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*** UPDATED x1 *** AFSCME’S Lynch: Rauner has a “Darth Vader destruction fantasy” about unions

Monday, Apr 13, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Newsweek took a look at Gov. Rauner’s anti-union moves and concluded its story with this quote…

…Roberta Lynch, executive director of AFSCME Council 31 in Illinois, says Rauner’s efforts are supplemented by “unprecedented resources” and “an incredible level of coordination” involving anonymous donors funding a network of self-described “policy institutes” now operating in every state.

She also says the Illinois governor harbors “pure, unalloyed hatred and [a] Darth Vader destruction fantasy” toward the state’s unions, and predicts Rauner’s “dangerous obsession” will backfire with Illinois voters. “We have a $4 billion deficit in this state, and he has no plans to address it. He spends his time running around the state every day launching attacks on unions. That’s how he spends his time.”

Um, wow.

Those contract negotiations are going swimmingly, I presume

* Actually, I told subscribers last week about a rare behind the scenes look provided by AFSCME itself…

Negotiations show governor’s real agenda – Negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement for state employees got off to a late start. Then they got thrown dramatically off course when, on the very first day of bargaining, the Rauner Administration flagrantly violated the current agreement by issuing an Executive Order (EO) to bar Fair Share fees.

That EO’s stated aim is “preventing Illinois state employee unions from using…fair share fees to influence wages, pensions, and benefits that are….subjects of collective bargaining under the Illinois Labor Act.” In other words: trying to hamper unions’ ability to negotiate strong, fair contracts. And now that negotiations have gotten underway, it’s clear that Rauner’s effort to weaken unions in state government is the Number One goal of his representatives at the bargaining table.

As is normally the case, negotiations are first addressing only non-economic issues, such as health and safety, grievance procedure, hours of work, layoff protections, seniority, subcontracting, or discipline. Management is proposing dozens of changes to key sections of the contract, all with one overriding aim: to undo decades of progress in shaping working conditions for state employees that are safe, humane and fair. To achieve that goal, they are also seeking contractual changes that would drastically undermine the union’s ability to safeguard employee rights.

Gov. Rauner has said his goal is to eliminate all union membership in Illinois within the next four years. He’s also pushing privatization of public services. No doubt state employees are at the very top of his hit list on both counts. He’s putting out misleading information about state employee wages and benefits (which AFSCME has already discredited!). And the proposals he’s making at the bargaining table, even before discussions of economic issues begin, make all too clear his hostility toward state employees and the vital work we do.

Your AFSCME Bargaining Committee – more than 200 democratically elected rank-and-file members – is determined to stand fast against this onslaught. But this is not a fight that can be won solely at the bargaining table. It will require the involvement of every union member in every corner of this state – standing up and standing together. It will also involve reaching out to your friends and family to let them know what the governor is trying to do and to enlist their support. Your local Bargaining Committee members and your local’s Member Action Team will keep you informed about the progress of negotiations and how you can join in the critical battle to defend your union contract.

Oof.

* Meanwhile, the governor’s office added to its “Coalition of the Willing” today…

Hi, Rich –
Another update:
Heyworth passed the governor’s Turnaround Agenda Resolution. It is attached.

Best,

If you didn’t know, Heyworth is in McLean County and has a population of 2,841.

[”Coalition of the Willing” idea stolen from a commenter.]

*** UPDATE *** From the governor’s office…

Hi, Rich –
Got a few more for you.

Milledgeville
Shannon
Martinsville

They are all attached.

Best,
ck

Milledgeville: Pop. 1,031
Shannon: Pop. 757
Martinsville: Pop. 1,167

[ *** End Of Update *** ]

* And the National Review looks at the latest developments in Kentucky…

Now a dozen counties in Kentucky — including three of the ten largest in the state — allow workers to choose for themselves whether to pay union dues. Local laws now protect half a million Kentuckians from forced union dues. Unions have filed suit in federal district court.

Hardin County (the county the unions sued) just filed their motion for summary judgment. Final arguments are due in to the court in early May; the judge will rule sometime thereafter.

* Related…

* Government spends $153 billion per year helping working families: The study, released by Ken Jacobs, Ian Perry and Jenifer MacGillvary, says that low wages ultimately cost U.S. taxpayers $152.8 billion per year in benefits paid to those low-wage workers.

