May 27, 2015

By Jim Nowlan
NP Guest Columnist

From my distant vantage point, I foresee as inevitable a first-ever strike in July by state of Illinois public employee unions.
There is just no way to bridge a chasm wide as the Grand Canyon between feisty GOP governor Bruce Rauner, who is probably spoiling for a strike, and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), which is the lead union in negotiations with the state that are on-going to replace a contract that expires July 1.
I think Rauner wants to make a national name for himself as the governor who toppled the unions from their comfortable perches. He cannot do so in the union-friendly Democratic legislature so he will seek to break the backs of the unions via the collective bargaining process.
If successful, he would indeed become a national political figure.     Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.