Supporters for Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, Sen. Linda Holmes and Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia came out for a Labor Breakfast, held at the Aurora-based PDC 30. Jennifer Rice/staff photographer

By Jennifer Rice
Managing Editor
Thursday, September 20, 2018
Email Jennifer Rice at: jen@foxvalley
labornews.com

AURORA — With less than two months to Election Day, TV commercials for Illinois’ governor race show incumbent Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner resorting to lies about his Democratic contender JB Pritzker.

There’s the anti-Pritzker commercial saying he will raise taxes, forcing one constituent to move out of Illinois.

“That is a lie,” said Sen. Linda Holmes. “Even if JB wanted to raise taxes, he can’t do it. It all has to go through [the legislature],” Holmes explained during a recent Labor Breakfast event at the Aurora-based Painters District Council 30, hosted by Holmes and Reps. Stephanie Kifowit and Linda Chapa LaVia.

Another TV commercial has Pritzker implementing a vehicle mileage tax and a vehicle tracking device — which prompted laughs from members of Organized Labor who were in attendance for the Labor Breakfast.

After 12 years in politics, Sen. Linda Holmes said her years with Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner leading the state has been her most challenging. “But, we’re going to see an end to that,” she predicted, when Democratic candidate JB Pritzker wins the governor race this November. Jennifer Rice/staff photographer

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Holmes understands why union members laugh — they recognize it as an absurd lie. “But guess what: Not everybody knows it’s a lie,” she stressed. “I want everyone to remember when we thought [President Donald] Trump was a joke as a president. We didn’t think it was really going to happen to us and now we’re living it.”

Holmes, Kifowit and Chapa LaVia’s annual Labor Breakfast allows for their supporters in Organized Labor to chat with them, hear about their upcoming elections and discuss the status in Springfield.

Ted Penesis, who serves as collar county political director for Pritzker’s campaign, said Pritzker is a Labor supporter and Aurora is a Labor town.

“The key to this election is electing Democrats up and down the ballot, which is done by getting people out to vote,” Penesis said.

Rep. Stephanie Kifowit appreciates Organized Labor for providing equal pay for equal work – regardless of gender. “It’s a sad day when the legislature has to mandate that to be fair for everyone,” Kifowit said. Jennifer Rice/staff photographer

Kifowit told members she is humbled by the faith Organized Labor has instilled in her to represent them in Springfield. “Today, we’re seeing the accumulation of decades of manipulation and planning by people who really only worship money, instead of really seeing the fundamental benefit of embracing and lifting up people,” Kifowit said.

The Illinois AFL-CIO recently launched a statewide campaign calling on candidates running for office in Illinois to stand up to extreme attacks on workers’ rights by signing a Contract with the Middle Class — a contract Chapa LaVia signed, pledging to protect wages, workplace protections and collective bargaining rights for all.

Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia tells union members she recently signed the Contract with the Middle Class pledge, a statewide campaign launched by the Illinois AFL-CIO. It calls on candidates running for office in Illinois to stand up to extreme attacks on workers’ rights. Candidates pledge to protect wages, workplace protections and collective bargaining rights for all. Jennifer Rice/staff photographer

Contract with the Middle Class pledge, a statewide campaign launched by the Illinois AFL-CIO.

LaVia said she’ll soon be the Latino caucus assistant majority leader and is looking forward to working with union members to increase the roles of both the Latino and African-American communities in moving the country forward.

“If you have the attention of the black and Latino community today, you have people in the White House in the future,” LaVia said.

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Pat Barcas
Staff writer
Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013
     PULLMAN PARK — Gov. Pat Quinn was joined Feb. 18 by community and business leaders to reopen a critical roadway to the Pullman Park development on Chicago’s South Side.
     Funded by a $4.6 million investment through the federal “IKE” Disaster Recovery Program, construction of the new road created 300 construction jobs. An additional 400 construction and 1,000 permanent retail jobs are expected when the Pullman Park development is completed.
     “Today is a great day for everyone who lives and works in Pullman Park,” Quinn said. “Infrastructure improvements like this support communities as they grow by putting people back to work and laying the foundation for economic development for years to come.”
     The state’s award helped fund road and infrastructure improvements to Woodlawn/Doty Avenue between 103rd Street and 106th Street, parts of which have deteriorated since flooding in 2008. The project includes incorporate sewer and water main improvements that will help prevent damage from future flooding.
     The retail phase of the project is currently underway and will be anchored by Wal-Mart, Ross Dress for Less and Planet Fitness. The new Wal-Mart store will provide grocery services to an area currently classified as a “food desert” for its inaccessibility to fresh foods. Other plans for the 180-acre, mixed use development include affordable housing and park and recreation space.
     “The reconstruction of this section of Doty Avenue represents an important step forward in the recovery and transformation of Pullman,” said David Doig, president of Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives. “Without the vital contribution made by the state of Illinois, this milestone would be extremely difficult to achieve in today’s challenging economic environment. We thank Governor Quinn for his dedication to economic growth and job creation, particularly in underserved communities like Pullman.”
     The project’s economic development assistance comes from the state’s IKE-Disaster Recovery Program named for Hurricane Ike, the 2008 disaster that ranks among the costliest hurricanes to make landfall in the United States. Illinois received a total of $193.7 million in federal disaster funds under the program to aid communities in 41 Illinois counties.
     “The investments we’re making through the IKE program are providing much needed relief in communities throughout the state by helping address limitations to economic growth and future recovery,” DCEO Acting Director Adam Pollet said.
     The IKE-ED program is part of the governor’s continuing commitment to providing essential resources for Illinois’ small and mid-sized communities as they strengthen their economies. Projects approved for IKE-Economic Development assistance support both permanent and construction job creation through funding improvements to local infrastructure, company equipment costs and other assistance that will attract or support private companies in locating or remaining in an affected area.

