EXTRA: If at first you don’t succeed…

I suppose Gov. Bruce Rauner could claim a political victory, as fleeting as it might turn out to be, by pointing out the Illinois House of Representatives failed Wednesday in its efforts to pass a law concerning “right-to-work” legislation despite the governor’s objections.

RAUNER: He leads, for now

It was the General Assembly during the spring session that passed a bill prohibiting municipalities from enacting their own laws meant to undermine the ability of organized labor to operate in their communities.

BUT DURING THE summer months, Rauner (the man whose gubernatorial premise is to do whatever he can to undermine labor unions) used his “veto” power to kill the law. If he can’t get the state to enact “right-to-work” in Illinois, he’ll settle for a city-by-city piecemeal approach.

That led to the state Legislature, convening for their fall veto session, working to override Rauner’s objections. The Illinois Senate took the override vote successfully, which led to the Illinois House (led by the evil being Mike Madigan – or so GOP ideologues would want us to think) taking its best shot at killing off a Rauner desire.

They didn’t quite make it. The Capitol Fax newsletter reported that the vote taken on the override measure was 70-42, with Rep. Michael McAuliffe, R-Chicago, voting “present” and six others not voting.

The 60 percent majority required in the Legislature to override a gubernatorial veto is 71 votes, meaning effort to thwart Rauner fell one vote short.

McAULIFFE: Voted 'present'

BUT THAT DOESN’T end the politicking on this measure. For according to legislative rules, the bill’s sponsors can have this roll call thrown away, and try again another day during the veto session.

Reports coming out of the Statehouse during the afternoon indicate that’s exactly what will happen, with another vote likely to be called in a couple of weeks just before the Legislature adjourns for the 2017 calendar year.

One legislator, Sam Yingling, D-Round Lake Beach, was absent, while there may be some serious politicking in coming weeks to get some of those who managed to not vote on the issue to get off their duffs and cast a vote this time around.

Meaning Dems are likely optimistic they can get one more person to vote “aye,” which would allow for the veto override to pass – and give Rauner’s veto a great big raspberry.

YINGLING: Missed the vote

ALTHOUGH THERE MAY well be just as much politicking to try to find a person or two who voted “aye” this time around to – if not vote “nay” – just sit on their keisters and “accidentally” forget to vote next time around.

It’s going to be ugly as political people fight over the future of anything related to “right-to-work,” which is justified since the concept of “right-to-work” itself borders on ugliness.

It’s based on the ideas of some people who, for whatever reason, resent being asked to join a labor union when they take a job that is covered by such a benefit. “Right-to-work” is that Southern concept spreading its way to other states wishing to make an ideological statement that says people can’t be forced to join a union. If that were all at stake, I’d argue anybody silly enough to not want union backing is only hurting themselves with such actions.

But “right-to-work” usually is used by businesses to take actions meant to openly discourage labor unions from gaining any influence within their companies – and is meant to penalize those people who (from the business’ perspective) have the unmitigated gall to even think of wanting organized labor representation.

 

MADIGAN: Will he win in the end?

IN A PLACE like Illinois, particularly with its two-thirds majority of residents living in the urban Chicago metro area, “right-to-work” has never taken hold (although over in the neighboring “Land of Hoosiers,” it has). Our state Legislature is representing a majority of Illinoisans in rejecting the very concept.

Which has led some individual communities (usually in the more rural parts of the state) to try to declare themselves “right-to-work” communities – a move that the federal courts have struck down on the grounds that only the state can make such a declaration.

Which is what is behind the new bill – by which government officials who try to push for such measures in the future could face misdemeanor criminal charges.

A step that some may consider too drastic – but when it comes to such a loaded issue like “right-to-work,” it is only natural that peoples’ tempers will get all riled up, “fightin’ words” will be spoke and the politicking will be fierce as certain people defend the rights of workers to have their desired union representation.

  -30-

A DAY IN THE LIFE (of Chicago): Kirk wants his Blackberry! Why?

I got my big chuckle for this week from the reports coming from Northwestern Memorial Hospital – the ones that were meant to reassure us that Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., has a good chance at recovering from the stroke it appears he suffered this past weekend.

KIRK: Gimme my Blackberry?!?

For it seems that one of the first things that Kirk did after undergoing surgery meant to reduce the damage that could be caused by the stroke was to ask for his Blackberry.

IT SEEMS THAT the senator from the North Shore suburbs was more than eager to get back to work – even though it will be several months (if ever) before Kirk can claim to be fully recovered.

But the idea of asking for a Blackberry?

Personally, I have been carrying a Blackberry for nearly a year – and there are times I wish I could get away with flinging the thing into the Chicago River (or maybe Lake Calumet).

If I were in recovery from a serious medical condition, I’d want to use the time to get away from constant communication with certain people.

BUT THAT’S ME. As for Kirk, the officials at Northwestern Memorial seem determined to give us optimism. On Wednesday, they were saying they were “hopeful” about the senator’s long-term prospects.

For the talk we have been hearing is that the stroke he suffered affected the side of the brain that impacts his body movement – NOT the side that impacts his mental state.

