THE ILLINOIZE: Monday Free for All...🦃Thanksgiving week🦃...Madigan is still raising money...Workers' Rights Amendment likely heading to court...University of Illinois wants more state cash
November 21, 2022
Good morning, Illinois.
Happy Thanksgiving week.
We’ll have a newsletter tomorrow and I think we’ll shut it down for the week before we hit the final week of veto session hard next week.
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Madigan: Indicted but still pitching for (and getting) money (Chicago Sun-Times)
Since being indicted last March as part of a wide-ranging corruption investigation, former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan has been personally soliciting campaign contributions for his Democratic ward organization — and has gotten more than $400,000 for the political fund, including $20,000 this month.
These contributions from labor unions and other allies have helped replenish $302,000 in legal fees Madigan’s 13th Ward Democratic Organization has spent since being subpoenaed by a federal grand jury as part of the ongoing criminal case, records show
The federal investigation has focused on Madigan’s actions while he was speaker of the Illinois House.
But the grand jury also sought records from the Democratic Party ward organization on the Southwest Side that he still oversees, which helped elect candidates to state and local offices this month.
Over the past two years, Madigan has paid the Akerman law firm $302,000 from his ward campaign fund to respond to the subpoenas, campaign finance records show.
That’s in addition to more than $10 million in legal fees it’s previously been reported that the former speaker has paid other law firms out of his personal campaign fund since January 2019, when the Chicago Sun-Times broke the story that someone working undercover with federal authorities had secretly recorded meetings with Madigan.
Courts, bargaining table are likely next fronts in battle over Illinois workers’ rights amendment (Chicago Tribune)
There’s little common ground between opposing sides of the recently approved amendment enshrining collective bargaining rights in the Illinois Constitution, but they do agree on one thing: The real-world effects of the change will be determined at bargaining tables and in courtrooms in the years ahead.
While the amendment granting a “fundamental right” for employees to organize and bargain won’t be added to the state’s governing document until November election results are certified on Dec. 5, The Associated Press last week determined the measure had received at least 50% of the total vote, one avenue for adoption.
The amendment guarantees the right of employees to bargain over “wages, hours, and working conditions, and to protect their economic welfare and safety at work.” It also prohibits the passage of any state or local law “that interferes with, that negates, or diminishes” that right, including so-called right-to-work laws, which would prohibit contracts between employers and unions that require union membership as a condition of employment.
Nearly every phrase of the 119-word amendment is likely to be parsed by labor and management attorneys as new groups of workers seek to organize and existing unions use the new language to strengthen their position at the bargaining table.
“The courts are going to put color to this thing, and they’re going to tell us” how to answer questions like those, said Marc Poulos, executive director of the Indiana, Illinois and Iowa Foundation for Fair Contracting and one of the drafters of the amendment.
“A bunch of smart lawyers are going to do good work on probably both sides and limit its application and ability through folks on the employer side, and expand its application for people that are on behalf of labor,” Poulos said.
Related: Editorial: Democracy Dies in Illinois (Wall Street Journal)
Editorial: Amendment has been approved, but that's all that's clear (Champaign News-Gazette)
Opinion: Amendment 1 promises dismal future for Illinois' businesses (Daily Herald)
POLITICAL POTPOURRI
Curran eyes ‘balance’ as he prepares to lead Illinois Senate’s GOP minority (Capitol News Illinois)
U of I says it needs more money to meet enrollment gains (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s top education official set to retire in January (Chicago Tribune)
Editorial: With election out the way, it's time for sincerity on SAFE-T Act (Daily Herald)
Editorial: Illinois must ensure foster kids get timely health care (Chicago Sun-Times)
Opinion: In religious freedom, Illinois cuts against partisan narratives (Daily Herald)
Opinion: Pritzker paints rosy picture, but pensions remain headache (Champaign News-Gazette)
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