The Illinois Senate is joining the House in passage of a hotly disputed union arbitration bill. The legislation sends stalled contract negotiations to binding arbitration and is heavily backed by the state’s largest employee union, AFSCME. AFSCME workers have been without a contract since July 1st. The Governor opposes the bill and has already vetoed an identical version. State Senator Don Harmon is sponsoring the latest attempt, even though he knows it might be futile.
Opponents say this bill takes away the Governor’s power to negotiate a fair deal for taxpayers.