Which means that his continuance in the U.S. Senate will depend on whether he can continue to move about. It means the image he tries to project of himself as a vigorous warrior is a thing of the past. Then again, he certainly couldn’t be any worse off than some of the near-centennarians (Strom Thurmond, for example) who have served in the Senate.

What else is notable these days on the slushy shores of the southwestern corner of Lake Michigan?

WILL HOOSIER GOPers TURN SUPER BOWL SUNDAY INTO LABOR CELEBRATION?: The Indiana House of Representatives gave its approval to a measure turning the Hoosier State into the 23^rd state to have “right-to-work” laws on its books.

With the state Senate expected to follow suit on this measure in the near future, there is some speculation that final approval of this measure by Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (who got some national attention by giving the GOP rebuttal statement to the State of the Union address this week) could literally be timed to coincide with the Super Bowl – which this year is being played in Indianapolis.

It would figure that some ideologues would want to turn an occasion for sports celebration into an excuse to make their anti-organized labor statement even louder than it will be regardless.

Personally, I’d like to think most people will be disgusted by any attempt to turn this over-bloated sports event into a political statement. Then again, I also think many people are disgusted that the Super Bowl this year isn’t being played at some warm-weather locale.

WHITE SOX TO MAKE SUNDAYS PARTICULARLY GARISH: I never cared much for those bright-red pinstriped uniforms the Chicago White Sox wore back in the early 1970s. Yet it seems the ballclub in 2012 will resurrect them.

The White Sox said on Wednesday they plan to wear uniforms modeled after those get-ups for all 13 of their Sunday home games. Since they won’t be using road uniforms, we won’t get to see the light blue-with-red trim jerseys with a zipper up the front that the ballclub used to wear in other cities.

I couldn’t help but notice the Chicago Tribune’s write-up about this act made references to Dick Allen – the slugger who had his best season ever (American League Most Valuable Player for 1972) while wearing this jersey.

Yet I can’t help but think of two other ballplayers from that era who wore those uniforms – Bucky Dent and Rich Gossage. Both were products of the White Sox system and it was apparent that both were exceptional ballplayers while in Chicago. Yet both had their glory days later in the decade playing for the New York Yankees. To me, that inability to keep talent is what is glorified by this get-up.

  -30-

Illinois becoming a “champion” in fight against right-to-work concept?

Thinking back to those couple of years in the mid-1990s when the Republican Party had an overwhelming majority in state government and pushed many purely ideological measures into law (many of which ultimately were struck down by the state Supreme Court), I can’t help but wonder why the GOP leaders of that era didn’t make the move for “right-to-work.”

Such laws that are meant to make it next to impossible for labor unions to establish themselves in businesses within their boundaries exist in 22 states (with five southern and southwestern states going so far as to write such ideas into their state constitutions) would have been totally in line with the kinds of things that the Illinois General Assembly did back in the pair of years that Lee Daniels could call himself Illinois House speaker.

BUT THEY DIDN’T do it, and our Legislature these days isn’t about to entertain any such silly concept now.

Which may well be why our officials in Illinois are devoting significant amounts of attention to Indiana, where the state Legislature’s Republican leadership has gotten the bite to want to impose right-to-work.

The Times of Northwest Indiana newspaper is reporting how the Chicago Federation of Labor, along with Chicago-area locals of the International Union of Operating Engineers, are having their people staff telephone banks.

They’re making the kinds of calls to people in Indiana to try to make them realize just how ridiculous right-to-work is. In short, Illinois-based organized labor officials are pitching in for the effort to kill off the “right-to-work” movement that may well become this year’s ugly issue in Indiana politics.

REMEMBER LAST YEAR when Democratic legislators thwarted GOP partisan efforts in the Legislature by hiding out in Urbana, Ill.?

Reading the reports about how those Democrats are denying the Legislature their presence in recent days makes me wonder if they’re going to be making a return trip to our state in coming months.

Now I’m aware that some people reading this commentary are probably getting seriously P’Oed at my rhetoric. Not that I’m overly concerned. I get equally offended at theirs, and this simply is one of those issues where we’re going to disagree.

But I truly am pleased to see that Illinois people would be willing to pitch in on this particular issue – even though I’m sure some ideologues are going to go out of their way to characterize our labor officials as meddlers, of sorts. Butting in on an issue that’s none of their business.

BECAUSE NO ONE is threatening to impose right-to-work in Illinois. If they tried, they’d likely be laughed at. And I write that sentence knowing full well that the most recent Republican nominee for governor (state Sen. William Brady, R-Bloomington) tossed out his own rhetoric during his 2010 campaign hinting he wouldn’t object if someone tried to bring “right-to-work” to Illinois.

Now what gets me this worked up over this issue?

Primarily, it is one where the ideological rhetoric always used to defend right-to-work strikes me as being such a distortion of the truth.

Supporters of such laws that make it illegal to tell someone they must join a labor union in order to work at a place whose workers are represented by that union claim that it is denying employment to people.

