The latest round of bargaining took place today with the county giving us a history lesson of sorts. They reminded us that the economy has been bad, and because of the turmoil with unemployment we should seriously accept their economic deal currently on the table. Or else they will impose their own will with layoffs and cutbacks.
The chief negotiator for the county also reminded us subtlety that he also bargains for the CTA, and we all see what they’ve been doing lately. Demanding concessions from the union that have been previously won in other contracts! At issue once again is health care, with the county rolling out a plan that would cost everyone more. If we would even consider accepting the county deal, it would cost us the proposed raise(s) and then some more! But that’s what the economy is dictating! Pain and suffering for all. That’s the American way! We’re not doing our part! We won’t settle to be like everyone else!
President Stroger has been AWOL and the county board is passing nothing, except monies which we don’t have to preserve a building that will need to be completely gutted on the inside for doctor’s office space. The county negotiators have no authority to make a deal. Attempts to reach out to candidate Preckwinkle have been fruitless. No labor peace is in sight. It appears the county is just fine with that at this time.
Today’s bargaining session resembled a session of congress. The county side were the republicans, and all they said was ‘no’. The longer this contract stalemate goes on, the more arrogant the county is getting. Even faced with a ruling against them by the Labor Board for not negotiating in good faith, they won’t offer counter proposals to get serious discussion on the issues of wages and health care! By delaying a new contract, they save money. And if the county is serious about cutting the workforce in 2011, there will be fewer employees that they have to give raises to.
Today is March 3rd. The new county president takes office on December 1st. At this rate, we’ll be waiting to see what President Preckwinkle brings to the table! It’s gonna be a long, hot summer friends!
(From the Chicago Tribune…)
Commissioners today approved a $108 million plan to renovate the former Cook County Hospital, an architecturally significant building frequently featured on the popular television series “ER.”
The County Board’s plan calls for converting convert the historic Beaux-Arts structure on the Near West Side into an office complex for the public Health and Hospitals System.
About $24 million of the tab would come from a special Chicago taxing district.
“It’s a great idea for the re-use, but who is going to pay for it?” he asked. “They have to show this brings something that’s of overwhelming benefit to the community and, by community, I mean not just the ward but the entire city.”
The plan, drafted for the county by Jones Lang LaSalle consultants, envisions a three-year rehabilitation effort that would commence upon the City Council’s approval of the special taxing district money, Washington said.
To launch the rehab effort, the county will need to set aside about $5 million to hire various consultants, including architects, Washington said. Bonds would be issued to pay for the overall project, he said.
The old hospital, replaced in late 2002 by the newly built Stroger Hospital, opened in 1914. It was initially slated for demolition, but preservation groups opposed that plan and convinced county commissioners to save the structure.
“Cook County Hospital is a landmark in every sense of the word,” said James Peters, president of Landmarks Illinois, which in 2001 placed the old hospital on its list of the 10 Most Endangered Historic Places. “Cook County Hospital is important for both architecture and history. It’s that rare landmark.
“It’s one of the best examples in the city, if not the Midwest or the country, of Beaux-Arts classical architecture. It’s also a pre-eminent building in development of medical history, both in Chicago and in the United States.”
Check out the link on the right for news about Unions in Chicago!
ChicagoUnionNews, a just-launched free online publication providing news and commentary about — and of importance to — Chicago-area unions and their members.
So why are we here, and why now?
Pretty simple, really.
There are hundreds of thousands of union members in the Chicago region — from pipefitters to police, teachers to truckers — yet mainstream press coverage of organized labor is pretty haphazard.
And what better time to start up a site like this. Given the sorry state of the economy — and the pro-union bent of many leaders on the national political stage — the labor movement is at an historic juncture.
This publication aims to consolidate stories being reported in other media outlets — and offer original content that’s timely, relevant and interesting.
Use the link on the right or go to www.chicagounionnews.com.