* Report: Rauner’s Proposed Right-To-Work Zones Would Weaken Illinois Economy

86 Comments

Tiny county wants Schock to pay for special elections

Monday, Apr 13, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Peoria Journal Star…

The Marshall County Board wants former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock to pay the $76,000 in unbudgeted county costs for special elections to fill the 18th Congressional District seat he abandoned.

The board voted unanimously Thursday to send the Peoria Republican a letter requesting the reimbursement. Schock resigned last month following controversy over his use of taxpayer and campaign funds.

The costs for the special primary and general election have been estimated at $38,000 each, officials said. In a vein somewhat similar to a collection letter, the board offers Schock options of sending either the full amount or an agreement stating that he will pay later. […]

“Schock has more money (in that fund) than the county has in its reserves,” [State’s Attorney Paul Bauer] said.

According to the Comptroller’s website, Marshall County had $3.6 million in general reserves at the end of Fiscal Year 2014, up from $3.5 million the year before. Not a bad little pile of cash for a county of 12,000 people. It was sitting on another $2.9 million in “special revenue” reserves, about the same as the year before.

So, while this is a fun little publicity pop, the county can clearly afford to pay for the special elections. Reserves are supposed to be for unintended expenses. These specials certainly qualify.

…Adding… Schock received 72 percent of the vote in Marshall County last year. As VanillaMan points out in comments…

You chose poorly, Grasshopper.

Now you must pay so that a new choice can be made.

22 Comments

Ugh

Monday, Apr 13, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller

* This is bureaucracy at its dumbest…

The number of inmates from local jails transferred into the state prison system and sent home the same day — referred to as a “turnaround” — has tripled in the past five years. The number increased from about 330 in 2010 to about 1,000 in 2014, according to state prison figures prepared Feb. 13 for the maximum-security Northern Reception and Classification Center outside of Joliet.

Turnarounds last year accounted for nearly 6 percent of the 17,181 prisoners processed through the center. It cost about $800,000 to process those 1,000 individuals, including expenses for staff, DNA tests, meals, clothing, and train or bus money for transportation home, according to a Tribune analysis.

So, they’re sending mainly Cook County prisoners all the way to Joliet for a DNA sample and paperwork only to be released the same day? The state couldn’t just pay the county to do that, or station some DOC employees at the jail?

* Also…

A Tribune analysis shows that from October through January, 331 prisoners from Cook County spent a combined total of about 23,000 extra days beyond their sentences unnecessarily locked up at the jail. Delays in the court system occur for many reasons, including judges and lawyers not moving cases, and because of legal maneuvering.

Smith said it costs $143 a day to house an inmate in the jail, meaning the extended stays cost county taxpayers about $3.3 million.

It doesn’t actually cost the county $3.3 million because of fixed costs. But the judicial/prosecutorial/defense delays in dealing with mostly minor offenders is just ridiculous in Cook.

* Meanwhile…

America’s relationship with its mentally ill population continues to suffer as a result of inadequacies in the country’s mental health care system.

For the mentally ill in Chicago, the effects of this inadequacy are felt on a magnified scale, as budget cuts and a lack of community-based mental health resources have left these individuals with minimal support. More often than not, this means being repeatedly swept up into the criminal justice system for low-level, non-violent crimes

VICE News takes an immersive look at this issue by going inside the Cook County Jail and speaking with community members on Chicago’s south side.

* Watch it…

…Adding… From IDOC…

Hey Rich, I wanted to get this to you on the record, concerning the turnaround figures out of Cook County.

The IDOC is required by law to take offenders into its custody and process their discharge or release to MSR. The IDOC must take the offender’s picture, take a DNA sample, assign an IDOC number, process parole paperwork, assign a parole agent, verify parole host site, send an offender to medical to see if he needs a prescription, if he does, we provide a two weeks supply of medication. The IDOC will incur the costs of releasing a person on the same day whether he or she is processed at the NRC or at the Cook County Jail. There are an average of four turnarounds per day out of Cook County. We would have to pay for the staff at Cook County and backfill the positions at the NRC for processing offenders who come from other counties. There is insufficient justification for hiring additional staff to handle an average of four turnarounds a day. When you remove the staffing costs, we’re looking at a hard number of $56 per turnaround, which includes gate money, transportation money, shoes, clothing, and meals.

The bigger issue is how long it’s taking the court system to take an individual from arrest to conviction and sentencing. A change in statute might prove efficient if it mandates judges to order time served for offenders who have completed their sentence in the county jail.

Thanks,

Nicole

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