Chicago Tribune editorial: "AFSCME, running Illinois"

Let's take a look at another union dominated by government workers, AFSCME. From the first few paragraphs of a must-read Chicago Tribune editorial:

It's hardly news that public employee unions such as AFSCME essentially control the legislative and executives branches of government in Illinois: The unions help elect pols who reward them with sweetheart labor deals. On Monday, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees gained some helpful clout in the judicial branch as well.

Helpful, that is, to AFSCME -- but not helpful to Democrats who run the Illinois Statehouse. A governor who has spent months trying to engineer layoffs of 2,600 state employees (or gain equivalent cost savings through furloughs or wage freezes) is now one-quarter of the way through fiscal 2010 but without those savings. Every day he can't cut expenses, Illinois' financial problems only get worse. Meanwhile, legislative leaders who want to tax their way out of the current budget shortfall now confront new evidence of how dangerous to Illinois their strategy would be. They risk making this state the best friend of Indiana and other lower-tax states working to attract more Illinois employers -- and more Illinois jobs.

On Monday, a downstate judge blocked Quinn's plan to lay off the workers. The ruling, in response to an AFSCME suit, says the state can't proceed with the cuts until it resolves union grievances. We don't know how many months that will take. But we have a hunch that AFSCME -- which spent a nice chunk of the summer stalling Quinn's effort to lower taxpayers' obligations -- won't volunteer for expedited talks.

We do hope Democratic lawmakers, some of them wholly owned by state employee unions, take note of just how cooperative AFSCME has been in helping Illinois slash expenditures. Throughout 2009, many of the legislators have been assuming they didn't need to significantly trim state spending or lean on their pals in the unions to accept even mild cutbacks. The easier solution: Raise the state income tax! Expect Quinn and legislative leaders from his party to push for that revenue gusher in 2010.

Do you want to end this madness? Then vote Republican. Yes, AFSCME and SEIU occasionally donate to Republican candidates, especially ones likely to win. But do they supply volunteers to GOP campaigns? Do the provide staff for Republican phone banks? I doubt it.

Technorati tags: Illinois Politics Illinois Democrats Patrick Quinn AFSCME labor politics unions