Pat Barcas’ e-mail address is pat@foxvalleylabornews.com.

By Pat Barcas
Staff Writer
Thursday, Oct. 11
     CHICAGO — The Chicago City Council approved a new four-year contract agreement Oct. 2 with the SEIU Local 73 and IBEW Local 21 — which together comprise the Public Safety Employees Unit II bargaining unit, made up of 2,500 union workers.
     Unit II consists of approximately 2,100 employees represented by SEIU Local 73, as well as 400 employees represented by IBEW Local 21. The new agreement extends through June 30, 2016.
     “This is a practical, reasonable agreement that is good for the taxpayers, good for the workers, and good for the city,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “This agreement is a direct representation of the positive outcomes that result when both parties sit down and negotiate in good faith with the best interests of the city in mind.”
     The basic economic terms of the agreement are as follows:
     The employees will receive 1.5 percent raises Jan. 1, 2013 and Jan. 1, 2014, and will receive 1 percent raises on Jan. 1, 2015; July 1, 2015; and Jan. 1, 2016. The agreement also will include a single lump sum payment for employees, payable 30 days after the agreement is ratified by the City Council. These payments will range from $150 to $500 per employee.
     In addition, the wage rates for full-time “entry-level” employees (during the first five years of employment), will be frozen at current levels during the term of the agreement, allowing these rates to be economically competitive with those in the private sector and elsewhere.
Such full-time employees will continue to be eligible for annual step increases.
     “The new agreement guarantees these dedicated employees wage increases over the four-year term, and continues the opportunity for public employees to provide critical public safety services to the residents of this great city,” said SEIU Local 73 Business Manager Matt Brandon. “I want to take this opportunity to thank Mayor Emanuel and the City’s negotiating team for removing the uncertainty of unpaid furlough days and unpaid holidays from the negotiating process. Although these were tough negotiations, I truly believe that this was an open and honest process that required both the city and the unions to make the necessary sacrifices that addressed the pressing concerns that this troubled economy has placed on the workers and the residents of the City of Chicago.”

Pat Barcas’ e-mail address is pat@foxvalleylabornews.com.

By Jennifer Rice
Managing Editor
As a teenager during the summer, landing a job at McDonald’s was as guaranteed as getting acne. Only now, jobs at McDonald’s are going to become a little scarcer, as it begins to intergrade touch screen kiosks to take your order.
We already see these kiosks at the gas pump and self-checkout lanes at grocery stores and you can have a peek at these guys to know more about setting up the best shop in town. They are touted as ‘convenient,’ and ‘time-saving,’ but what they really do is replace employees — and now they are coming to the Golden Arches as a way to allow you to get food faster. I thought McDonald’s already was ‘fast food.’ I recently walked into a McDonald’s in Bolingbrook and saw these kiosks in action.
I watched as a family of four tried to place their order. The children faired better than their parents. The children maneuvered between the screens in a frenzy, adding extra items to their burgers and deleting shakes they weren’t supposed to order.
On the other hand, the parents gathered around another kiosks looking more like the monkeys in “2001 Space Odyssey” who were seeing the giant, black monolith for the first time. They gingerly touched various screen. When nothing happened, they looked at each other for support, shrugged their shoulders, and then returned to tapping the touch screen.
It was the father that first gave up. He grabbed his wife’s hand and proceeded to the counter to have a real employee take their order.
As I approached the kiosks, their greasy, fingerprinted touch screens were enough to put me off. Ewwww. They don’t accept cash and I only wanted some apple pies. Not wanting to charge $1.10, I also headed to the counter.
From a customer’s standpoint, I guess placing your own McDonald’s order could eventually be faster than waiting in line, but only after you practiced. In the end, these kiosks are job eliminators — they’re anti-labor. With unemployment rates staying steadily high, this is not something we want to embrace.
And when did ‘service’ go away from customer service? Most older people I know stay clear from the self-checkout lanes at supermarkets and would walk out in frustration after trying to use the McDonald’s kiosks. Having someone take your order at a fast food place and scan your food at the grocery store is a service you expect — not be expected to do. You wouldn’t want to be handed a toilet brush as you entered a restaurant bathroom, so don’t expect to checkout your own groceries at the supermarket.
While standing in ‘real’ checkout lines at the grocery store, I see customers using the self-checkouts, and in the end, they inevitably need assistance from a clerk. Management doesn’t understand that using self-checkout lanes to save money and increase profits is coming at the expense of losing the basic service that comes with running a business — customer service.You can navigate to this website for further information.
Last month, Albertsons LLC announced it will eliminate self-checkout lanes by the end of August. It wants to focus more on customer service. They said only a small number of customers were using the self-checkouts. And no matter what type of business you have, it’s important to accept credit card payments from your customers. Stay ahead of the competition with the tailored services offered by Elavon merchant services.
My first job was working for a grocery store, and I was a cashier. I loved that job and I loved my customers. I was so well liked by customers; families specifically came and waited in my line so I could scan their groceries. That time was our time to catch up and talk, to find out what had happened during the week.
In the six years I was a cashier, I watch kids grow up, graduate high school or college. I saw relationships bloom, marriages end and people die. I attended my customer’s graduation parties, funerals and birthday parties and loved the looks I got when I introduced myself as “the girl that checkouts their groceries.”
But that’s what customer service is all about. Making what could be an otherwise mundane, sometimes stressful shopping experience, into a trip customers look forward to.

Jennifer Rice’s e-mail address is Jen@foxvalleylabornews.com.