On his first full day in office, Gov. J.B. Pritzker tried to further distance his nascent administration from his predecessor’s, moving to enact certain pay increases state workers say they’re owed and didn’t receive under Republican Bruce Rauner.
In Rauner’s first weeks in office, he signed an executive order aimed at absolving state workers who don’t want to join a union from paying fees that support collective bargaining. That move led to a U.S. Supreme Court case that was seen as a blow to organized labor.
The Pritzker administration said Tuesday it would grant regular pay increases to workers that they haven’t received since 2015. And an executive order he signed prohibits the state from asking applicants about salary history, a practice that can hold down pay for women.
Rauner spent much of his four-year term in court with the state’s largest employee union, never coming to contract terms with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Pritzker, who was endorsed by organized labor in his campaign, will have to go to the bargaining table soon.
“We’re obviously going to be entering into negotiations at some point in the near future to discuss wages going forward and all the other issues,” Pritzker said at his first news conference in his Capitol office. “But it’s very important for us to establish on day one that this is a very different kind of administration and we’re working on lifting up working families.”
Pritzker declined to say how much the step increases would cost. He took over a state government Monday that’s $7.5 billion behind in paying its bills, and dealing with Illinois’ troubled finances could loom over almost everything he does. While he just took office, his first budget proposal is due next month.
AFSCME Council 31 Executive Director Roberta Lynch said the “announcement represents important progress toward ending Bruce Rauner’s illegal four-year freeze on step progression for state employees.”
The Republican leaders of the Illinois House and Senate did not comment on Pritzker’s moves, but the state party pushed back.
“Yesterday, we heard promises from Pritzker that he would work with Democrats and Republicans to balance the budget,” Illinois GOP Chairman Tim Schneider said in a statement. “Yet today, Pritzker unilaterally made reckless spending promises without specifying the costs, creating more budget uncertainty.”
The move also follows Pritzker’s announcement last week that he would use money from his own pocket to double the salaries of his his top government aides, an unusual arrangement that has raised eyebrows across state government.
Pritzker on Tuesday also signed an executive order requiring state agencies to make plans to fix problems found by recent audits, as well as ensure they’re following transparency laws.
The new governor, though, has declined to release personal income tax returns that could shed light on his financial holdings, providing only the first two pages of the returns. He has declined to release the tax returns for any of his trusts, including PG Byk — a domestic trust in which he is the sole beneficiary and that financed his successful run for governor.
On Tuesday he declined to reveal the cost of the his swanky inaugural ball attended by lobbyists, administration officials and lawmakers of both parties. It was headlined by upcoming Super Bowl entertainer Maroon 5 and featured a musician playing a giant harp made of cables strung from the ballroom’s ceiling.
“What was important … was that we made sure to celebrate a new day for the state of Illinois,” Pritzker said. “We have a new direction for Illinois. We simply wanted everybody to have a good time.”
Twitter @mikeriopell
01-All No Sub,02-Pol,19-Legal,26-Delivered,24-ILGA,E Moeller
Feeds,News,Region: Chicago,City: Chicago,Opinion
via Home – Chicago Tribune https://trib.in/1LjWzdx
January 15, 2019 at 04:51PM
Illinois Delivered 