Sounds like the Speaker has done a lot for this staff. I don’t know any union contract that would give out 43% raises in just 2.5 years like Welch has reportedly done for some employees. And I hear this union issue goes back to Madigan days. At least Welch did something about it.
Sometimes you have to give credit where credit is due. Nice job to the House Democrats. Once again House Republicans show why they are in the super minority.
City Zen, it’s because the Workers Rights Amendment prohibits the state of local governments from passing a right to work ordinance but doesn’t otherwise interfere with state law. The Illinois Labor Relations Act expressly prohibits legislative staff from forming a union. So without this bill, there isn’t any legal path for legislative staff to form a union, the Workers Rights aspirational language in the constitution notwithstanding.
- City Zen - Wednesday, Oct 25, 23 @ 2:56 pm:
Still don’t understand why we need this when the Workers Rights Amendment usurps all legislation on the matter.
- Justaquestion - Wednesday, Oct 25, 23 @ 3:01 pm:
I still don’t understand why there was not more union support in the background. AFSCME, where ya at?
Witness slips and crickets…
- Wobblies United - Wednesday, Oct 25, 23 @ 4:12 pm:
This feels like the Speakers way of “dealing” with this issue, without really dealing with it.
Now all he has to do is point to the Senate and say I tried.
If he cared, he would just sit down with his staff and discuss changes to the workplace in good faith.
- Capitol Observer - Wednesday, Oct 25, 23 @ 5:39 pm:
Sounds like the Speaker has done a lot for this staff. I don’t know any union contract that would give out 43% raises in just 2.5 years like Welch has reportedly done for some employees. And I hear this union issue goes back to Madigan days. At least Welch did something about it.
- Mike Smith - Wednesday, Oct 25, 23 @ 6:51 pm:
Sometimes you have to give credit where credit is due. Nice job to the House Democrats. Once again House Republicans show why they are in the super minority.
- Dan Johnson - Wednesday, Oct 25, 23 @ 7:58 pm:
City Zen, it’s because the Workers Rights Amendment prohibits the state of local governments from passing a right to work ordinance but doesn’t otherwise interfere with state law. The Illinois Labor Relations Act expressly prohibits legislative staff from forming a union. So without this bill, there isn’t any legal path for legislative staff to form a union, the Workers Rights aspirational language in the constitution notwithstanding.