Ted was on Chicago Tonight this week to discuss Pritzker’s warning that the state will lay off “thousands” of state workers and slashing services if no more federal aid arrives.
Ted said the crisis may finally force the state government to address financial problems that have been decades in the making.
“In 2010, we had the worst credit rating in the country already. During Gov. Quinn’s time we had $9.5 billion in unpaid bills. We had massive troubles before Gov. Pritzker got here. Unfortunately, he’s inherited that plus COVID.”
“Other states were prepared for a rainy day and we weren’t. He has to look at payroll because that’s the biggest part of the expense. The bottom line is that with unemployment so high, with the economy struggling, he’s got to make government more efficient and less costly for the taxpayers.”
Read the full Chicago Tonight article here.
Chicago firefighters will get a wage hike and back pay but will contribute more toward health care under their newly signed union contract with the city.
Union leaders signed a one year contact Friday afternoon alongside Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Chicago firefighters and paramedics got $95 million in back pay but had to concede on healthcare contributions and other areas. However, union negotiators say under the circumstances, it’s a fair deal.
Firefighters will get a pay increase of 2% this year, a 2.25% increase for 2018 and a 2.25% increase for 2019.
They already earn $100,000 to $250,000 a year for 8 days a month.
Jb compares Illinois financial situation to Florida & Texas?? I would assume Florida & Texas were in good shape pre covid with well stocked rainy day funds even though they’ve taken a big tax revene hit from covid, and therefore a fed bailout for responsible states would be a chance for responsible states to replenish there responsible rainy day funds. But fed bailout for Illinois is a pension bailout because our rainy day funds have gone to pensions..what other state spends 1/4 of its revenue to only practically pay its DEBT DON’T MATTER/ IRRESPONSIBLE /NO MORAL HAZARD pensions for the… Read more »
But for the one state representative and one county judge way down state, no one is questioning the legality of JumBo Pritzker’s shutdown decrees. Where is Madigan, the Illinois house or the Illinois Senate? Hello! Anyone home? Economic destruction while waiting for a post election cash windfall.
Seriously, the guy has a 30 day emergency power BY LAW. How is this not overturned immediately? And they wonder why we think law and lawyers/judges are a total joke.
You will be able to get rid of Herpes easier than government will lay off people (not workers as they do not work). Once on the dole they stay on the dole.
Not strong enough. They were ALL illegal after his 30-day emergency declaration period and he was willfully extended the damage to the entire state and its residents with his contempt and Emperor (with no Clothes) -ish attitude.
Governor Pritzker should rescind some of the executive orders shutting down the economy.
The current orders are unaffordable and more stringent than many other states.
What’s funnier is that the bailout isn’t coming once Trump wins in November. The damage done will have been real, but it will also bury the Democrat party for good. Now, they could go on to a Bernie communist party, which they are approaching anyway, but the balkanization and urban ghetto demise of big cities will be real and more obvious as the next few years pass by.