Photo courtesy of State of Illinois
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn delivers the State of the State address Feb. 6 in Springfield.

By Pat Barcas
Staff Writer
Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013
     SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Pat Quinn touched on a number of issues in his fourth annual State of the State address last week, including high praise for construction projects in Illinois, and a desire to increase the state minimum wage by almost $2 to $10 per hour. But he didn’t get into specifics on the state’s nearly $100 billion pension problem, an issue that will be talked about at Quinn’s annual budget address later in February.
     “This is a choice about whether we’ll make the tough decisions necessary to balance our budget by reforming our public pension systems … or whether we will let our jobs, our safety, and our schools be squeezed out by skyrocketing pension costs,” he said.
     Quinn said he doesn’t agree with the current minimum wage rate of $8.25 per hour.
     “Nobody in Illinois should work 40 hours a week and live in poverty. That’s a principle as old as the Bible,” he said.” That’s why, over the next 4 years, we must raise the minimum wage to at least $10 an hour.”
     The prospect was embraced by Chicago-based activist group Action Now, who said they were excited by the news.
     “We’ve been following this and pushing for an increase in the minimum wage for a long time,” said Mike Frosolone, field director for Action Now. “We’re excited he talked about it, but there’s still a lot of details to be worked out.”
     Currently, Senate Bill 68, a bill to raise the minimum wage sponsored by Senator Kimberly Lightford (D-Maywood) awaits action by the democratically-controlled Senate.
     Frosolone said the benefits of increasing the minimum wage are varied.
     “Throughout history, this has been a constant issue. Raising the minimum [wage] puts money in working families’ pockets, they then spend it on the local economy,” he said.
     Quinn also addressed, of course, jobs in Illinois, and the recent progress his administration has taken to create construction jobs in the state.
     “When I took the oath of office four years ago, Illinois had not had a jobs program to build highways, bridges and schools in more than 10 years,” he said in his address. “Within 10 weeks, we passed Illinois Jobs Now! … the largest public works investment in our state’s history. Between that and our Tollway initiative, we’ve been investing $43 billion to build and strengthen our infrastructure. This is supporting more than half a million jobs.”
     Lt. Governor Sheila Simon applauded Quinn for calling in compromise when working on pension reform in the spring session.
     “The state of Illinois is at a critical juncture, and lawmakers will be asked to make many difficult decisions in the coming months. I applaud Governor Quinn for calling attention to the state’s pension crisis and urging the General Assembly to work together on a solution. Reforming our state’s pension systems will enable us to fund priorities like education, health care and social services,” she said.

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

Pat Barcas photo
Teachers from the Elementary Teachers’ Association of West Chicago walk the picket line Monday afternoon in West Chicago. As of press time, an agreement had not been reached with West Chicago Elementary School District 33.

By Pat Barcas
Staff Writer
Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013
     WEST CHICAGO — The teachers walking the strike line at Main Street and Route 59 in West Chicago Monday morning were in good spirits, despite the chilly weather. They were there after 17 months of negotiations had broken down, and now the Elementary Teachers’ Association of West Chicago (ETAWC) members are on strike.
     Still striking Tuesday, as of press time, the union was scheduled to enter talks Tuesday night with the West Chicago Elementary School District 33.
     Negotiation sessions initially broke down Sunday night, with ETAWC saying the session ended at midnight with “School board negotiators leaving the district administration building without notifying the teacher negotiators or scheduling future meetings.”
     ETAWC Chief Negotiator Mary Catherine Kosmach said in a statement that the union did not respond well to an ultimatum set Sunday.
     “We made another proposal to the board, and they responded with an ultimatum. We were essentially told that they ‘might’ talk to us about insurance, but not unless we agreed to every item they’ve got on the table,” she said.
     Kosmach’s group put in a request for further negotiating Feb. 4, and it was granted Feb. 5.
     “They have accepted our request, we’re having another meeting, and we’re hoping for the best,” she said over the phone Feb. 5.
     The district covers parts of Winfield and Wheaton as well as West Chicago, and serves close to 4,100 students in eight schools, from preschool to eighth grade, with 284 teachers employed.
     The main sticking point of negotiations is health care and health insurance costs, with teachers previously agreeing to a salary freeze for one year to cover the costs.
     ETAWC says the move would save the district more than two million dollars over a three year contract.
     “Our proposal actually saves the district more money than the board’s current proposal, which hasn’t changed since last Friday,” said Kosmach in a statement on the group’s web site.
     “Teachers understand that times are hard, and we’re willing to do our part,” she said. “It’s a question of how much cutting is reasonable, and what the board is demanding will ultimately be bad for students and this community.”
     Kosmach said that teachers have been doing everything they can to avoid a strike, and have attempted to compromise on every one of the school board’s issues.
     “Teachers want to be in front of their students tomorrow morning and not on a picket line,” she said. “But this school board pushed us.”

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

Pat Barcas photo
“House Republicans should stop holding the economy hostage to push a radical agenda that decimates our most vital family protection programs,” said Jorge Ramirez, president of the Chicago Federation of Labor.

