NO. 184 • AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2018 ILLINOIS COUNCIL 31 AMERICAN FEDERATION OF STATE, COUNTY ON THE AND MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES - AFL-CIO ElectionMOVE 2018 VOTE! AFSCME VOTER’S GUIDE PAGES 8-9 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 YOU can make a difference: AFSCME31.org/Volunteer 2 On the Move August-September 2018 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT On The MOVE Elections don’t win AFSCME Illinois On the Move is published six times annually by Illinois Public Employees Council 31 of the American Federation themselves of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO. Send correspondence to: Sign up now to help defeat Bruce Rauner [email protected] or: AFSCME, On the Move, 205 N. Michigan Ave., 21st Floor, Chicago, IL 60601 Roberta Lynch, Executive Director Mike Newman, Deputy Director Nell McNamara, Editor was recently at my local pharmacy when one of the store Tom Greensfelder, Designer employees came up and introduced himself to me as an AFSCME COUNCIL 31 EXECUTIVE member. What was he doing working at the pharmacy, I BOARD OFFICERS I Executive Director wondered. It turns out he also works for the state Department of Roberta Lynch Human Services and has gone several years without getting any of State Sector Executive Vice-President his promised step increases, so he had to take a second job working Ralph Portwood, Local 1866 evenings and weekends to make ends meet. Private Sector Executive Vice-President Yolanda Woods, Local 2481 That’s Bruce Rauner at work. of them saddled with college record and his tanking polls, University Executive BY A governor who has driven our debt or with young families to Rauner is running for another Vice-President state ever deeper into debt, support. term as governor, pouring his Ellen Larrimore, Local 1989 ROBERTA LYNCH cost Illinois taxpayers a small Bruce Rauner couldn’t immense wealth into the race Local Government Executive fortune in interest payments, care less about the hardships and doing everything he can Vice-President forced nonprofit community they face. He has made it to smear his opponents. With John Rayburn, Local 1215 service agencies to close their his mission to drive down no achievements to run on, Secretary doors or lay off staff, desta- public employee salaries and he’s trying to depress voter Dave Delrose, Local 1028 PRITZKER AND bilized our state universities, benefits. Here’s a millionaire turnout, hoping enough folks Treasurer STRATTON and proven himself stunningly who made his riches in part will be so turned off by all the David Morris, Local 805 ineffective at the basic task of by slashing the care in nurs- negativity he’s spewing that HAVE A managing state government ing homes and polluting the they’ll just stay home on Elec- BOARD MEMBERS operations. environment now fulminating tion Day. STRONG State Conference Board So what exactly has about the modest salaries of JB Pritzker and Juliana Co-Chairs CAMPAIGN, Rauner been doing in the gov- public servants who keep Illi- Stratton offer a sharp con- Gary Ciaccio, Local 29 ernor’s office for nearly four nois working every day. trast. They’re running for Kathy Lane, Local 448 BUT WE HAVE years? The answer is all too At the same time, Rauner public office because they TO DO OUR plain, yet still heard to believe. is trying to make it harder want to help improve people’s REGION I VICE-PRESIDENTS He’s been working tirelessly for these employees to afford lives. They’ve travelled from Phil Cisneros, Local 3969 PART. to pursue his vendetta against health care coverage, push- one end of this state to the Safiya Felters, Local 2854 public service workers— ing to raise their premium other, meeting many AFSCME Lloyd Marshall, Local 3477 particularly targeting state contributions by 100%. And members along the way. They Stephen Mittons, Local 2081 employees. he’s leading the charge to believe in the importance of Kobie Robinson, Local 3835 Employees like the nurs- find ways to reduce employee public services and value the Crosby Smith, Local 2645 ing aides who care for our pensions, making it harder to work that public employees frail and ailing veterans, the count on dignity and security do. They know Illinois faces REGION II VICE-PRESIDENTS mental health technicians in their retirement years. very difficult challenges, Terry Boone, Local 672 who provide round-the-clock And of course, it’s not just but they want to try to solve Garry Cacciapaglia, Local 1058 support for individuals with state employees that Rauner’s them, not shift the