any sitting Senate Democrat. Not a good thing when running for governor. I mean, when was the last time somebody won the Democratic nomination for governor here without significant labor support? Biss had that national nurses union group, but it doesn’t have much presence in this state and the Illinois Nurses Association endorsed Pritzker.
* Meanwhile, I’m hearing Ramirez is in line for a sweet private sector gig…
Chicago Federation of Labor President Jorge Ramirez, the city’s most powerful labor leader, said Monday he will step down when his term expires in June and support secretary-treasurer Robert Reiter as his replacement.
Last year, Ramirez led a labor-dominated investment group that purchased the Chicago Sun-Times.
He said Monday he has no specific job lined up and no plans to leave Chicago. He hopes to stay on as the newspaper’s board chairman “as long as they will have me.”
Ramirez said his reasons for calling it quits after 12 years at the helm of the CFL are “multiple and personal and not stuff I’ll get into at this point.”
Ramirez is the CFL’s first Latino president. Reiter comes from Operating Engineers Local 150. Secretary-treasurers usually move to the top spot when the president leaves. Knowing those guys like I do, I’m betting the rails are greased.
- Truthteller - Tuesday, Apr 3, 18 @ 11:33 am:
Good analysis and a cautionary tale for Democratic candidates who aspire to higher office.
- A guy - Tuesday, Apr 3, 18 @ 11:36 am:
== I’m betting the rails are greased.===
Slicker than a WWF poster boy greased…
- Generic Drone - Tuesday, Apr 3, 18 @ 11:38 am:
Getting harder to find any legislator willing to not stand with labor if the money is flowing their way. Even Madigan, Quinn, as well as many others tried to agree to the pension theft. We won’t forget.
- NoGifts - Tuesday, Apr 3, 18 @ 11:42 am:
And I sure haven’t forgotten the video of Biss saying that he didn’t really have to care about offending them because not many were in his district. ouch.
- Retired Educator - Tuesday, Apr 3, 18 @ 11:45 am:
It was not just the Pension Theft bill, Biss has voted anti-labor throughout his career. One has to wonder if he will go back to education, and join the union that represents them. A little ironic if that happens.
- Arsenal - Tuesday, Apr 3, 18 @ 11:46 am:
And judging by the Facebook comments where this article has been shared, Team Biss still hasn’t learned the lesson.
I don’t want to diminish the allure of JB’s cash, but that Biss couldn’t break through in any real way even during the dark days of February tells you something.
- A State Employee Guy - Tuesday, Apr 3, 18 @ 11:51 am:
Biss was the only candidate that sought to expand unionization rights to temp/gig workers. Seems to me labor would be more concerned with organizing more workers (who pay dues) than with pensions that affecting retirees (who don’t pay dues), particularly given the disgracefully low % of unionized employees nationally.
- DuPage - Tuesday, Apr 3, 18 @ 11:52 am:
Maybe Biss should have stayed where he was.
- Anonish - Tuesday, Apr 3, 18 @ 12:36 pm:
@State Employee
When the union isn’t fighting to protect long-term benefits for the members it is hard to recruit new ones when they don’t think you will be there for them down the road.
- ILDemVoter - Tuesday, Apr 3, 18 @ 12:42 pm:
I STILL find it out that no one has mentioned Kwame Raouls position on the same bill when he was a State Senator (as the Senate sponsor and author)- yet he was endorsed by labor groups above and beyond. Knowing this, I feel like labor doesn’t actually care about the record- why would they endorse Raoul if that’s what they actually stood behind?
- Not a Billionaire - Tuesday, Apr 3, 18 @ 12:47 pm:
Park District pension deal just got tossed out. Teachers protesting a cut in pensions KY. In MN COLA was switched to match Social Security.
- StrugglinDem - Tuesday, Apr 3, 18 @ 12:49 pm:
Losing Ramirez is a huge loss for labor. He is natural leader. Rieter has some big shoes to fill. The rails must be greased because why would labor appoint a white male in this climate? Completely tone deaf.
- Honeybear - Tuesday, Apr 3, 18 @ 1:29 pm:
First, as a front ranker I have to say up front I am totally behind Bob Reiter. Why? Simple accessibility. His door is always open. He’s always been available to me as an upstart sometimes stupidly over enthusiastic frontline leader. He has never tamped me down. He has never scolded me or put me in my place. I’ve felt valued around him. That counts for a lot to a front ranker. A lot. You can tell he’s a 150. He’s about his people.