It’s February. You know what that means. A Lawrence Msall sighting! Yes, just like ground hog day when Punxsutawney Phil proverbially appears from his hutch to predict the spring forecast, Lawrence Msall appears each February to complain about public sector employees and the millions of dollars of taxpayer monies that could be saved if we (public sector employees) just gave back a little more and were just like private sector employees-but without the pay!
Usually Mr. Msall is complaining before the county board about how Cook County is being robbed yet again by its employees, but the county budget was passed in November 2009 with little or no fanfare, so Mr. Msall has packed up his show and gone southwest. All the way to Springfield to spread his happiness, and he has taken the media along with him!
The Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago’s UNIONIZED newspaper, is writing a series of articles and editorials detailing the state’s monetary woes, and the Civic Federation’s suggestions on how to fix them. The Civic Federation has constantly rallied against taxes in Cook County to support employees and programs, but now is in favor of raising taxes across-the-board? They would like to see the state raise the state income taxes, add a new social security tax, add new ’sin’ taxes and end corporate tax breaks. What? No raising the gas tax and license plate fees again?
“It’s doomsday for the State of Illinois.” We need to raise revenues and break the unions. Yep, those lousy union workers are the problem in Illinois. They’re greedy. All they do is take, take, take. This is the new Chicago way of dealing with the unions. Deem the union the enemy and wage war in the media, much like what’s going on with the CTA.The stalemate in Springfield between Madigan and Cross has nothing to do with this financial mess. Oh wait, it’s an election year! Need to keep legislative jobs is more important than keeping the state from going broke!
AFSCME Council 31 has come out against any more givebacks statewide. Our state employees have already made concessions in their contracts and will not give up anymore. Cook County is going down this road, slowly now, but we’re on this road. When President Preckwinkle takes office in November, the remaining .5 of 1% sales tax will be history and the county will be further in debt than the projected 200 million for 2011. Then what?
If the state is looking at increased income taxes and sin taxes, where’s the only place left to generate much revenues? All homeowners should be quaking in their boots. We can’t have an increased sales tax in Cook County because of our neighboring counties and states are lower. Everyone pays sales taxes for goods and services, but let’s go after the working class and even worse, those who have earned their retirement after long years of work! Sounds like a Civic Federation idea! Penalize the working class!
This is just the beginning of the tax season. Get ready to feel the pain.
To read more and to follow the continuing series, go to www.suntimes.com/news/maxedout.
(From the Chicago Tribune…)
House panel approves good time credit crackdown for state criminals
Criminals would no longer qualify for good time credit before setting foot in state prison under legislation a House committee approved Friday.
The measure is a response to Gov. Pat Quinn’s botched early release program that ended after reports surfaced that some criminals who got out were arrested for new offenses. It became a major issue in the final month of the Democratic governor primary campaign between Quinn and Comptroller Dan Hynes.
The proposal would eliminate prison officials’ authority to award credit to inmates before they begin their terms.
“A lot of these guys are ending up right back into custody anyway,” Reboletti said.
The latest measure complements a law Quinn signed last month that requires prisoners to serve at least 60 days in state custody before they become eligible for good conduct credit.
The measure now goes to the full House, but Reboletti said he will not push for a vote until the Illinois Department of Corrections is fully on board with the plan. Representatives at the committee today said housing inmates for longer periods of time could be problematic for the cash-strapped prisons.
“You’ll need more bed space and there will be a cost,” Reboletti said. “But again, I think the number one priority of Illinois is public safety.”
The bill would not eliminate prisoners’ ability to collect good time credit for their time served in county jails or their involvement in substance abuse classes and earned college credit while imprisoned.
(From the Chicago Tribune…)
No state has done worse than Illinois in setting aside funds to pay the pension and health care benefits promised to retirees in public sector jobs, according to a study released today by the Pew Center for the States.
