THE ILLINOIZE: Monday Free for All
Unions stand to benefit if voters approve Amendment 1 in November.
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September 26, 2022
Good morning, Illinois. Don’t look now, but the Bears are 2-1 with two of the worst teams in the league on their schedule in the next three weeks.
If you missed our sit-down with Governor Jim Edgar last week, you can watch it here. You can also subscribe to the podcast version on Apple, Google, Spotify, or Amazon. We’ll have another Livestream at noon Wednesday on our YouTube channel.
There are 43 days remaining to the November 8 General Election. Governor JB Pritzker has nothing on his public schedule for the day. Darren Bailey’s campaign has not released a public schedule.
Let me know what’s on your mind as we’re working on six weeks to Election Day. What are you watching? What are you hearing? Any surprises you’re predicting? We’ll keep your name anonymous if you’d like. Drop me a note at patrick@theillinoize.com.
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YOUR MONDAY FREE FOR ALL
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Collective bargaining amendment brings national labor fight to Illinois ballot (Chicago Tribune)
The battle is the latest proxy fight between Republicans and Democrats over efforts to change the Illinois Constitution and has already generated significant fundraising, especially by labor.
The “Vote Yes” campaign committee has raised over $13 million, much of it from building trade unions, while the “Vote No on Amendment 1″ committee founded by Illinois Policy Institute leaders has raised $1 million, all from conservative megadonor and businessman Richard Uihlein. The CEO of packing and shipping firm Uline has already spent more than $40 million this year on political campaigns in Illinois and is backing Republican Darren Bailey for governor.
While the dollars raised are notable, it pales in comparison to the more than $124 million raised two years ago by groups for and against a proposed change to the Illinois Constitution that would have switched the state from a flat-rate income tax to a graduated-rate system. That amendment proposal, backed by Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, failed.
The current proposed amendment goes further than laws in New York, Missouri and Hawaii, three states that have constitutional amendments granting workers the right to organize and collectively bargain.
The proposed Illinois amendment would guarantee not only the right to organize for the most common elements of collective bargaining, like wages, hours and working conditions, but also for “economic welfare and safety at work.”
Related: Patrick interviews Tim Drea of the Illinois AFL-CIO in support of Amendment 1 (WMAY Radio)
Patrick interviews Mailee Smith of the Illinois Policy Institute in opposition of Amendment 1 (WMAY Radio)
How legal fight over public safety pension consolidation is costing taxpayers (Daily Herald)
Illinois Supreme Court denies former lawmakers’ claim for back pay (Capitol News Illinois)
The Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a lawsuit filed by two former state legislators who sued for back pay they believed they were due for raises that they voted against while in office.
Former Sen. Michael Noland, D-Elgin, and former Sen. James Clayborne, D-Belleville, argued that the pay reduction measures they voted for violated the legislative salary clause of the Illinois Constitution, which says, “changes in the salary of a member shall not take effect during the term for which he has been elected.”
But in a 6-0 decision, the court declined to rule on the constitutionality aspect, saying the former lawmakers undercut their own case by voting in favor of the measures, touting them to the public and waiting too long to file their claims.
“We conclude that under the facts here, where plaintiffs, former legislators, agreed to, acquiesced in, and voted for the Salary Reduction Laws, plaintiffs cannot now be allowed to challenge the reductions in their salaries during their previous terms in office,” Justice P. Scott Neville wrote for the court.
Chief Justice Anne Burke and Justices Mary Jane Theis, Michael Burke, David Overstreet and Robert Carter concurred. Justice Lisa Holder White, who joined the court in July after oral arguments in the case had already concluded, did not take part in the decision.
“I’m so grateful the Supreme Court said ‘No’ to these two former legislators who voted to forego their raises, then issued news releases praising their self-sacrifice in declining those raises as they asked their constituents to re-elect them,” State Comptroller Susana Mendoza said in a statement. “Years after they left the legislature they shamelessly sued me – and by extension, you, the taxpayers – saying they had no constitutional right to decline those raises and wanted them back.”
Related: Editorial: High court's rejection of lawmakers' pay raises is good news, but case comes with a cost (Daily Herald)
POLITICAL POTPOURRI
Editorial: The corruption contagion in Illinois continues unabated (Champaign News-Gazette)
Opinion: Ethics reform advocates will seize on new bribery allegations (Shaw Media)
Pritzker says Daily Herald candidates' forum is back on (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Pat Quinn wants ComEd to pay up (Chicago Sun-Times)
Julie Morrison, Highland Park’s state senator, wants to feel safe at parades again (Chicago Magazine)
Opinion: Here's what a Republican-led 'Contract with Illinois' would look like (Rockford Register Star)
Opinion: Spin machine in high gear over bond-abolition bill (Champaign News-Gazette)
SOME TOP LINKS FROM LAST WEEK