Illinois
Illinois labor amendment on the ballot in November
Illinois voters will resolve in November whether or not to amend the state structure to make it simpler for labor unions to take care of membership and to guard advantages of employees who’re largely employed by native and state governments.
“The massive, large difficulty is what it does for the public-sector unions; it mainly enshrines all their powers into the structure and it offers new rights that employees in no different state have,” stated Ted Dabrowski, president of Wirepoints, a free-market analysis group.
However Tim Drea, president of the Illinois AFL-CIO, stated, “We’re taking office security, wages and financial stability, and placing these rights right into a lockbox and conserving politicians from stepping into them.”
One factor each Drea and Dabrowski agree on is that if the modification passes it might prohibit the Illinois legislature from ever passing a right-to-work legislation. Proper-to-work legal guidelines prohibit employees from paying necessary charges to a union.
Supporters of right-to-work legal guidelines say it’s unfair to drive employees to pay a payment to a union they do not need to belong to. However opponents counter that it’s mistaken for these employees to obtain advantages negotiated by the union with out paying a illustration payment.
At present, 27 states have right-to-work legal guidelines. 9 states have enshrined the measure into their state constitutions. Illinois can be the primary state to make use of its structure to ban such a legislation, stated Patrick Semmens, the vice chairman for the Nationwide Proper to Work Basis.
In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Courtroom dominated in Janus vs. AFSCME, a case originating in Springfield, that authorities employees couldn’t be compelled to pay cash to a union, primarily imposing a right-to-work regime on all authorities employees within the nation.
So, the right-to-work provision would solely have an effect on private-sector staff in Illinois.
“Nobody thinks Illinois goes to cross a right-to-work legislation anytime quickly. There is no such thing as a want for this,” stated Todd Maisch, president and CEO of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce.
However Joe Bowen, spokesman for the Staff’ Rights Modification, stated political winds change over time and whereas the present legislature would not cross such a measure, it may occur sooner or later.
Thus far, supporters of the modification have raised $13 million, largely from organized labor. Opponents of the modification have raised $1 million solely from delivery and workplace provide mogul Dick Uihlein.
The proposed modification would turn into a part of the structure if authorized by 60% of these voting on the query or a majority of these casting a poll within the election.
“Almost 70% of individuals have a optimistic view of unions, and it truly ranks greater than organized faith and different organizations,” Drea stated. “So, labor unions have a excessive favorability. It is a product of the pandemic – folks noticed abuses.”
Drea stated some folks have been compelled to work with out private protecting gear in the course of the pandemic and the general public has come to see a necessity for employees to have the flexibility to collectively discount office security issues with their employer.
“My view of that is you do not essentially must have a contract or a union representing you for collective bargaining,” he stated. “But when staff need to get collectively and go discuss to the boss about grievances, they might have that proper to take action. That occurs much more than folks notice. It is like, ‘Hey, you guys, we have to change issues. Let’s go discuss to the boss.’ And the second factor it might do is create a basic proper to a protected office.”
However Mailee Smith, director of labor coverage for the Illinois Coverage Institute, stated there are considerations about how vaguely worded the modification is and the way courts will interpret its provisions.
Illinois Chamber president Maisch agreed. “There’s an open invitation for labor legal professionals to take the language and push it to absolutely the limits,” he stated.
Drea countered that constitutional language, by its very nature, is written broadly. He famous that the U.S. Structure has lasted for greater than two centuries as a result of its broad language has allowed courts to uniquely interpret provisions over time.
Smith stated if the modification passes, it would tie the arms of future voters.
“It limits the folks of Illinois in deciding what’s the greatest financial coverage by placing it within the Structure. We will by no means pull again on that with out one other constitutional modification,” she stated. “And it is actually not the place for financial coverage. The place for financial coverage is with lawmakers within the Normal Meeting, not within the state structure.
