 That struggle is anticipated to come to a head Wednesday in the House, when
Democrats are expected to attempt an override of Rauner’s veto of Senate Bill
1229, the interest arbitration or “no-strike/no-lockout” bill.
The measure would allow mandatory arbitration should either the state or its
unionized employees declare a bargaining impasse in their continuing contract
talks.
Once the binding arbitration hearing begins, a strike or lockout would be
prohibited. In the end, a panel of arbitrators would pick from either the
state’s or the union’s final offers on economic-interest items such as pay and
benefits.
Rauner, who vetoed the bill, has called it the worst he’s heard of in the
history of Illinois.
He and many in the GOP say there’s only one reason the state’s biggest employee
union would yield its right to strike: to knock Rauner out of the game in hopes
of a better deal from an arbitrator. They say it removes from the bargaining
table the one person, the governor, selected by the people to represent their
interests.
Opponents say SB 1229 is an expensive gift to the American Federation of State,
County and Municipal Employees, which represents some 35,000 state employees,
and will mean a tax increase to fund a $1.6 billion or more raise to the
Midwest’s best-paid state employees.
“Every senator who voted to overturn our veto chose special interests over the
taxpayers,” the governor said the night the Senate overrode the veto on a vote
of 38-15.
The bill’s backers say that’s ridiculous. They contend the union is willing to
forfeit strike authority in favor or binding arbitration only because Rauner
wants nothing more than to unilaterally impose terms, force a strike and drive
AFSCME from state government and politics.
“The governor’s hysteria over this bill is a plain indication that he is not
willing to work toward a fair contract settlement, but rather is trying to
provoke a confrontation,” AFSCME Council 31 president Roberta Lynch said in a
update to members that was posted Tuesday on the Capitol Fax blog.
Rep. Mike Smiddy, D-Hillsdale, lead sponsor in the House, says the bill is meant
to drive the sides toward the middle, keep them at the bargaining table and
produce a negotiated contract.
“It’s not anti-the-governor or pro-the-union,” Smiddy said. “It’s basically
trying to ensure the people of Illinois continue to receive the services that
this state provides.”
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 Political pressure — from AFSCME, the governor’s office and his
supporters, and from within the parties — has reportedly been
enormous.
Legislators of both parties have been called in to speak with the
governor, robocalls and mailers are still flooding out and union
members have turned out in force at parades and other public
functions.
The battle may be over strategy and economics, but it’s also
certainly over politics.
Neither Rauner nor the legislative Democrats have been able to
declare any sort of win from the failure to reach a budget deal. And
with that fight having gone from slugfest to trudge-fest, the
Rauner-led GOP and the Democrats now appeared squared up for fight
that’s not going to be canceled.
And one reason the heat is so great is the margins are tight.
The House originally passed SB 1229 with 67 votes, which is four
short of 71, which represents both the total number of Democrats in
the House and the three-fifths supermajority vote needed for
override.
The day the bill passed, two Democrats were out on excused absences
due to illnesses, and only two others — Rep. Jack Franks and Rep.
Andre Thapedi — did not vote.
If Democratic Speaker Michael Madigan — who Rauner has cast as his
nemesis nearly all year long — does have a solid base of 69 votes,
he only need to pick up a total of two votes from his previously
unaccounted-for two Democrats and the 22 Republicans who either did
not vote or voted “present” when the bill was called.
And the areas represented by many of those Republicans include parts
of Illinois with long-established ties to organized labor including
the Quad-Cities, Peoria, Rockford and Decatur areas and, notably,
Springfield and Jacksonville, which are home to large numbers of
AFSCME represented employees and retirees.
Smiddy on Tuesday said he’s confident he has the votes for an
override, but he also hedged his bet as he quoted Yogi Berra: “It’s
tough to make predictions, especially about the future.”
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