Wirepoints’ Mark Glennon on AM560’s Morning Answer: Illinois Budget’s New Taxes Face Serious Constitutional Challenges
June 12, 2026
1 Comment
Audio and summary linked here.
-- Connecting the dots between our economy, government and business --
A mess of uncertainty and litigation is sure to follow.
With $162 billion more from taxpayers, couldn’t you deliver a few bond upgrades, too
curious how this works,
ctu goes out and unionizes charter school teachers. but i assume the new ctu-charter school union is separate union entity from ctu? but ctu then uses the $ resources of ctu (teachers dues, tax payer $) to recruit, provide legal fees, assist in strikes to the new ctu-charter school union? is this legal?
also, was reading in crains that afsme is now unionizing non for profit workers (www.chicagobusiness.com/finance-banking/bridgeport-bank-made-loan-daley-led-ward-organization-just-its-demise).
The state affiliate for the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) is the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT). The national affiliate is the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). CTU is AFT Local 1. There are several charter school networks in Chicago (there are typically several schools in each network). Charter school rules vary greatly by state. But the basic idea is taxpayer dollars are funneled to a private operator. One of the charter school networks in Chicago was the UNO (United Neighborhood Organization) Charter School Network. UNO teachers voted to unionize in 2013? with AFT Local 4343, Chicago ACTS (Alliance of Charter… Read more »
Regarding the link included in my previous comment.
In that linked article, someone asked if charter school teachers belong to TRS.
The answer is yes.
Greg Bishop of the Illinois News Network wrote an article about that earlier this year.
https://www.ilnews.org/news/schools/charter-school-alliance-charter-teachers-suffer-by-being-forced-into/article_74d05a6e-0ab7-11e8-8997-47cb9637d875.html
Wait.
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) teachers contribute to the Chicago Teachers Pension Fund (CTPF), not TRS.
So I would think CPS charter school teachers contribute to the CTPF, and not TRS.
Outside Chicago, the charter school teachers would contribute to TRS.
Mike, thanks for your lengthy responses (I only have time to read wp at night). –So, the Chicago charter teachers who are unionized under AFT (not CTU) as CTU-ACTS and have their pensions and benefits covered under ill constitution guarantee weather they contribute through CTPF or TRS? but have individual signatory contracts with each charter school and not CPS (like CTU)? and the rational for have there benefits guaranteed is because they are partially funded with Ill tax $? –So, does this open a whole new can of worms–for example, can the non for profits workers organized under AFSME also… Read more »
earlier I attached the wrong article about non-for profit unionizing under afsme
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/nonprofits-philanthropy/new-place-look-union-label-nonprofits
1) AFT is the parent of IFT which is the parent of CTU, so ChiACTS is an affiliate of AFT. CTU represent ChiACTS at the bargaining table and contract enforcement. 2) All charter teachers are automatically enrolled in CTPF upon employment, so they get the same pension as their counterparts in non-charter CPS schools. 2) Just because AFSCME represents certain NFP workers doesn’t necessarily mean those workers automatically participate in the state pension system. Frankly, those NFP’s can’t afford it. For example, One Million Degrees reported $810K in wages but only 13K in retirement accruals. That’s like a 2% 401k… Read more »
thanks. i’m still confused. maybe I’m wrong but don’t ctu-acts union have independent contract agreement with each charter school operator and not with cps as a whole (as do ctu)? they’re employees of the charter school operator, not cps? but are then somehow included in state pension guarantee? must have been some legislation pass to allow this to happen. tried to google and can’t find. i have read about union executives and private sector employees of u of ill being allowed to participate in state pensions. also have wondered–are seiu home health care workers benefits state constitutionally guaranteed? so complicated,… Read more »
With 2 local teacher strikes, this is your friendly reminder that the state mandates the number of instructional days, so teachers will end up working then being paid for any strike days at a later date. Teaching is one of the very few union-affiliated professions where members do not suffer financially from a work stoppage.
This is another reason for privatizing the public school system without having any religious affiliation attached to it thus appeasing the Illinois Constitution requirements. Anything that has the word “FREE” in it such as public education K-12 shall be free can be and is ripe with fraud. Tuition should be charged at the average of local private schools (Here in Rockford $7K for private vs $14K for public) and then a portion for “EDUCATORS” only is reimbursed by the state at tax time to the parents Basic education like math-reading-computer science etc would be covered under “Free” but most administrative… Read more »