Illinois Day Care Workers Given Permission to Dump Union

Credit: jccchou / photo on flickr

At the end of June, The Supreme Court ruled in Harris v. Quinn that the state of Illinois could not force private home healthcare workers to join a union the state foisted upon them using the basis of these private workers receiving government subsidies as a justification. Though the ruling was fairly narrow and specific, it turns out the home care workers weren't the only folks in Illinois being treated this way. The state had done the same to day care providers for children from low-income families.

The state provides subsidies to these workers, too, and as the Illinois Policy Institute explains, former Gov. Rod Blagojevich issued an executive order in 2005 organizing them under the umbrella of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and deducting dues, whether they wanted the representation or not.

In the wake of the Harris v. Quinn decision, the Illinois Policy Institute and the Liberty Justice Center coordinated with a day care provider to get Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn to apply the Supreme Court ruling to her and other day-care workers. They've succeeded. The received a letter from the Illinois Department of Human Services saying they will stop deducting union fees from day care workers unless they have actually signed a membership card to belong to SEIU. This could affect up to 50,000 workers and cost SEIU (and save the workers) up to $10 million a year, according to the Liberty Justice Center, but that assumes no workers actually want to belong to the union.  

Read more about the case here.

Comments

[UnCivilServant]

...but that assumes no workers actually want to belong to the union.

If they have a brain they'd put as much distance as possible between them and the SEIU.

[mr lizard]

There's a joke about hating children and puppies somewhere in this.

[Brett L]

Gov. Rod Blagojevich issued an executive order in 2005 organizing them under the umbrella of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and deducting dues, whether they wanted the representation or not.

Whaaa?

[Pro Libertate]

Speaking of laws we need, one absolutely banning government from imposing unions on anyone and, while we're at it, having unions in government, would do wonders.

[JW]

True to scumbag form.

But, I'm told that this is the price of civilization, so I should STFU.

[Brett L]

If being ruled by Rod Blagojevich is the price of civilization, its time for me to hoist the Jolly Roger and get barbaric.

[JW]

We're long overdue for slitting throats.

[MegaloMonocle]

To do this right, the state would need to force the union to refund all the dues and fees it has illegally collected.

[Brett L]

Plus a reasonable compound interest.

[Pro Libertate]

And penalties.

[JW]

And nut punches.

[UnCivilServant]

I'd say 20% per anum should work. But then again, I'm in a punitive mood and I hate the SEIU in particular.

[tarran]

... but I thought they were doing God's work in some of the toughest neighborhoods in America!

[flye]

My most recent SEIU experience was at the CA DMV -- slow, surly, and all wearing their purple t-shirts. It's a damn cult.

[antisocial-ist]

OT: Somebody posted the question yesterday"There's more money to be made in treating diseases than curing them, so won't pharm companies put little to no research into finding cures?"

Short answer, no.

It's the same reason cars don't break down before their first oil change, competition. Firm A may want to make money by treating symptoms, but they know that firm B, C, D, etc might develop a cure. In which case they lose potential profits by not developing a cure, but also real profits since nobody will pay to treat a disease rather than cure it. You can think of every industry like a prisoners dilemma with dozens or even hundreds of players. If any one of them confesses(gives customers what they want) any firm that doesn't is fucked.

[flye]

I hear this type of thing from people who are anti-capitalist, because they think the free market means everyone is pursuing profit at all cost. They'd be surprised that most people in pharmaceutical research are motivated by a desire to help people, and also want to be fairly compensated and perhaps strike it rich too.

[antisocial-ist]

Thing is, that's the beauty of a free market. You cane be the most vile, greedy, son of a bitch ever. The only way to satisfy your desire without going to jail is to give people what they want.

[flye]

Swearengen: Sometimes I wish we could just hit 'em over the head, rob 'em, and throw their bodies in the creek.
Tolliver: But that would be wrong.

[kinnath]

I miss that show

[AlmightyJB]

I remember when that was on but never watched it. Looks like a pretty good cast. I'll have to see if it's on Netflix.

[kinnath]

And the people want porn and drugs and high-definition TVs . . . .

[thom]

The only way to satisfy your desire without going to jail is to give people what they want.

Or go to the government and get them to pass regulations that would make discovering and approving a cure near impossible.

