NO. 185 • NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2018 ILLINOIS COUNCIL 31 AMERICAN FEDERATION OF STATE, COUNTY AND MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES - AFL-CIO MOVE PAID AFSCME U.S. Postage U.S. Non-Profit Org Council 31 Ave. Solidarity 21st Floor 205 N. Michigan 205 N. Michigan Chicago, IL 60601 Chicago, AFSCME Wins Voters Reject Rauner’s Anti-Union Agenda BIG WINS ON AFSCME MEMBERS AFSCME, WORKING ELECTION DAY STANDING STRONG FAMILIES PREVAIL PAGE 3 PAGE 5 PAGE 8-9 2 On the Move November-December 2018 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT On The MOVE AFSCME Illinois On the Move is Rauner’s loss is published six times annually by Illinois Public Employees Council 31 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal workers’ win Employees, AFL-CIO. Send correspondence to: [email protected] or: A 15-point trouncing is a rejection AFSCME, On the Move, 205 N. Michigan Ave., of his anti-union agenda 21st Floor, Chicago, IL 60601 Roberta Lynch, Executive Director Mike Newman, Deputy Director Nell McNamara, Editor Tom Greensfelder, Designer COUNCIL 31 EXECUTIVE hen an incumbent governor loses by 15 points—something BOARD OFFICERS that hasn’t happened in Illinois since 1948—voters are Executive Director doing more than picking a candidate. They are choosing Roberta Lynch State Sector Executive W Vice-President sides. That’s why Bruce Rauner’s 54-39 trouncing means more than the loss of an election. Paired with the rout of his hand-picked Ralph Portwood, Local 1866 Private Sector Executive candidates and legislative enablers, the results were an emphatic Vice-President rejection of Rauner’s anti-union agenda and his four years of attacks Yolanda Woods, Local 2481 on working people. University Executive Vice-President Ellen Larrimore, Local 1989 BY Local Government Executive Rauner’s mission was to thousands of AFSCME mem- nois voters overwhelmingly Vice-President ROBERTA LYNCH weaken unions and render bers since 2011. repudiated Rauner and his John Rayburn, Local 1215 workers defenseless. His There’s no doubt that mean-spirited anti-worker Secretary models were Wisconsin and these have been the most agenda. They rejected candi- Dave Delrose, Local 1028 Michigan, where governors difficult four years many dates willing to do Rauner’s Treasurer stripped workers’ rights, then AFSCME members have faced bidding and divide our state, David Morris, Local 805 RAUNER AND slashed wages, health benefits on the job. Rauner’s strategy opting instead for leaders and workplace protections. was to belittle public employ- who want to move Illinois BOARD MEMBERS HIS CRONIES Rauner’s chief target ees in the press, starve us of forward together. Our neigh- State Conference Board THOUGHT was the public sector, and resources needed to do our bors in Wisconsin joined Co-Chairs because more than 35,000 jobs, and to act unilaterally– us in demanding an end to Gary Ciaccio, Local 29 WE WOULD AFSCME members in state and illegally—to drive down division and chaos by taking Kathy Lane, Local 448 government were his employ- our incomes. down Rauner’s hero, Gover- Tim Worker, Local 993 CRUMBLE. WE ees, his sights were set first We never wavered, and nor Scott Walker. PROVED THEM on our union. for that, every AFSCME Yet even as we celebrate, REGION I VICE-PRESIDENTS But today, after Illinois member has reason to be we know the way forward Phil Cisneros, Local 3969 WRONG. voters delivered Rauner’s proud. Where Rauner and won’t be easy. There are con- Safiya Felters, Local 2854 pink slip, AFSCME is still his cronies thought we would tracts to negotiate, pension Lloyd Marshall, Local 3477 here and standing strong. crumble, we summoned every underfunding to address, and Stephen Mittons, Local 2081 An outcome like this ounce of our solidarity, grit a lingering budgetary crisis, Kobie Robinson, Local 3835 doesn’t just happen, of and persistence to prove the hangover from Rauner’s Crosby Smith, Local 2645 course. For AFSCME mem- them wrong. years of mismanagement in bers and our allies, it’s the Those battles weren’t the form of billions of dollars REGION II VICE-PRESIDENTS result of four years of stand- easy—and some aren’t over of late fees and unpaid bills. Terry Boone, Local 672 ing together, fighting and yet. Rauner’s illegal freeze on And our enemies like the Garry Cacciapaglia, Local 1058 winning, time and again. step progression has thou- Illinois Policy Institute aren’t Carlene Erno, Local 2615 We fought off Rauner’s sands of state workers and going anywhere. They’ll con- Tom Opolony, Local 89 attempts to strip collective their families falling behind. tinue to try to score political Yurvette Simmons, Local 3237 bargaining rights from all Our jobs, often demanding points by blaming unions and Miguel Vazquez, Local 3297 public employees in