She stated that the a part of the modification that ensures a basic proper to prepare and collectively discount wouldn’t apply to private-sector employees as a result of the Nationwide Labor Relations Act already covers them. The modification would simply give public employee unions higher energy to demand extra, Smith added.
Bowen stated that whereas most private-sector employees are lined by the federal legislation, some will not be. For instance, farm employees, family staff and impartial contractors will not be lined. However this would offer them with the identical rights as different employees.
“It may drive up the price of authorities, and that value goes to be handed onto taxpayers,” Smith stated.
And that seems to be the political fulcrum of the opponents’ arguments, that it’s going to finally enhance taxes as a result of it would end in greater salaries and advantages for presidency employees.
Nonetheless, Drea stated the modification will spur prosperity and enhance the general tax base, making tax hikes much less probably.
Scott Reeder, a workers author for Illinois Instances, might be reached at sreeder@illinoistimes.com.
Alexandra Szustakiewicz, 64, of Darien, Illinois, was charged with two counts of hate crime and one count of disorderly conduct, officials said.
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An Illinois woman was charged with hate crimes after she attacked a man for wearing a sweatshirt with the word “Palestine” written on it at a suburban Chicago Panera Bread, prosecutors and officials said.
Alexandra Szustakiewicz, 64, of Darien, Illinois, was charged with two counts of hate crime and one count of disorderly conduct, DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and Downers Grove Chief of Police Michael DeVries announced in a statement Monday. The charges stem from an incident Saturday at a Panera Bread in Downers Grove, a village about 23 miles southwest of downtown Chicago.
Downers Grove police said Szustakiewicz was at Panera Bread shortly before noon, local time, on Saturday when she “confronted and yelled expletives at a man” who was wearing a sweatshirt with the word “Palestine” written on it. Szustakiewicz then allegedly attempted to hit a cell phone out of the hands of a woman who was with the man when the woman began recording the encounter.
According to the statement, officers responded to a report of a disturbance at the Panera Bread, and Szustakiewicz was taken into custody the following day without incident. A complaint filed against Szustakiewicz alleged that she “committed a hate crime by reason of perceived national origin” of the two victims.
During her first court appearance Monday morning, a judge granted prosecutors’ request that Szustakiewicz have no contact with the victims and that she may not enter the Panera Bread where the incident occurred, the statement said. Szustakiewicz is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 16 for arraignment.
“Every member of society, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation or any other individual characteristic, deserves to be treated with respect and civility,” Berlin said in a statement. “This type of behavior and the accompanying prejudice have no place in a civilized society and my office stands ready to file the appropriate charges in such cases.”
Civil rights organization: Victim shielded his wife from punches
The Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, condemned the incident on Monday. The organization called Szustakiewicz’s behavior “shameful and abusive.”
CAIR-Chicago said Szustakiewicz had verbally and physically attacked a couple, identified as Waseem and his pregnant wife, for wearing a Palestine hoodie. The organization added that Waseem “shielded his wife from several punching attempts” during the encounter.
The incident was captured on video, according to CAIR-Chicago, and shared on social media — including on X, where it garnered about 1.2 million views by Monday night.
In the video, a woman lunged at a person who recorded the incident with a cell phone. A man then attempted to stop the woman, pushing her back with his arm, asking: “What are you doing?”
The video then showed the woman trying to hit the man, with a beverage she held spilling onto the ground. The woman continued attempting to swipe at the victims while threatening to call the police.
Later, the man is heard telling the woman to stop. Footage then showed the woman approaching the cash register, asking an employee to call the police.
Moments later, the woman is captured on video trying to hit the person recording the incident, with the man stepping in between them. The man is heard telling the woman: “Get away from my wife.”
The man and the person recording the video are then seen walking away from the woman, while she appears to follow them. The video then shows the man pushing the woman back, prompting both to threaten to punch each other.
“I’m a born and raised American who took his wife out for lunch. I was not able to do that simply because I was Palestinian,” Waseem told CAIR-Chicago.
