Marathon Pundit: Illinois: Almost 97% of state workers could be represented by unions soon

AP discovered that nearly 10,000 Illinois state workers have joined unions in the past eight years, which quadruples the increase in the prior eight. Not coincidentally, disgraced former Governor Rod Blagojevich was sworn in eight Januarys ago.

And if the pending requests to the Illinois Labor Relations Board are approved, almost 97 percent of all state workers--including many managers--will be represented by Big Labor. Of the 50,000 state workers, only 1,700 will be non-union.

This should not be a surprise. Democratic Governor Pat Quinn has been bathing in public-sector union cash. As I exclusively reported last week, Quinn, the self-described reformer, has received over $5 million in campaign contributions from public-sector unions. And this "goo-goo" continues his attempt to unionize home-based health care workers--many of them are mothers who are taking care of their own developmentally-disabled children. The unions, and I guess Quinn, simply want their dues money to go to the labor bosses--they don't care about these people. And of course some of that dues cash will end up in the campaign coffers of Democratic politicians. Quinn, for instance.

Income taxes, with the blessing of the public-sector unions, are way up in Illinois. So is spending. Illinois has a $15 billion deficit.

Unionization is way up.

Meanwhile, former Republican Illinois state Senator Roger Keats, a real good-government person, is leaving the state for Texas, declaring "I am tired of subsidizing crooks."

So am I, dammit. So am I.

Related posts:

Tough mom fights back against unions and Pat Quinn
Gov. Quinn Pro Quo: Pat Quinn's public-sector union cash, part four
The pay-to-play score in Illinois since '95: SEIU $22 million--AFSCME $12 million
When will welsher Pat Quinn pay up on Bears-Packers bet?
The face of Illinois: Public-sector union members chanting "Raise my taxes"

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