Now for Biss. The Biss campaign revealed a huge fault line. Progressives are dominated by academic/cultural elites, the privileged left who don’t care to associate with the unwashed working class union folks.
I experienced this first hand on my social media feeds after the Madison county straw pole. Aggrieved progressives railed about the multitude of “dirty” and “uneducated” who couldn’t even “articulate why they were voting for Pritzker”. I must state it was totally civil at the sites but the elitism was confirmed over and over again during the primary campaigns
It wasn’t just SB1
For me it was the disdain which Biss progressives treated my labor sisters and brothers
Even though I share many beliefs with them
I will never call myself a progressive
Because of this primary experience
I was a big supporter of Bernie
The unity meal the candidates did
Is just a start to the healing
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Apr 3, 18 @ 1:32 pm:
=== For me it was the disdain which Biss progressives treated my labor sisters and brothers===
Yeah, they were pretty drenched with that disdain. Not even subtle.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Apr 3, 18 @ 1:37 pm:
- StrugglinDem - Tuesday, Apr 3, 18 @ 12:49 pm:
Because White males are people too
- Roman - Tuesday, Apr 3, 18 @ 1:48 pm:
- ILDemVoter - is right.
Biss and Kwame have the same record on pension reform, one was vilified for it, the other got a pass.
Proof that it was all about JB’s money as far as labor was concerned. So much so, they ignored JB’s support for pension reform, too.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Apr 3, 18 @ 2:01 pm:
Labor was part of it, but Biss also hit a brick wall with his inability to win black votes. If you’re unpopular with both labor and African Americans, maybe you shouldn’t run for statewide office as a Democrat.
- A State Employee Guy - Tuesday, Apr 3, 18 @ 2:04 pm:
Yeah, they were pretty drenched with that disdain. Not even subtle.
wut?
- City Zen - Tuesday, Apr 3, 18 @ 2:38 pm:
==You can tell he’s a 150.==
Male and Caucasian? Seems to be the status quo over at HQ.
- Honeybear - Tuesday, Apr 3, 18 @ 2:57 pm:
Oh give me a break Zen City. Says the Republican who can’t even name one prominent black illinois Republican besides Ken Dunkin
- Molly Maguire - Tuesday, Apr 3, 18 @ 3:07 pm:
Labor is far from monochromatic. SB35 does not equal “no labor support.” There are major divisions between the building trades and public sector unions, for instance, and they differ on many issues–such as state spending, taxes, social issues, etc. The AFL rating does not capture all of that. Biss blew it with CTU because of the running mate controversy. The leaders of one of the largest unions in the state, SEIU Healthcare, tended to favor Biss even though it did not make an endorsement. Biss successfully carried a lot of water for them in the legislature. The SEIU members like homecare and childcare providers do not have state pensions (and neither do the building trades)
- A State Employee Guy - Tuesday, Apr 3, 18 @ 3:23 pm:
Labor IS far from monochromatic. Labor leadership, however…
- City Zen - Tuesday, Apr 3, 18 @ 4:31 pm:
==Says the Republican==
…who voted for Obama twice.
I stand by my observation. Might be a good idea for CFL to promote a female to Sec-Treas because Local 150 certainly won’t.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Apr 3, 18 @ 5:08 pm:
== Park District pension deal just got tossed out. ==
Yep. The judge followed the SB-1 precedent and ruled both the park district and the union negotiations couldn’t change the pendions; still an individual right / contract that must be honored.
And the park district has to refund all the extra money they deducted WITH interest.
- RNUG - Tuesday, Apr 3, 18 @ 5:16 pm:
5:08pm was I
- Robert M Roman - Wednesday, Apr 4, 18 @ 5:43 am:
Honeybear: I agree that Reiter is likely to be an improvement. Ramirez never impressed me though that may have been because a lack of opportunities to impress. IMHO, though, you’d have to go back to the 1920s to find really outstanding CFL leadership. There have been some good folks since.
- Johnny Justuice - Wednesday, Apr 4, 18 @ 10:02 am:
Everyone keeps saying the bill Biss backed, that was held unconstitutional, cut pensions. But, isn’t it true that the bill did not actually reduce anyone’s pensions; it simply reduced the amount of future increases?