Posts tagged Illinois
Illinois House speaker, unions push millionaire’s tax as lawmakers return
January 21, 2026 // Activists and union leaders held a virtual “Tax the Rich” press briefing on Thursday. Chicago Teachers Union and Illinois Federation of Teachers President Stacy Davis Gates said it is no longer good enough for Democrats to offer a tweet or a press conference. “It is enough that working people get united across this country and demand that statehouses like ours in Springfield make billionaires pay their fair share,” Gates said.
Chicago Public Schools spends a lot on empty desks
January 14, 2026 // CPS can do little to solve the problem as long as the Chicago Teachers Union forces it to keep these nearly empty schools open. CTU’s contract dictates the district not close schools, preferring high costs to house a few students to efficient use of resources and taxes that could better educate the children at those empty schools. While CPS enrollment continues to decline, taxpayers are on the hook for larger and larger district budgets each year to educate fewer and fewer students. Property taxes just jumped $25 million and rose 62% in 15 years thanks to the district’s ballooning spending.
Commentary: Right-to-Work States Dominate U-Haul Growth Index
January 12, 2026 // Among the top ten growth states in the U-Haul index, nine have a Right-to-Work law that protects workers from being forced to pay dues to union bosses as a condition of employment. -Among the bottom ten states in the U-Haul index, NONE has a Right-to-Work law. All are forced unionism states. -Of the 25 top ranked cities in the U-Haul Growth Index, 24 are located in Right-to-Work states. The 10 best ranked states in the U-Haul Growth Index are Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, Washington, Arizona, Idaho, Alabama and Georgia. All are Right-to-Work except Washington.
Illinois State University Student Support Professionals File for Unionization with UPI Amid Concerns Over Work Conditions
December 30, 2025 // The unionization effort, if certified by the IELRB, will empower them to formally bargain for their first contract with ISU's administration, striving for equitable remuneration and improved working conditions.
Report: Government unions spent $915 million on politics in 2024
December 17, 2025 // The Commonwealth Foundation’s most recent report found the top four public sector unions: the National Education Association, American Federation of Teachers, Service Employees International Union and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees spent over $915 million on politics during the 2023-2024 cycle. The unions spent $755 million on federal elections and policies while their state affiliates spent $160 million on state races and policies.
Union activity at Chicago Botanic Garden heats up
December 11, 2025 // She also wrote that the garden respects employees’ rights “to support, or not support” union representation, but the nonprofit organization disagrees with the suggestion for “card check neutrality” and issued support for a secret-ballot process. “Federal labor law establishes a process for employees to exercise their rights by making their choice for or against representation in a secret ballot election administered and supervised by the National Labor Relations Board,” Franczyk wrote. “Embracing ‘card check neutrality’ would eliminate the opportunity for employees to vote in a secret election.”
‘Fracture’ in Chicago’s labor world complicates Mayor Brandon Johnson’s third budget fight
November 25, 2025 // That’s the signature hue of the Service Employees International Union, whose local affiliates were Johnson’s second-biggest labor backer in his 2023 election. Instead, the self-styled “most pro-worker mayor” in Chicago’s history has only seen one union vociferously cheer his $16.6 billion proposal, despite his hard line against layoffs: the red-shirted Chicago Teachers Union. It’s a sign of the times after a “fissure” between the once-close SEIU and CTU has grown into a full-blown “fracture,” said Ald. Desmon Yancy, a freshman progressive who previously served in SEIU leadership.
Federal probe demands Chicago Teachers Union explain missing financial audits since 2020
November 24, 2025 // The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) is under investigation by the House Education and Workforce Committee for allegedly failing to show how it has spent union members’ money over the past five years, according to a letter obtained by Fox News Digital. The committee sent a letter to CTU President Stacy Davis Gates stating that evidence suggests the union failed to provide members with complete financial audits since 2020. "When unions flout these obligations, they betray the trust of the very people they are meant to serve … Every dollar paid by workers should serve their interests, not those of a select few operating in the shadows," the letter said.
MAXFORD NELSEN: The Other Education Choice: Freeing Teachers from Monopolistic Unions
November 17, 2025 // Public-sector collective bargaining tends to crowd out the interests of students, families, and taxpayers in education policymaking, but teachers unions’ power comes from subjecting teachers to a monopoly system of workplace restrictions. While individual educators now have the legal right to forgo union membership, state policymakers have many opportunities to improve educators’ ability to exercise that right. To level the playing field and increase teachers unions’ accountability to the public and their own members, policymakers should consider reforming or replacing collective bargaining in public education.
RADIO: Vincent Vernuccio- Pro-Worker Labor Legislation That Promotes Worker Freedom
November 17, 2025 // Senator Bill Cassidy announced a swath of pro-worker labor legislation that promotes worker freedom and curbs undue influence and abuse by unions