Reeder: Unions promote unfair atmosphere in Illinois

August 31, 2013|


Paul Kersey of the Illinois Policy Institute, has published a book explaining the weakening of union power in Illinois, a bastion of compulsory unionism. Scott Reeder has the story in the Northwest Herald.

For years, organized labor has boasted of its strength in numbers, but as its membership has dwindled, increasingly its political clout has come in the form of dollars going to politicians.

In fact, between 2005 and 2011, the number of union workers in Illinois has dropped from 927,000 to 876,000.

Despite the 5.5 percent membership drop, the amount of money Illinois unions have given to politicians has increased 41 percent during the same period.

“Unions aren’t persuading people to join, so the only way they can exert influence is through lobbying and political campaigns,” said my Illinois Policy Institute colleague, Paul Kersey.

Kersey, director of labor policy, just wrote “The Labor Book, a Guide to Illinois Government Unions.”

The book is a must-read for folks wanting to gain a better understanding of diverse issues such as school reform, taxation, government spending and pension transformation.

In all of these issues, unions exert disproportionate influence on the legislative process.

And as Labor Day approaches, it’s important to remember that the makeup of organized labor has changed.

 

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