That's the thing about vile, greedy, sons of bitches: they'll take the most expedient route to get what they want, and if it means cozying up to some politicians then so be it.

[JW]

because they think the free market means everyone is pursuing profit at all cost.

They are, as they should be. Where is it written that the greatest profit doesn't come from providing the highest quality product? Did Amazon and Bezos get to where it is by shafting their customers or by providing a less expensive and better product than its competitors?

To the typical lefty **cough** mind, maximizing profits means making sub-standard steel by shoveling orphans into the furnaces to power the mill.

[flye]

I was referring to people's motivation for work. Studies have shown that once people are compensated to a certain level, it ceases to become a primary motivator and is surpassed by desire to be productive, innovative, etc. My point was that anti-capitalists believe that you can't have those things in a money-driven business world, but they are wrong.

[JW]

I really don't care why someone is motivated to provide a useful product or service. They could be the most cold-hearted bastard ever to roam this planet and as long they are providing something useful to the public (SLD applies), that's fine with me.

If they're motivated by pure love for mankind, great. If they're motivated by diving into bank vaults filled with gold coins, as long as they didn't steal that from me, that's fine too.

One of my favorite .orgs, Not Impossible Labs, is providing inexpensive technology created by capitalist running dogs, to people with very little, in order to make their lives better. 3D printing prostethic arms for Sudanese kids with limbs blown off from their civil war, for instance. Win-win.

[JW]

One other point is that a pharmaceutical company can't make a wonder pill that treats a horrible disease for $1,000 and then sell it for $50. They'll be out of business in short order.

All the good intentions in the world won't save anyone without a viable plan to keep it running. Hence, capitalism.

You can sell that wonder pill for 50 bucks as a goodwill venture, as long as you can keep selling your very profitable dick pills to underwrite that venture.

[flye]

Seems like we're in violent agreement...

[PapayaSF]

On the flip side, the same people who use that line of reasoning against Evil Profit-Seeking Corporations (and ignore balancing effect of competition) rarely consider that a government welfare program would have no reason to exist if it solved the problem it was supposed to solve.

[Ken Shultz]

"Rod Blagojevich issued an executive order in 2005 organizing them under the umbrella of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and deducting dues, whether they wanted the representation or not."

Looks like racketeering to me.

If Blagojevich accepted campaign contributions from the SEIU, then Blagojevich and the SEIU should be subject to a RICO investigation.

You get triple damages if you sue someone for racketeering under RICO.

[Pro Libertate]

And attorneys' fees!

[Anonymous Coward]

The most important part of any litigation: Will I (your hardworking, long-suffering attorney) get paid?

[UnCivilServant]

If cour can find a way to bloodlessly extract a pound of flesh. I'd bet that medical science can solve that issue these days.

[Pro Libertate]

I was thinking more about how friggin' huge attorneys' fees can be.

[PapayaSF]

The guy's already in prison for 14 years for corruption. No point in beating a dead horse.

[UnCivilServant]

No point in beating a dead horse

Nonsense. You have to tenderize the flesh, and break the long bones to extrac the marrow...

[Obama's Buttplug]

Tangential: There's a Japanese restaurant in Minneapolis -- Zen Box Izakaya -- that make the best damn Tonkotsu Ramen (creamy pork bone broth). What makes it better now than ever before? This comment on Yelp explains:

We got there and we were one of the first patrons naturally. We ordered several of our favorites, including Takoyaki and the Tonkatsu Ramen. While the Takoyaki was standard awesomeness, we found the Tonkatsu very different.

It was...creamier, more flavorful, more umami-nom nom ness. How could this be? The dish looked exactly the same.

We pulled Lina, boss lady, aside. What was going on here? Lina informed us that indeed, they had found a way to improve their broth.

She explained the key to great tonkatsu broth was in the pork bones. The better, the more flavorful. What has been elusive was the Berkshire Femur bone off the pig because almost all farmers sell them to dog food manufacturers for higher margins than ramen shops. However, they finally found a farmer who was willing to consistently supply them with femur bones.

As a result, their famous Tonkatsu Ramen is now even better than before. Honestly, I've made my fair share of ramen, and this was as good as the Ippudos of the world.