SE Illinois News

Republican state House candidate Darren Bailey applauds the courage of the more than 300 Chicago Public Schools (CPS) system employees who have ceased paying union dues in the wake of the recent Supreme Court decision in the Janus case.

“The union here in Illinois is a big and powerful player,” Bailey told the SE Illinois News. “It says a lot about the conviction of these people that this appears to be a growing movement.”

Earlier this summer in a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that Mark Janus, an Illinois child support specialist, is not obligated to continue paying roughly $1,000 in annual union dues after he argued that American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) violated his First Amendment rights by engaging in political speech with which he does not agree.

Cynthia Given

“Clearly, the ruling makes for a fairer system,” said Bailey, running against Democrat Cynthia Given in the 109th District. “Unions can still be a voice, but no one has to join up with them if they don’t want. In the past, unions have taken advantage of that loophole. The country we live in is all about having the right to decide.”

As more and more CPS staffers have stilled themselves to speak out against union leadership, one of the most powerful symbols of top leaders perceived ineptness has come to be an empty Loop office space the union leaders continue to pay rent on even after moving to a near west side location, the Illinois Policy Institute states. 

In addition to such wasteful spending, members have also been outraged by a pair of school strikes over the last decade that ended with the closure of at least 50 schools and the layoffs of thousands of staffers. 

“It’s a good thing that these members are taking steps to make sure that the voices of their colleagues are heard on such critical issues that come to affect all of them,” Bailey said.     

The 109th House District includes Clay, Edwards, Effingham, Jasper, Lawrence, Richland, Wabash, Wayne and White counties.