Vernon Hills declines action on Gov. Rauner's 'turnaround agenda'
Vernon Hills officials agree Illinois has financial problems, but passed on the idea that Gov. Bruce Rauner's "turnaround agenda" is the way to solve them.
The village board on Tuesday joined the list of communities that have rejected or opted not to vote on the Rauner resolution for "local government empowerment and reform."
Repealing Illinois Prevailing Wage Law, reforming workers' compensation and allowing voters to decide whether employees should be forced to join a union or pay dues as a condition of employment are among the suggested actions in the turnaround plan.
Communities have balked because at the same time Rauner is seeking support for his agenda, the state is considering reducing the amount of motor fuel taxes shared with communities, as well as a 50 percent reduction in the municipal share of state income tax and a two-year freeze on local property taxes.
About two dozen union members and supporters were in the audience during discussion of the item in an informal work session. Mayor Roger Byrne said the measures being discussed are the state's responsibility.
However, Byrne, an insurance executive, contended "the pendulum has swung way in favor of the employee to a fault" regarding workers' compensation settlements. Workers' compensation is an operating cost for employers, he added.
"You don't want businesses leaving the state and running to Wisconsin or Indiana. That's not good for anybody in this room," he said.
Trustee Thom Koch, a longtime teacher, cited a report ranking Illinois 12th among state economies and noted that only three of those are right to work states.
"That's just not going to fly," he said of the provision. "It's not like that's going to turn things around."
Tom Lauman, a union operating engineer from Mundelein, said he's never made a six-figure salary and a right to work law "will put me back in the Stone Age."
"I just want to see myself be able to put my kids through college and make a living," he said.
"I think you're safe," Byrne replied. "This is a document that came out of the campaign. That being said, something needs to be done in this state."
Jeff Peters, business agent for the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150, told the board the average union worker makes about $56,000. Dropping the prevailing wage law would cut that by $6,000.
Byrne said there is about $3 billion in commercial and retail development in Vernon Hills and "it's all been built by guys like you and this group."
"If anyone here doesn't think we don't have a crisis in Springfield, I don't have anything else to say," he added. "We're all in this together."
The village sends about $50 million to Springfield in sales tax each year, he said. "All our concern is, `What are they doing with all that (money) down there?"
Marty Bodnar, a crane mechanic from Antioch, said Rauner's agenda is an attack on unions.
"The unions have been around a lot longer than the state has been in crisis," he said.
Lisa Michalski of Lincolnshire was in the minority among those who spoke. She said she has been with right to work organizations for the decades she has been working in the medical device manufacturing industry and any raise she earns is not dictated by state law.
"It's based on how well I did my job and whether I met my goals," she said.