By Pat Barcas
Staff Writer
Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013
     CHICAGO — The state’s top two labor leaders were joined Jan. 30 at Chicago Federation of Labor headquarters by Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL), consumer and senior advocates, and policy experts to urge closing tax loopholes for Wall Street and the richest 2 percent of Americans instead of cutting Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security benefits in the ongoing “fiscal cliff” negotiations.
     “House Republicans should stop holding the economy hostage to push a radical agenda that decimates our most vital family protection programs,” said Jorge Ramirez, president of the Chicago Federation of Labor. “Voters rejected those ideas in the last election. Drastic cuts that will weaken our economy are not the path to recovery. Only by focusing on jobs and economic development will we achieve a full recovery and start rebuilding the middle class.”
     For the second consecutive year, Republicans are threatening to make the U.S. government default on its obligations in order to make drastic cuts to Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare and other areas, while protecting corporations and the wealthiest two percent of Americans.
     “We need to address the real causes of our long-term budget imbalance — wasteful cuts for the wealthy, tax loopholes for corporations and rising costs throughout our health care system — and not use the national debt as a pretext to pursue unrelated agendas,” said Michael Carrigan, president of the Illinois AFL-CIO.
     Congress passed a temporary deal to extend for three months the federal government’s borrowing authority. But tough decisions lay ahead in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate to reach a long-term solution.
     “All of us who believe in restoring the middle class and helping all Americans climb out of poverty need to make sure that decisions that are made are the right ones,” said Schakowsky. “We need to create good jobs, protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, and make investments in education, infrastructure and research that strengthen the middle class. We need to raise more revenues from those who can afford to pay, including the wealthy and rich corporations shipping jobs overseas. And we need to stand strong against Republicans who are openly threatening to hold the full faith and credit of the United States hostage.”
     Working families and seniors would pay a steep price if benefits are slashed. In Illinois, 2,033,345 individuals receive monthly Social Security checks, 1,789,800 get their health care coverage from Medicare and 2,698,787 get their health care coverage from Medicaid, including 1,469,950 children.
     Solutions presented by the speakers included creating jobs by investing in infrastructure and education, raising wages, reducing inequality and increasing economic security for working people.
     “We are proud to stand with our allies on this national day of action to call for fair taxes on corporations, not cuts in vital middle class programs,” said William McNary, Co-Director of Citizen Action/Illinois. “It is wrong to reduce the deficit on the backs of the middle class by cutting vital programs such as education, Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.”

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

Jennifer Rice photo
Illinois Tollway Executive Director Kristi Lafleur said the Elgin-O’Hare project also includes improvements to I-290, I-355 and I-90. Work has already started on the I-90.

By Jennifer Rice
Managing Editor
Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013
     SCHAUMBURG — The Move Illinois: The Illinois Tollway Driving the Future program is the largest capital program in the history of the Illinois Tollway and the largest of any toll agency in the nation.
     This construction program will extend for the next 15 years, adding $21 billion to the regional economy. Annually, it will create as many as 120,000 jobs, with 13,000 of those jobs being construction-related.
     Illinois Tollway Executive Director Kristi Lafleur gave an overview of the Move Illinois program Jan. 25 to contractors and union members during the Construction Industry Service Corporation’s (CISCO) 2013 annual meeting.
     The biggest news for Move Illinois was the recent announcement that funds are in place to move forward on the $3.4 billion Elgin-O’Hare Western Access project. Construction is expected to start this summer.
     “If everything goes according as planned, there will be western access into O’Hare by 2018,” Lafleur said. She acknowledged the efforts of Gov. Pat Quinn, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Sen. Dick Durbin, who never gave up on the Elgin-O’Hare project.
     Durbin said in a statement, that “by 2040, with the creation of the Elgin-O’Hare roadway, as many as 65,000 direct and indirect jobs stand to be created with the surrounding development and other infrastructure projects.”
     The Elgin-O’Hare project also includes improvements to I-290, I-355 and I-90, including upgrades to existing interchanges and new interchanges. Work has already started with building and widening the I-90 (Jane Adams) in the west.
     Construction on the Move Illinois program kicked off in 2012 when it was awarded more than $628 million in construction and engineering contracts. “We created a little over 3,100 jobs. We were thrilled in the way the program started,” Lafleur said.
     The 15-year Move Illinois program will allow for a level of construction activity throughout its lifespan. “During feedback sessions with contractors, work consistency was very important. The feast or famine approach is very difficult on families. The power of this program is it keeps up a level of activity and a level of expectation for the next 15 years,” she explained.
     The Illinois Tollway will be working closely with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to resolve issues on the Jane Adams when motorists try getting onto the Kennedy Expressway near O’Hare. “It’s a bottle neck there. IDOT made an announcement that it’s looking at the Circle Interchange as being a big part of making improvements on that area.”
     The Jane Adams is a $2.2 billion project for 62 miles of rebuilding and widening. Lafleur said it will be the first smart corridor on the tollway systems. “It will have traffic and technology management capabilities to allow the Illinois Tollway to carry out innovative measures in regard to traffic management,” she explained.
     During construction of Jane Adams, transit accommodations also will be created for either a bus traffic lane or flexible lane for traffic. “We’re not making it a road for the next five or 10 years, but a road and a piece of infrastructure that will work for the next 20, 30 and 40 years,” she said.
     “The tollway is very important to this region and motorists were willing to pay and invest in the time savings they get from using toll roads, verses other roads,” Lafleur said.