Latest incident amid surge in Islamophobia, hate crimes
CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab said Saturday’s incident along with other recent hate incidents across the U.S. “reflect a broader pattern of hostility and intolerance towards Palestinian Americans and the Muslim community at large.”
Between January and June 2024, CAIR documented nearly 5,000 incoming bias complaints nationwide — a 69% increase of recorded complaints from the same period in 2023. The organization also released a report earlier this year, which found that CAIR received the “highest number of complaints it has ever received in its 30-year history” last year.
The report documented more than 8,000 complaints regarding anti-Muslim hate and nearly half of those complaints were reported in the final three months of 2023. The report noted that the wave of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim incidents is primarily due to the escalation of violence in Gaza following Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Numerous incidents have sparked fear among Muslim-American and Arab-American communities. About a week after the Oct. 7 attack, an Illinois man was charged with a hate crime after he fatally stabbed a 6-year-old and seriously injured the child’s mother in what authorities said was a violent response to the Israel-Hamas war.
In April, prosecutors said a New Jersey man was convicted of hate crimes after he attacked a Muslim man near a New York City food cart. A Texas woman was charged in June after authorities said she tried to drown a Muslim child at an apartment complex pool.
Last month, a New York City woman was indicted for an anti-Muslim attack after she pepper sprayed an Uber driver earlier this year, according to prosecutors.
A number of schools from Chicago and the suburbs were recognized as among the top elementary schools in Illinois, according to a new list.
The “2025 Best Elementary and Middle Schools” list from U.S. News and World Report examined more than 79,000 public schools in all 50 states, a press release revealed. Editors used publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education to analyze mathematics and reading performance at the state and district levels — while accounting for student background and achievement in core subjects.
For a school corporation to receive a district-level ranking, at least two of the top performing schools must rank in the top 75% of the overall elementary or middle school rankings, according to the website. In all, 47,573 elementary schools and 23,861 middle schools were assessed.
In Illinois, a total of 3,421 schools were ranked. Seven of the top 25 schools in the state were Chicago Public Schools, including the top school, Edison Elementary Regional Gifted Center.
Almost all of the top 25 schools were in either the city or suburbs — except for No. 10 – Thurgood Marshall Elementary School in Rockford and No. 22 – Congerville Elementary School in downstate Woodford County.
Following behind Edison Elementary Regional Gifted Center was Hinsdale’s Oak Elementary School and Naperville’s Meadows Glen Elementary School at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. Lenart Elementary Regional Gifted Center, a Chicago Public School, and Brook Forest Elementary School rounded out the top five.
Here’s a look into the top 25 elementary schools in Illinois, according to the report.
- Edison Elementary Regional Gifted Center – Chicago
- Oak Elementary School – Hinsdale
- Meadows Glen Elementary School – Naperville
- Lenart Elementary Regional Gifted Center – Chicago
- Brook Forest Elementary School – Oak Brook
- Elm Elementary School – Burr Ridge
- Forest Hills Elementary School – Western Springs
- The Lane Elementary School – Hinsdale
- Eisenhower Academy – Joliet
- Thurgood Marshall Elementary School – Rockford
- Skinner North Elementary School – Chicago
- Greenbriar Elementary School – Northbrook
- Westmoor Elementary School – Northbrook
- Ellsworth Elementary School – Naperville
- Prospect Elementary School – Clarendon Hills
- Walker School – Clarendon Hills
- Lincoln Elementary School – River Forest
- Highlands Elementary School – Naperville
- Bronzeville Classical Elementary School – Chicago
- George B Carpenter Elementary School – Park Ridge
- Madison Elementary School – Hinsdale
- Congerville Elementary School – Congerville
- Decatur Classical Elementary School – Chicago
- Lincoln Elementary School – Chicago
- Hawthorne Elementary Scholastic Academy – Chicago
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