By ELIZABETH DONALD
Illinois Correspondent

Springfield, IL – Illinois elected officials and Labor leaders are mostly applauding Gov. JB Pritzker’s State of the State address, with a few additional concerns.

Gov. Pritzker gave his annual address unveiling a $55 billion spending plan that also cut $400 million in healthcare for undocumented immigrants between ages 42 and 64, according to St. Louis Public Radio. It includes proposals to ensure medical abortion pills will remain legal, restricting the influence of pharmacy benefit managers, and banning cell phones in Illinois schools during classroom instruction.

EDUCATION FUNDING
Illinois Federation of Teachers President Dan Montgomery said he appreciates that the budget meets the required increase for pre-K-12 education, but says it’s not enough – at the current pace, schools won’t be fully funded under the evidence-based formula until 2042.

“We commend the governor’s support for public colleges and efforts to improve affordability, but we must do more,” Montgomery said. “Decades of underfunding have led to staffing cuts, program reductions, infrastructure problems, declining enrollment and soaring tuition, limiting access for the vast majority of Illinois students and inflaming the student debt crisis.”

Montgomery also pointed out that President Trump’s attempt to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and other federal “uncertainties” jeopardize programs like Title I and IDEA, which puts at risk low-income learners, students of color, schools in rural communities and students with special needs.

TIER 2 PENSIONS
However, Montgomery said he was disappointed that Pritzker did not mention the Tier 2 pension issue in his address. The tiered pensions in Illinois continue to be one of the top priorities for Labor leaders in Illinois this year, as Tier 2 public workers’ pension income may fall below Social Security and thus violate federal law.

“The IFT remains committed to pension reforms that ensure all public servants can retire with dignity and receive what they earned,” Montgomery said, calling Tier 2 a “grossly unfair” pension that hobbles the state’s ability to recruit and retain educators.

WORKING FAMILIES
State Rep. Jay Hoffman (D) said it will not be an easy budget year, but that Democrats in the legislature are prioritizing a budget that helps working families.

“We’ve taken significant strides in recent years to strengthen investment in early childhood education, public safety and local infrastructure, and it’s critical we continue to support proven programs that make a difference for families every day,” Hoffman said. “I’m looking forward to reviewing the governor’s proposal in detail, and will be engaging residents and area stakeholders to ensure the Metro-East is properly heard.”

‘ROUSING’ SPEECH
Scot Luechtefeld, chair of the Southwestern Illinois Labor Council, said it was reassuring to hear Pritzker’s “rousing” speech.

“It should give us all hope that our state is on the right track,” Luechtefeld said. “Unfortunately, we have to deal with an unbalanced leader of our country. Dangerous thoughts and actions are straining the fabric of our democracy. We must never give up and never give in for our children and grandchildren – for the good of all Americans.”

Indeed, Pritzker made headlines for comparing President Trump’s playbook with the Nazis. “It took the Nazis one month, three weeks, two days, eight hours and 40 minutes to dismantle a constitutional republic,” Pritzker said. “All I’m saying is when the five-alarm fire starts to burn, every good person better be ready to man a post with a bucket of water if you want to stop it from raging out of control.”

In the speech, Pritzker said that “only an idiot” would think that eliminating emergency disaster response, education for disabled children, gang crime investigations, clean air and water programs, monitoring nursing home abuse, nuclear regulation and cancer research would be a good idea, according to St. Louis Public Radio.

‘ALL OUT ASSAULT’
Tim Drea, president of the Illinois AFL-CIO, echoed those concerns in a letter to union members, calling the Trump administration’s efforts an “all-out assault” on government workers and critical resources. Among those who have lost their jobs are Illinois Environmental Protection Agency workers, FAA engineers and maintenance staff, Veterans Affairs nurses, doctors and staff, and AFGE members staffing the Veterans Crisis Line to prevent suicide, among others. The attempted block on federal grants put AFSCME, IFT and other union workers at risk, Drea said, as well as the potential impact on union educators from early childhood to higher education.

“The Labor Movement has weathered challenging times before, and together, we can come together in solidarity to support each other and ensure we stand strong,” Drea said. “Illinois has long been a beacon for freedom of expression and worker organizing – it is what our Labor Movement was built on… Our rich Labor history has been built on the exchange of ideas, dedication and the diversity of workers. Unions are rallying to show that we are not scared and mobilizing to stand up for all workers. It’s going to take all of us fighting at every level, in every arena, to protect our rights, our contracts and our government.”

TRUMP, MUSK UNFAVORABLE AMONG ILLINOISANS
Meanwhile, a poll released just after Pritzker’s address showed Trump and advisor Elon Musk carry unfavorable ratings among Illinoisans. Trump’s approval rating is 42 percent with unfavorable at 56 percent; Musk’s is 38 percent with unfavorable at 56 percent.

Among the most concerning actions as listed by Illinois voters: ending government programs for lowering prescription drugs, healthcare and child care subsidies, eliminating the aviation safety board, pardoning the Jan. 6 Capitol rioters, shuttering the Department of Education, rolling back the Affordable Care Act, imposing tariffs that will increase costs, attempting to end birthright citizenship and withdrawing from the World Health Organization.

Pritzker’s approval rating before the speech was exactly 50 percent, according to the conservative Illinois Policy Institute’s survey of likely voters.