Rauner flips out

Governor Bruce Rauner on Dec. 22 filed an Unfair Labor Charge (ULP) against AFSCME for exercising our legal right to pursue judicial remedies to his illegal push to impose his contract demands on state employees.  The governor is clearly irate that state courts found that the union’s case had merit.

Rauner is demanding that the Illinois Labor Relations Board require the union to pay $2 million a day while any legal action is pending, claiming that AFSCME’s use of legal redress is costing taxpayers that much money. Not only is the ULP totally frivolous, but the estimated financial cost is total fiction.

AFSCME issued the following statement in response:

"The real waste of taxpayer money is Governor Rauner's stubborn refusal to negotiate with our union for nearly a year. All that time AFSCME members have been working hard to serve their communities.

"This filing is a disgraceful attempt to intimidate union members from exercising their legal rights. The governor may wish to dictate not negotiate, but he is not above the law.

"Instead of bringing frivolous claims before his appointed labor board, Governor Rauner should return to bargaining in good faith and work with us toward an agreement that's fair to all. If he refuses to do so, any resulting litigation and the threat of a disruptive strike are Bruce Rauner's fault alone."