That dubious distinction bestowed by the non-partisan Washington-based think tank weighs heavily over Illinois’s current budget mess that has left Gov. Pat Quinn and lawmakers with a coming record $13 billion deficit in the state’s main checkbook to try and close by summer.
The Pew report found that states collectively are $1 trillion in arrears in setting aside funds to cover pension and health care promises to current and future retirees — and nearly one-tenth of that total was from Illinois alone.
“The growing bill coming due could have significant consequences — higher taxes, less money for public services and lower state bond ratings,” warned Susan Urahn, the Pew Center’s managing director.
That day of reckoning appears fast approaching. The state’s bond ratings already are crashing and pension costs, if fully met, could top $5 billion next year — nearly one-fifth what the state is spending to fund day to day operations in the current fiscal year.
The Pew report found that as of the mid-2008, Illinois had funded just 54 percent of what was then a $119 billion obligation to its public employee pension funds. And that may understate the problem. A more recent estimate from the legislature’s bipartisan fiscal watchdog agency pegged the funding ration at a hair under 50 percent by the end of last June.
Pew also said that Illinois had set aside less than 1 percent of the funds it need to pay for $40 billion in health care and other benefits promised public sector retirees.
Despite the recession, Urahn said Illinois and other states with huge pension and health care debts will only make the situation worse by not addressing it now.
“The future fiscal burden will be enormous,” she said. “Postponing a solution will only leave states and their taxpayers in worse shape and lead to higher taxes or cuts in important services.”
This IS exactly why we don’t want the State to take over our pension funds! But, Cook County had to take out a loan to reimburse our pension fund, as previously reported!
(From the Chicago Tribune…)
Heroin dealers would face tougher penalties under legislation the Illinois House approved today.
The minimum sentence for possessing five grams of heroin with the intent to sell would jump from four years to six years under the measure. Right now, heroin dealers face the longer sentence if they’re convicted of having 15 grams or more.
Reboletti said the increasing popularity of the drug in the Chicago suburbs led him to take on the bill.
“These drug dealers are poisoning the community,” said Reboletti, a former prosecutor. “They’re making huge profits.”
Democrats protested the proposal loudest on the House floor today, saying the bill would only fill up prisons. Rep. Eddie Washington, D-Waukegan, said the proposal is shortsighted, failing to offer solutions for drug abuse like increased job availability and access to treatment.
“I am not for putting more people in American jails,” Washington said. “The statistics that I get must be different from yours saying that it costs more to incarcerate than educate.”
The measure passed 68-40 and now heads to the Senate for consideration.
Cook County no slouch when it comes to political corruption, report says
(From the Chicago Tribune and The University of Illinois at Chicago)
Some one has been doing their homework! Just like watching a Channel 11 documentary!
Chicago city government is infamous for corruption, but Cook County’s no slouch when it comes to graft and other malfeasance, concludes a report issued today by university researchers and government watchdogs.
Nearly 150 county politicians, employees and contractors have been convicted on corruption charges since 1957, according to the report released this morning by the University of Illinois at Chicago political science department and the Better Government Association. You can read the report here.
“This is Cook County’s corruption catalog,” said Andy Shaw, the BGA’s executive director and a former TV political reporter. “This is a perfect storm moment for reform in Illinois.”
In her recent victory for the Democratic Cook County Board president nomination, Ald. Toni Preckwinkle, 4th, received scores of contributions greater than that amount, including $150,000 from the local branch of the Service Employees International Union.
Also recommended is a ban on the “solicitation of gifts from any government employee for their supervisors or superiors” — a response to a Tribune report on Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown’s practice of accepting thousands of dollars of cash gifts from her employees, said Professor Dick Simpson, a former alderman and one of the report’s authors.
Brown pledged to stop accepting birthday and Christmas gifts from employees after the Tribune asked her about it.
Another recommendation is to prohibit elected officials, supervisors or employees from collecting or holding cash from county employees — a response to several media reports on Brown requiring $2 or $3 contributions to wear jeans on specified days.