WHEN ALL IT really does is makes it completely legal for employers to use tactics meant to scare people out of thinking of joining a labor union. If anyone is acting in a way meant to interfere with the will of a worker, I’d say it is the ones who push for right-to-work.

Personally, the best-paying jobs I have ever had were the ones where organized labor was involved (I’m a former member of the American Newspaper Guild, local 222). They also were the only ones that, upon laying me off, gave me anything resembling advance warning and something resembling a severance package.

The people who think that is a problem are likely the ones who, deep down, have little respect for the employee – without whom the employers wouldn’t have a product to sell or service to provide.

Insofar as Indiana this year, I’m not about to predict how their “right-to-work” fight is going to be resolved. I don’t know enough about the Legislature dynamic in Indianapolis to make anything other than a pointless prediction.

I CAN ONLY hope that our Illinois people will have some significant influence in determining the outcome.

Because I can’t help but notice that while most of the “right-to-work” states are in the Deep South and the Southwestern U.S., they do stretch as far north as Iowa.

It would be a real shame if Illinois got surrounded on both sides (to the east and to the northwest) by “right-to-work” states. That may be the real motivation for Illinois labor officials to get into this fight.

Then again, having both of those states as “right-to-work” likely would go a long way toward reinforcing the concept of Illinois as a beacon of sanity in this part of the country when it comes to certain social issues.

  -30-

EXTRA: Is anybody really surprised?

Scott Walker, the Wisconsin governor who has engaged in heavily partisan political tactics to try to turn union-busting measures into state law, should have taken a lesson in hard-ball politics from our soon-to-be former mayor, Richard M. Daley.

WALKER: A political amateur, compared to Daley


Walker got a political victory in the early hours of Friday when the Wisconsin state Assembly’s Republican leadership cut off what had become nearly three full days of debate meant to stall the issue, and forced a sudden vote.

IT WAS LITERALLY so quick (and so staged by the GOP leadership) that roughly two-thirds of the Democratic legislative opposition didn’t realize a vote was being taken until it was over – and too late for them to express their opposition.

So now Walker’s desire to do away with collective bargaining rights in Wisconsin (the oldest trick, blame the financial problems on the workers) has at least one stamp of legislative approval. Whether it can get the approval of the Wisconsin state Senate is another – since many of the Democratic members there remain out-of-state, and the hard-core partisan nature of the Assembly vote is bound to harden them.

Which may be where Walker made his mistake. He had his people play their “drop-dead” card too early. He should have learned from the example of Daley.

Remember Meigs Field?

I DO. ON March 31, 2003, we all woke up to the sight of the runways of Meigs having been bulldozed – with big gouges in the form of giant “X’s” ground into the runway pavement so that it would have been dangerous for any airplane to try to land at the one-time air strip with proximity to downtown Chicago.

In fact, the feeling I experienced upon waking up Friday and learning of the middle-of-the-night antics of the Assembly in Madison, Wis., was similar to the feeling I felt when Daley just took action to do away with Meigs – the air strip he had wanted to do away with for years but had run into repeated political opposition.



Outgoing Mayor Richard M. Daley had his own middle-of-the-night political antics that destroyed the former Meigs Field, seen here in this portrayal of the airstrip in the Flight Simulator 2004 game.



The one difference is that with Daley, his action made it impossible for anyone to seriously talk about maintaining Meigs – unless they were willing to come up with the cash necessary to rebuild what he bulldozed.

Walker’s minions pulled their “drop-dead” move when the process was still incomplete.

I HONESTLY BELIEVE that many of those Democratic members of the Wisconsin state Senate are reaching the point where they are tired, homesick, and wondering if their protest act of staying out of state to keep their chamber of the Legislature shuttered (and incapable of acting) was a futile gesture.

The state Assembly’s act may give them the jolt they needed to make them hunker down and stay away indefinitely.

It also ensures that Walker’s rhetoric about all of this hard-core partisanship being necessary to balance the state’s budget will be seen for the cheap talk that it is, and will be among the list of partisan antics that voters will have to contemplate come the 2012 election cycle.

This is going to reflect badly upon the GOP everywhere, particularly since another part of Walker’s rhetoric is to require state employees to pay a larger share of their health insurance benefits – which the unions have said they’re willing to do if the talk of dropping collective bargaining rights disappears.

 TO LISTEN TO the “Tea Party types” who were a significant part of the coalition that got Walker elected governor in last year’s election cycle, Barack Obama is the president who is going to destroy our nation with such schemes as trying to ensure that as many people as possible have something resembling health insurance.

WALKER: Of Illinois



We also have one of their “preferred” politicians thinking that cuts in health insurance benefits are the way to fix a budget hole. In fact, many businesses probably wish they could do away with insurance for their employees to save money.

Which means we’d better hope that Obama prevails on his issue – otherwise we’re going to have a whole lot more uninsured or under-insured individuals in our society.

Thanks, Gov. Walker. You have ensured that political people will remember you for being as erratic and absurd a character as Illinoisans remember our own Gov. Walker (as in Dan) from several decades ago.

  -30-