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AFSCME
Quick Hit
by Progress Illinois
3:04pm
Fri Sep 28, 2012

Op-Ed: AFSCME Responds To 'Quinn Spin'

The following was written by Anders Lindall, spokesman for AFSCME Council 31, in response to the op-ed posted on Progress Illinois yesterday from Gov. Pat Quinn's office.

Sadly, there they go again. Governor Pat Quinn and his staff routinely twist reality, mislead the public and insult the men and women who do the real work of state government in their communities every day.

Endlessly repeating lies does not make them true. Yet the 1200 words of empty political talking points issued yesterday by a Quinn spokeswoman are riddled with repeated falsehoods and glaring omissions.

Read more »

Quick Hit
by Progress Illinois
9:17am
Thu Sep 27, 2012

Op-Ed: Gov. Quinn's Office Sets The Record Straight On Policies, Relationship With Unions

The following op-ed is by Brooke Anderson, Press Secretary to Governor Pat Quinn.

Nobody is more committed to improving life for working families than Governor Quinn. Some of your readers will recall that back in 1993, Governor Quinn was among the few elected officials to stand with organized labor in opposing NAFTA. For three decades, he advocated for a humane minimum wage and workers’ rights. He has joined union brothers and sisters on more picket lines than any Illinois Governor in memory, dating back to his meeting César Chávez in the 1970s. Governor Quinn organized the Citizens Utility Board – along with groups like the Labor Coalition for Public Utilities – which has saved Illinois consumers $10 billion in utility rate reductions and refunds since 1985.

Since he became governor, jobs have been Governor Quinn’s number one priority. And his efforts have produced solid results for the working people of Illinois.

Read more »

Quick Hit
by Matthew Blake
6:55pm
Wed Sep 26, 2012

Lawmakers, Advocates Make Human Rights Case To Close Tamms

With the fate of Tamms supermax prison at an impasse, those who support its closure made the case today that the facility must shut down on human rights grounds.

Advocates with the Tamms Year Ten coalition spoke grimly of the 23-hour daily solitary confinement experienced by inmates who are fed through slots in cell doors and often deal with sensory deprivation. Speakers noted that both Amnesty International and the ACLU condemn the prison for violating international human rights agreements.

“This is a moral issue,” declared U.S. Rep. Danny Davis (D-Chicago). Read more »

Quick Hit
by Brandon Campbell
12:25pm
Thu Sep 20, 2012

DCFS Workers Warn That Cuts, Move Towards Privatization Will Harm Illinois Children (VIDEO)

As the days draw closer to October 1, when about 375 state social workers will be laid off, a group of more than 350 angry Illinois Department of Child and Family Service (DCFS) employees showed up at Gov. Pat Quinn’s Chicago office Tuesday afternoon to decry recent budget cuts. 

Those cuts, the workers argue, will lead not only to the aforementioned job losses, but will harm the children and families who rely on the services provided by those state workers.

Read more »

Quick Hit
by Matthew Blake
1:14pm
Wed Sep 19, 2012

As Prison Population Goes Up, Facility Closure Plan Stalls

Illinois prison reform advocates received news sparking two causes for concern in the last few days.

On Friday, a state appellate court denied Gov. Pat Quinn’s appeal to undo a restraining order that has postponed state facility closings, including the shut down of Tamms Supermax Prison. And yesterday the Associated Press reported that the state’s prison population hit a record-high of 49,154 inmates over the weekend. The Illinois Department of Corrections system is designed to hold 33,700 prisoners. Read more »

PI Original
by Matthew Blake
1:51pm
Mon Sep 17, 2012

Why Pat Quinn's Relationship With Labor Is On The Rocks

On August 10, Gov. Pat Quinn visited Caterpillar machinists on a picket line in Joliet, donating $10,000 to a union strike fund. But Quinn offered no position on the walkout, except bromides such as “believe in yourselves” to machinists who had been on strike for more than three months.

Quick Hit
by Matthew Blake
3:17pm
Fri Aug 24, 2012

City Homeless Plan Includes Outsourcing Overnight Transport Services

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced a plan yesterday for which the city will spend $2.5 million a year to help its homeless residents. AFSCME Council 31 public employees union is upset about the plan because the strategy will outsource the city’s overnight homeless transport service.

Privatization plan aside, the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless says that Emanuel has at least taken steps toward identifying the scope of the homelessness problem in the city. Read more »