SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
One labor leader called the move a "blatantly illegal abuse of power." (Photo: Pat Quinn for Illinois / Flickr)
Billionaire Gov. Bruce Rauner Declares War on Illinois State Unions Through Executive Order
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner launched the first of his promised attacks on the state's labor unions on Monday with an executive order intended to end the legal requirement for Illinois state workers who are not members of unions to pay agency or "fair share" fees to cover the costs to the union of bargaining on their behalf. The action is a shot across the bow by a governor who clearly intends to go to war with organized labor in Illinois.
Feb 10, 2015
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner launched the first of his promised attacks on the state's labor unions on Monday with an executive order intended to end the legal requirement for Illinois state workers who are not members of unions to pay agency or "fair share" fees to cover the costs to the union of bargaining on their behalf. The action is a shot across the bow by a governor who clearly intends to go to war with organized labor in Illinois.
Currently, all unionized state employees must pay an agency fee. According to the governor, 6,500 workers are now paying this fee--what he dubs an "unfair share"--to one of the several unions representing a significant share of the state's workforce, which numbers almost 78,000. Until the courts rule on his executive order, Rauner said the dues of the 6,500 will be held in escrow.
Anti-union strategists obviously hope that more workers will choose to forego paying dues if they can, but some unions, including the largest public sector union in the state, AFSCME Council 31 (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees), say they have already started an escalated plan of internal organizing to strengthen support for the union and worker solidarity.
"Bruce Rauner's scheme to strip the rights of state workers and weaken their unions by executive order is a blatantly illegal abuse of power," AFSCME Council 31 director Roberta Lynch said. "Perhaps as a private equity CEO Rauner was accustomed to ignoring legal and ethical standards, but Illinois is still a democracy and its laws have meaning. ... Our union and all organized labor will stand together with those who believe in democracy to overturn Bruce Rauner's illegal action and restore the integrity of the rule of law."
The rest of this article is available here.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
© 2023 In These Times
David Moberg
David Moberg was a senior editor of In These Times and had been on the staff of the magazine since it began publishing in 1976. Before joining In These Times, he completed his work for a Ph.D. in anthropology at the University of Chicago and worked for Newsweek. He has received fellowships from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Nation Institute for research on the new global economy. He passed away on July 17, 2022 after battling Parkinson's disease.
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner launched the first of his promised attacks on the state's labor unions on Monday with an executive order intended to end the legal requirement for Illinois state workers who are not members of unions to pay agency or "fair share" fees to cover the costs to the union of bargaining on their behalf. The action is a shot across the bow by a governor who clearly intends to go to war with organized labor in Illinois.
Currently, all unionized state employees must pay an agency fee. According to the governor, 6,500 workers are now paying this fee--what he dubs an "unfair share"--to one of the several unions representing a significant share of the state's workforce, which numbers almost 78,000. Until the courts rule on his executive order, Rauner said the dues of the 6,500 will be held in escrow.
Anti-union strategists obviously hope that more workers will choose to forego paying dues if they can, but some unions, including the largest public sector union in the state, AFSCME Council 31 (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees), say they have already started an escalated plan of internal organizing to strengthen support for the union and worker solidarity.
"Bruce Rauner's scheme to strip the rights of state workers and weaken their unions by executive order is a blatantly illegal abuse of power," AFSCME Council 31 director Roberta Lynch said. "Perhaps as a private equity CEO Rauner was accustomed to ignoring legal and ethical standards, but Illinois is still a democracy and its laws have meaning. ... Our union and all organized labor will stand together with those who believe in democracy to overturn Bruce Rauner's illegal action and restore the integrity of the rule of law."
The rest of this article is available here.
David Moberg
David Moberg was a senior editor of In These Times and had been on the staff of the magazine since it began publishing in 1976. Before joining In These Times, he completed his work for a Ph.D. in anthropology at the University of Chicago and worked for Newsweek. He has received fellowships from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Nation Institute for research on the new global economy. He passed away on July 17, 2022 after battling Parkinson's disease.
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner launched the first of his promised attacks on the state's labor unions on Monday with an executive order intended to end the legal requirement for Illinois state workers who are not members of unions to pay agency or "fair share" fees to cover the costs to the union of bargaining on their behalf. The action is a shot across the bow by a governor who clearly intends to go to war with organized labor in Illinois.
Currently, all unionized state employees must pay an agency fee. According to the governor, 6,500 workers are now paying this fee--what he dubs an "unfair share"--to one of the several unions representing a significant share of the state's workforce, which numbers almost 78,000. Until the courts rule on his executive order, Rauner said the dues of the 6,500 will be held in escrow.
Anti-union strategists obviously hope that more workers will choose to forego paying dues if they can, but some unions, including the largest public sector union in the state, AFSCME Council 31 (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees), say they have already started an escalated plan of internal organizing to strengthen support for the union and worker solidarity.
"Bruce Rauner's scheme to strip the rights of state workers and weaken their unions by executive order is a blatantly illegal abuse of power," AFSCME Council 31 director Roberta Lynch said. "Perhaps as a private equity CEO Rauner was accustomed to ignoring legal and ethical standards, but Illinois is still a democracy and its laws have meaning. ... Our union and all organized labor will stand together with those who believe in democracy to overturn Bruce Rauner's illegal action and restore the integrity of the rule of law."
The rest of this article is available here.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.