Illinois, and even dangerous, are that union members for whatever no matter if they worked for much more difficult due to ails our state. REGION III VICE-PRESIDENTS state or local government, his inattention to the oper- As we go forward, we Shaun Dawson, Local 2073 school districts or universi- ations of state government have good reason to believe Lori Gladson, Local 51 ties. We turned back continu- and his constant media that JB Pritzker, Juliana Steve Howerter, Local 3585 ing attacks on pensions. attacks. Stratton and the strong leg- Melanie Hoyle, Local 2600 State employees stood And we have to keep islative majorities we helped Matt Lukow, Local 1964 strong in our fight for a fair rising up in the aftermath of to elect will be the opposites Trudy Williams, Local 3433 contract, even through an the Janus case that Rauner of Bruce Rauner and his fol- unprecedented and powerful filed and backed all the way lowers. We will no doubt have REGION IV VICE-PRESIDENTS strike authorization vote, to the US Supreme Court. our differences, but we can Jerry Grammer, Local 1175 staving off Rauner’s phony Despite that profound polit- expect them to respect our Tad Hawk, Local 1805 claim of impasse and his ical assault meant to weaken rights, value our work, and Chris Milton, Local 799 scheme to impose massive and divide us, through the work with us in good faith. Cary Quick, Local 141 hikes in health care costs and AFSCME Strong program of Most importantly, we unfettered privatization of signing up former fee-payers have the knowledge that we TRUSTEES our jobs. We repeatedly chal- in every worksite, we actually came through the Rauner Tom Brown, Local 3654 lenged him on picket lines, in have more dues-paying mem- years together, stronger than Jeffrey Reighter, II, Local 2856 the media and in the courts, bers today than we did before ever, with a renewed sense of Tamara Rietman, Local 3693 and we beat him in every the Janus decision. unity and determination that legal battle. As we move forward will serve us well as we meet RETIREE CHAPTER 31 REPRESENTATIVE In the midst of all that, now, we do so knowing that the challenges to come. we secured legislative approv- Rauner’s anti-union crusade Larry Brown al for the back pay owed to was a massive failure. Illi- November-December 2018 On the Move 3 Voters reject Rauner, slam door on anti-worker agenda overnor Bruce Rauner’s 54-39 re-election loss to challenger JB GPritzker rightfully took up the headlines, ending Rauner’s one-term tenure with a resounding defeat. But just as importantly, pro-worker candidates swept the other statewide offices and expanded their legislative majorities. “Illinois voters did more on Villa, Mark Walker, Terra Costa Election Day than defeat Bruce Howard, Joyce Mason, Jennifer Rauner and end his four years Gong-Gershowitz, Diane Pap- of conflict and failure,” AFSCME pas, Bob Morgan, Daniel Didec Council 31 Executive Director and Anna Stava-Murray also Roberta Lynch said. “Voters prevailed. Mary Edly-Allen’s across the state came together and Maggie Trevor’s races were to support working people and too close to call at printing. to repudiate not just Rauner At the county level, personally but his mean-spirited, AFSCME-endorsed candidate anti-worker, anti-union agenda Kevin B. Morrison pulled off a up and down the ballot.” remarkable upset in Cook. He “This victory is overwhelm- knocked out Tim Schneider, ing. I’m so excited and proud,” chairman of Bruce Rauner’s said Don Wanack, president of state Republican Party. Several AFSCME Local 943 at Pinck- union-backed candidates won neyville Correctional Center and in Champaign, Lake (flipped to one of AFSCME’s most dedicated Democratic control for the first volunteers. time), Will and DuPage coun- “We had this humongous ties, and many more statewide. struggle, but every time it looked Nine AFSCME members bleak, we withstood it. We’ve and retirees ran for local and endured the fight of our lifetime. state offices. Jay Ferraro (retiree), Rauner wasn’t able to do to us Beth Musser (Local 3323), Carlos what Scott Walker did to workers Acosta (Local 2833), Michele in Wisconsin. We need to rec- Hansen (Local 3693), Danny ognize the power we have as a Williams (Local 29) and Charlene union. We’ve got so much to look Eads (Local 29) ran for coun- forward to.” ty-level positions. Amy Davis AFSCME-recommended (retiree), Carolyn Blodgett (Local candidates Kwame Raoul (Attor- 51) and Gregg Johnson (retiree) ney General), Susana Mendoza made a bid for seats in the Gen- (Comptroller), Jesse White eral Assembly. Acosta won his (Secretary of State) and Michael race. While the others fell short of Frerichs (Treasurer) won the election, their efforts put work- other constitutional offices. ing-family issues on the agenda. Top: AFSCME members celebrate GOTV efforts with JB Pritzker.