Rising public sector pension costs are already causing property tax increases and forcing cuts in public safety and other vital services.
Amendment 1 would extend the permanency of Illinois’ irreconcilable pension liabilities to the entirety of public sector compensation—and beyond.
The consequence for Illinois residents will be ever-expanding taxes, reduced public safety, inferior schools, and residents and businesses fleeing the state.
If Illinois residents think things can’t get any worse economically, just wait. On Nov. 8, they’ll vote on an amendment to the state’s constitution that would guarantee it.
Rising public sector pension costs are already causing property tax increases and forcing cuts in public safety and other vital services. Now along comes Amendment 1. It’s advertised as a workers’ rights bill, but what it actually does is guarantee that taxpayers will never pay less than they do now.
Among other provisions, Amendment 1 specifies that the fundamental right to bargain—which can include everything from pay, benefits, and hours to terms of employment and hiring and firing procedures—can never be diminished, even if the state is in fiscal duress.
The amendment would even enshrine the right to negotiate “economic welfare” rights for public employees at the expense of Illinois taxpayers. The term “economic welfare” is not defined anywhere in the amendment, in state law, or in the National Labor Relations Act, so the term’s interpretation could...
KOTA KINABALU: Five people faced a total of 23 charges at the Special Corruption Court here on Wednesday (Sept 30) over allegations of submitting documents containing false particulars and using fo...