Citizens deserve a seat in the room — it’s time to require open meetings for collective bargaining
Citizens deserve a seat in the room — it’s time to require open meetings for collective bargaining
On February 28, 2013, Illinois’ largest government union, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31, which represents nearly 40,000 state employees, completed months of negotiations with state government over a new contract, yet taxpayers were locked out of the bargaining room during all of them. Since that time, taxpayers are still waiting to...
By Chris Andriesen
Wrong way Illinois: January 2013 unemployment worsens compared with neighbors
Wrong way Illinois: January 2013 unemployment worsens compared with neighbors
The latest BLS unemployment release once again highlights how poorly Illinois is faring compared with its neighbors and the nation as a whole. Illinois’ January unemployment rate jumped to 9 percent, a 0.4 percent increase over December’s rate. Illinois now has the seventh-highest unemployment rate in the nation, with nearly 600,000 Illinoisans unemployed. Meanwhile, the...
By Ted Dabrowski, John Klingner
CPS to switch to per-student funding
CPS to switch to per-student funding
Chicago Public Schools, or CPS, announced recently that it will make a shift next fiscal year to a funding system that gives schools a certain amount of money per student instead of per position as it currently does. Catalyst Chicago, a local independent news magazine devoted to education, explains why CPS made the change: “CPS officials hailed...
Pension ramp leaves taxpayers without an exit
Pension ramp leaves taxpayers without an exit
On March 11, 2013, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Illinois with securities fraud. The SEC accused the state of misleading investors by understating the depth of the pension crisis. The most revealing statement from the SEC: “The statutory plan structurally underfunded the state’s pension obligations and backloaded the majority of pension contributions far into...
By Ted Dabrowski
Minimum wage increase would be a blow to unskilled workers
Minimum wage increase would be a blow to unskilled workers
Illinois already has the fourth-highest minimum wage in the nation and is one of 19 states with a minimum wage higher than the federal rate of $7.25 per hour. But the state’s current rate of $8.25 isn’t enough for Illinois lawmakers, who want to increase the minimum wage to $10.25 an hour. Efforts to increase the minimum...
By Benjamin VanMetre
Facing facts: the numbers show Illinois is losing people
Facing facts: the numbers show Illinois is losing people
Illinois loses one resident every 10 minutes to net out-migration. It should be no surprise that people are fleeing Illinois. Illinois ranks 48th in economic outlook, 45th in GDP growth between 2000 and 2010, and 47th in its level of entrepreneurial activity. There is little opportunity left for Illinois’ families and entrepreneurs to succeed. And...
By Benjamin VanMetre
Blagojevich hits one-year mark in prison – has anything changed?
Blagojevich hits one-year mark in prison – has anything changed?
March 15, the ides of March, is the one-year anniversary of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich heading to prison. At the time of his conviction Illinois Policy Institute CEO John Tillman hailed the Blagojevich verdict as an opportunity to end an era of corruption in Illinois. “This trial represented what is the absolute worst of...
By Brian Costin
38 Illinois agencies recognized for Sunshine Week
38 Illinois agencies recognized for Sunshine Week
Illinois has a serious corruption problem. Illinois is ranked as the third-most corrupt state in the country. When it comes to fighting corruption, proactive online transparency is one of the greatest tools a local government agency can implement. It’s also an essential tool to educate and engage citizens to participate fully in the democratic process. During Sunshine Week...
By Brian Costin
SEC charges Illinois with securities fraud
SEC charges Illinois with securities fraud
[updated 3.15.13] Illinois politicians are not honest about the depth of the state’s pension crisis. They chronically understate the scale of the problem to taxpayers and state workers. According to the federal Securities and Exchange Commission, the state has misled investors as well. Today the SEC announced it was charging Illinois with securities fraud. From a...
By Ted Dabrowski
Collective bargaining transparency bill HB 2689 shot down in House Committee
Collective bargaining transparency bill HB 2689 shot down in House Committee
Yesterday a bill that would allow the public to see union contracts and comment on them before they are signed stalled in committee, becoming yet another victim of pressure from union officials who want to keep the public in the dark about the deals they make. The bill actually had both supporters and opponents from...
By Paul Kersey
Illinois Senate Republicans rebut Madigan’s ‘free lunch’ claim
Illinois Senate Republicans rebut Madigan’s ‘free lunch’ claim
In response to Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s claims that downstate school districts are getting a “free lunch” when it comes to teachers’ pensions, Illinois Senate Republicans released a newreport Tuesday outlining the disproportionate share of education funding Chicago receives. Here’s its main point: The net result of [school funding in Illinois] is a significant budget...
Voting board members given 30 minutes to analyze Hinsdale teachers’ contract
Voting board members given 30 minutes to analyze Hinsdale teachers’ contract
In January, I wrote about my ordeal in obtaining my local school district’s collective bargaining agreement. The public, including taxpayers like me, wasn’t allowed to examine the new teachers’ contract until 38 days after the contract was approved by the board. Once I finally got ahold of the contract I found out the teacher salary raises were...
By Brian Costin
New details of AFSCME contract emerge, painting a troubling picture of overly generous benefits
New details of AFSCME contract emerge, painting a troubling picture of overly generous benefits
The more you know about the recent contract between the state and Council 31 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the less there is to like. While the final contract itself remains out of public view, a description put together by AFSCME for its members reveals troubling details. It appears that...
By Paul Kersey