Rauner Blast Unions Ahead Of State Of The State Speech
By Chuck Sudo in News on Feb 3, 2015 3:40PM
Gov. Bruce Rauner is wasting no time taking a belligerent stance against labor unions as he prepares for his first State of the State speech Wednesday. Rauner, who has blamed collective bargaining agreements with labor for much of Illinois’ economic woes, sent a memo to state legislators asking them to look at laws banning federal workers from striking and from bargaining for salary, benefits and pensions.
Rauner cited the federal statutes as examples of the "common-sense bipartisan reform” he wants to see in Illinois. How are the rules bipartisan? They were introduced under the Carter administration and later ratified by Ronald Reagan, who famously fired over 11,000 air traffic controllers in 1981 after they walked out on their jobs seeking higher wages and a shorter work week.
In the memo, Rauner noted the disparities between what state employees earn and their public sector counterparts. An example: a barber in the state prison system can earn up to $72,000 a year, while a barber in a barbershop averages $49,000. (A former barber in the prison system told Sun-Times columnist Mark Brown five years ago that public sector barbers don’t have to deal with the threats to their safety as prison employees.)
The release of the memo resulted in criticism from labor unions. The sharpest barbs came from Chicago Teachers Union president Karen Lewis, who called Rauner “(Wisconsin Gov.) Scott Walker on steroids.”
"Bruce Rauner ran on a platform about nothing," Lewis said Monday at a City Club of Chicago luncheon. "He's wasted no time attacking the wages of working-class people, attacking their labor unions and threatening massive cuts to social service programs, which help the most vulnerable people in our state."That is the real Bruce Rauner. He's not some easygoing, blue-jeans-wearing, $20-dollar-watch-having good guy who's coming to save the day. He is (Wisconsin Gov.) Scott Walker on steroids."
It’s worth noting there’s been a fair amount of “do as I say, not as I do” from Rauner regarding wages since he took office. The governor defended offering higher salaries to people who join his administration, claiming it was necessary to attract top talent for positions where they were underpaid under Gov. Pat Quinn. Rauner’s salary increased an average of 36 percent and ranged as high as 94 percent, in some instances.