White House Presses Anthem Blue Cross on Rate Hike
California’s Largest Health Insurer Defends Premium Increases of Up to 39 Percent
(From ABC News…In case you missed this story!)
The Obama administration is demanding answers from California’s largest insurance firm, Anthem Blue Cross, about why the company is suddenly raising premiums on some customers by up to 39 percent; more than 10 times the rate of inflation.
Nearly a million Californians with individual insurance plans have received letters from the company notifying them of the rate hike, which, some customers said, makes their insurance unaffordable.
“I really can’t afford to spend $9,000 a year on health insurance,” San Francisco attorney Pamela Fasick said of her policy premiums scheduled to increase 28 percent March 1.
“I would hate to give up insurance at this point in my life, but I wouldn’t be able to pay that money out of my income without going into debt,” she said.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has insisted that the company justify the rate increase in detail to her agency. “We need to make sure that companies are spending their money on health claims, not on overhead costs,” she said.
Anthem Blue Cross’s parent company, Wellpoint Inc., earned a record $2.7 billion in profits for the last quarter of 2009. Its quarterly sales grew to $19 billion, up 26 percent from $15.1 billion in the comparable 2008 period, Sebelius pointed out.
The U.S. Health and Human Services Department and the California are investigating the rate increase, although their ability to reverse the company’s decision is unclear.
In a statement, Anthem Blue Cross attributed the increased premiums to a bad economy and rising health care costs, forcing members to drop coverage, which “leaves fewer people, often with significantly greater medical needs, in the insured pool.”
“People are scared to death,” said Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif. “They’re losing their jobs, they know they’re going to lose their group plans. … they’re nervous and they’re upset.”
The news comes on the heels of a new government estimate that health care consumed a record 17.3 percent of all spending in the U.S. economy last year.
It’s also not clear whether customers in other states are being affected. Employer-based insurance and group policies will likely see 10 to 20 percent increases in the next year, said health industry consultant Robert Laszewski.
Indianapolis-based WellPoint is the largest commercial health insurer based on membership. It operates Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in 14 states and Unicare plans in several others.
And you still can’t have your doctor or specialist in the HMO! No wonder why they’re lobbying to defeat Universal Health Care? They have 19 billion reasons why! And now we learn that in principle, WE DID HAVE ONLY ONE INSURER!
(From Associated Press…)
Senate Democrats on Tuesday failed to push through President Barack Obama’s choice of a union lawyer to serve on the National Labor Relations Board after two of their own joined Republicans to block the nomination.
By a 52-33 vote, Democrats fell far short of the 60 needed to overcome a GOP filibuster of the nomination of Craig Becker.
The vote is a setback for organized labor, which was counting on a strong pro-union voice on the agency that oversees union elections and referees labor-management disputes.
It’s also a blow to the NLRB, which has postponed hundreds of cases for more than two years while political wrangling has stalled nominations to fill three vacancies on the five-member board.
Republicans have held up Becker’s confirmation for months, saying they fear he would circumvent Congress to make labor laws more union-friendly.
But the task for Democratic leaders turned more difficult when two Democrats — Sen. Ben Nelson, of Nebraska, and Sen. Blanche Lincoln, of Arkansas — joined Republicans in opposing Becker. Both have come under intense pressure from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups to oppose the nominee.
“Mr. Becker’s previous statements strongly indicate that he would take an aggressive personal agenda to the NLRB, and that he would pursue a personal agenda there, rather than that of the administration,” Nelson said in a statement.
Democrats had tried to push Becker through before Republican Scott Brown of Massachusetts came into office and took away Democrats’ 60 vote supermajority. Brown voted against Becker.
Becker, a lawyer for the AFL-CIO and the Service Employees International Union, has spoken favorably on “card check” legislation that would take away the right of employers to demand secret ballot union representation elections. Some of his legal writings suggest that its goals could be accomplished by the NLRB without Congress having to pass the legislation.