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Quinn gets more teacher union support

Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn won the backing of another teachers union Wednesday over Republican opponent Bruce Rauner.

The Illinois Federation of Teachers announced it will support Quinn even though the union was one of the harshest critics of Quinn's effort to cut its members' pension benefits. The Illinois Education Association already announced its support of the governor.

Despite the pension cuts, Rauner, a Winnetka businessman, campaigned in the primary that the outsized power of "government union bosses" was a key problem in Springfield. So Quinn has picked up union backing in spite of his own record.

"Gov. Quinn respects and understands working families, and supports our fundamental right to speak with a collective voice on behalf of our communities," IFT President Dan Montgomery said in a statement.

Like union leaders, Quinn backs extending the 2011 income tax increase into next year, saying the state's troubled finances would be hurt if the money from that tax hike was lost.

Rauner opposes the extension and has proposed applying Illinois' sales tax to some previously untaxed services to come up with more money.

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