NO. 195 • SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2020 ILLINOIS COUNCIL 31 AMERICAN FEDERATION OF STATE, COUNTY ON THE AND MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES - AFL-CIO VOTE!MOVE OUR FUTURE IS UP TO US PAID AFSCME U.S. Postage U.S. Non-Profit Org Council 31 Ave. 21st Floor 205 N. Michigan 205 N. Michigan Chicago, IL 60601 Chicago, AFSCME THE NEW BACK-TO- AFSCME 2020 VOTING SAFETY IN STATE SCHOOL PAGES 5 & 14 GUIDE PAGES 8-9 PRISONS PAGES 10-11 2 On the Move September-October 2020 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT ON THE MOVE AFSCME Illinois On the Move is published six times annually by Illinois Public Employees Council 31 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Tax fairness is Employees, AFL-CIO. Send correspondence to: [email protected] or: AFSCME, On the Move, in our hands 205 N. Michigan Ave., 21st Floor, Chicago, IL 60601 Fair tax vote culminates years of groundwork Roberta Lynch, Executive Director Mike Newman, Deputy Director Nell McNamara, Editor Tom Greensfelder, Designer COUNCIL 31 EXECUTIVE BY ROBERTA BOARD OFFICERS nate them. And they definitely LYNCH don’t want to see the super-rich Executive Director o fully understand the critical importance pay their fair share in taxes. Roberta Lynch of the Fair Tax fight we’re in right now, it’s These opposition forces State Sector Executive don’t have good arguments Vice-President necessary to recall some recent history. A to win voters to their side, so Ralph Portwood, Local 1866 T they’re dead-set on confus- WHY SHOULD decade ago, AFSCME joined with other Illinois Private Sector Executive labor unions and advocacy groups to form the ing voters about what fair tax Vice-President MIDDLE CLASS reform will do. It’s up to every Yolanda Woods, Local 2481 Responsible Budget Coalition. We aimed to one of us to make sure they Local Government Executive don’t get away with it. FAMILIES PAY restructure the Illinois tax system, making it fairer Vice-President The facing page includes John Rayburn, Local 1215 TAXES LIKE for working people while stabilizing the state’s everything you need to know finances. about the Fair Tax amendment. Secretary MILLIONAIRES? Here’s what it will do: Dave Delrose, Local 1028 For years we’d seen state In 2013 our efforts became • Begin to fix the broken sys- Treasurer government grapple with A Better Illinois, a grassroots tem now in place, where David Morris, Local 805 employee layoffs, program movement to convince leg- working people pay nearly cutbacks, and facility closures. islators to put the Fair Tax double what the wealthiest BOARD MEMBERS Illinois ranked near the bottom amendment on the 2014 ballot. 1% pays in state and local State Conference Board in the nation in state funding Instead, that election gave us taxes as a share of income. Co-Chairs for K-12 education. Aid to local a governor whose hostage-tak- • Make sure the richest Melanie Hoyle, Local 2600 governments was cut, while ing tactics only deepened the top 3% start paying their Kathy Lane, Local 448 state universities were forced budget crisis: Billionaire Bruce fair share on income over Tim Worker, Local 993 to raise tuition. Rauner refused to sign a state $250,000 a year. Clearly Illinois had a struc- spending plan unless the Gen- • Raise revenue to invest in REGION I VICE-PRESIDENTS tural deficit, meaning that eral Assembly complied with schools, health care, jobs and Phil Cisneros, Local 3969 revenues weren’t sufficient to his demands to strip public other important priorities in Safiya Felters, Local 2854 sustain the spending required employees of our right to col- every part of the state. Lloyd Marshall, Local 3477 to meet the needs of Illinois lective bargaining. And here’s what it won’t Stephen Mittons, Local 2081 residents. But the Constitution Rauner tried desperately to do, no matter what the opposi- Kobie Robinson, Local 3835 required raising taxes on every- drive down the wages of state tion’s misleading scare tactics Crosby Smith, Local 2645 one at the same rate—not just employees, eliminate public might say: those who could afford it. So all employee pensions, privatize • Does not tax retirement REGION II VICE-PRESIDENTS too often, the state dealt with public services and education income. Illinois is one of budget shortfalls by shorting and eliminate unions. He had three states that does not Terry Boone, Local 672 its payments to employee pen- the backing of a crowd of super- tax retirement income, and Garry Cacciapaglia, Local 1058 sion funds. rich honchos—most notably the amendment’s adoption Tom Opolony, Local 89 Something had to be done, billionaire Ken Griffin—and the would not change that. Yurvette Simmons, Local 3237 and the solution seemed obvi- anti-worker