blame Carlene Erno, Local 2615 severe developmental dis- after. He wants to drive down to those who keep our state Tom Opolony, Local 89 abilities, the child protective the incomes and weaken the working every day. Yurvette Simmons, Local 3237 investigators who often put rights of every public employ- Bruce Rauner is not going Miguel Vazquez, Local 3297 themselves at risk to rescue ee—at state universities, city down without a fight. So if children from abusive homes, and county governments, and we want new leadership in REGION III VICE-PRESIDENTS the correctional officers who school districts. Springfield we have to be pre- Shaun Dawson, Local 2073 go behind prison walls daily to All of the harm that’s pared to fight too. And that Lori Gladson, Local 51 keep the rest of us safe. been done to our state’s finan- means going out and knocking Steve Howerter, Local 3585 Why would a guy with cial and social infrastructures on doors up and down the Melanie Hoyle, Local 2600 untold personal wealth so by Rauner’s two-year budget streets of our communities Matt Lukow, Local 1964 ardently devote himself to blockade was in the service to talk to every single voter. Trudy Williams, Local 3433 inflicting harm on individuals of this overriding goal—to Experience clearly demon- who devote their working lives destroy the public employ- strates that there is no more REGION IV VICE-PRESIDENTS to helping others and to the ee unions that raised those important factor in bringing Tad Hawk, Local 1805 betterment of our communi- incomes and established those out voters than encourage- Chris Milton, Local 799 ties? rights. ment from someone in their Cary Quick, Local 141 That’s a question I’ve Fortunately for those own community. Tim Worker, Local 993 asked myself many times and of us in AFSCME and other Elections don’t win them- cannot begin to answer. But unions, the Democrats in the selves. It’s not too late to get TRUSTEES the record speaks all too clear- General Assembly refused involved. Tom Brown, Local 3654 ly for itself. The young man I to bow down to Rauner’s Go to afscme31.org/ Jerry Grammer, Local 1175 encountered at the pharmacy demands. And fortunately for volunteer right away and sign Jeffrey Reighter, II, Local 2856 had to work two jobs because our state, a great majority of up now to do your part to one of Bruce Rauner’s earli- Illinoisans now understand defeat Bruce Rauner. We have RETIREE CHAPTER 31 est acts in office was to halt what Bruce Rauner is really just this one opportunity to REPRESENTATIVE all scheduled employee step about. Polls show his approval end his reign of destruction. Larry Brown increases—hitting the newest rating below 30 percent. Let’s make sure we get the job hires especially hard, many Yet, despite his abysmal done. August-September 2018 On the Move 3 Standing strong in the wake of Supreme Court ruling 100% Union makes the difference FSCME members are more steadfast than ever in the A wake of a US Supreme Court ruling that banned fair share fees and brought “right to work” to the public sector. Tawny Proulx AFSCME Local 172 Jack Mabley Developmental Center “Our local is at 100% union. We have to be if we want to beat Rauner and keep our rights. “In order to ensure our members stay strong, we’ve had a lot of meetings to talk about what the Supreme Court ruling in the Janus case means and the battles that lie before us. Without the level playing field that a union provides, either you’re rich or you’re going to be left behind. There will be no middle class. And I think a lot of people are ready to fight for it. “Every new member is given a two-hour orienta- tion where we go over everything our union has won, from wages that can provide for your family, to health care and retirement, to representation on the job. “I tell them, ‘Welcome to the most awesome opportunity you’re ever going to have in your life, to Tawny Proulx and members of AFSCME Local 172 celebrate their 100% unity: “We are not opting out. We are in this together—we are the union.” belong to a strong union that backs the employees not the employer.’ It’s really important to have that and benefits are a third less than what we have here. face-to-face conversation so they know you care about This isn’t accidental. Because they do not have a union, them, they aren’t a number. “The Janus case is about they don’t have anyone going to bat for their benefits, “Being 100% union means every one of us has wages and their dignity. We had to fight hard for our signed a card saying we are committed. We are not opt- one thing—people wanting to contract and it took time.