Illinois Policy Insti- • Does not affect consti- Carlene VanDyke, Local 2615 ous. Illinois is one of only a tute that they funded. tutional protection of Miguel Vazquez, Local 3297 handful of states in which the It took an unrelenting pensions. wealthy don’t pay their fair four-year battle led by our • Does not give legislators REGION III VICE-PRESIDENTS share. The federal government union to fight off Bruce Raun- any more power to increase Shaun Dawson, Local 2073 and 35 states have graduated er’s assaults. In 2018 we were taxes than they already have. Jeffrey Reighter, II, Local 2856 tax systems with higher rates successful in knocking him out They can vote to raise our Trudy Williams, Local 3433 for higher incomes and lower for good, and after JB Pritz- taxes any time currently— rates for lower and moderate ker took office we were able to but they are required to REGION IV VICE-PRESIDENTS incomes. But the Illinois Con- restore the wages Rauner had raise them at the same rate Jerry Grammer, Local 1175 stitution actually bars such a stolen and secure a new state for everyone. The Fair Tax Tad Hawk, Local 1805 fair tax structure. It’s time for contract with expanded bene- gives them the ability to set Cary Quick, Local 141 a change. fits and fair pay increases. higher rates for the higher Why should a house- Now we have the chance to incomes without raising TRUSTEES hold making the state aver- win tax fairness for all working taxes on the rest of us. age income—around $65,000 people with the Fair Tax consti- A basic question in the Cheryl Graham, Local 785 a year—pay taxes like a tutional amendment. But guess labor movement has always Tawny Proulx, Local 172 millionaire? what? The same forces that been, “Which side are you Tamara Rietman, Local 3693 Looking at our neighbors attacked AFSCME members on?” The sides on the Fair Tax showed that Illinois was way and our union, like the Illinois amendment are clear. The RETIREE CHAPTER 31 REPRESENTATIVE out of step. Wisconsin and Policy Institute and Ken Griffin, super-rich crowd say “NO” to Minnesota have five different are now attacking the Fair Tax fairness. Working people say Larry Brown tax rates, or brackets, based on amendment. They don’t want YES to tax fairness, funding income. Kentucky has six brack- to fund public services, jobs and fairness and making our state ets, Missouri nine, Iowa 10. pensions, they want to elimi- better, too. September-October 2020 On the Move 3 Everything you need to know about the FAIR TAX amendment When you vote, the Fair Tax constitutional amendment will be the first item on your ballot—even before the presidential race. Question 1 Constitutional Amendment The proposed amendment grants the State authority to impose higher income tax rates on higher income levels, which is how the federal government and a majority of other states do it. The amendment would remove the portion of the Revenue Article of the Illinois Constitution that is sometimes referred to as the “flat tax,” that requires all taxes on income to be at the same rate. The amendment does not itself change tax rates. It gives the State the ability to VOTE YES impose higher tax rates on those with higher income levels and lower tax rates FOR TAX on those with middle or lower income levels. You are asked to decide whether FAIR the proposed amendment should become a part of the Illinois Constitution. Yes No Set Things Funding Protect Right Fairness Retirement “Under the current tax sys- “We need more funding for Illinois is one of the few tem, middle-class people schools, health care and states that doesn’t tax pay more in total taxes as a jobs in every community. retirement income—not share of their income than The Fair Tax will generate pensions, Social Security wealthy people do. That’s $3 billion from the folks at or anything else—and wrong. I support the Fair Tax amendment to the top—mostly millionaires and billionaires. the Fair Tax amendment protects and main- help set things right.” That’s why I’m voting Yes.” tains that exemption. “The wealthy CEOs are – Terry Boone – Dan Kwiecinski against the Fair Tax because it will make them pay their fair share. They want to come after MAINTENANCE SPECIALIST, EQUIPMENT OPERATOR, EVANSTON retirees instead. We all need to Vote Yes to GENESEO protect our retirement.” Don’t Be – Mary Jones Tax Fooled RETIREE, CHICAGO Fairness “Some special interests are “I’m voting Yes for the Fair making false claims about Tax amendment to make what the Fair Tax will do. The Other the tax system fairer. It will Don’t be fooled! It will only allow taxes to be raised only raise taxes on the wealthy. Side on people who make more If you make under $250,000, your taxes will go Who’s trying to than $250,000 a year.