The Bleak Future of Unions

 

 

If the Supreme Court nixes agency fees, as Wisconsin has already done, unions will lose badly.

Two rallies were held outside the Supreme Court on Jan. 11, the day justices heard oral arguments in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association. On one side, hundreds of union supporters rallied to maintain mandatory agency fees, a testament to their powerful political machine. Nearby, dozens rallied in support of California teacher and plaintiff Rebecca Friedrichs and against agency fees.

So what are agency fees, and why are they so important for teachers unions? California Teachers Association members pay about $1,000 in annual dues, while nonmembers must pay roughly $650 in agency fees for representation in collective bargaining. The $350 difference is refunded to nonmembers because it is spent on political activities and not on bargaining. Friedrichs complaint is that the $650 agency fee violates nonmembers' First Amendment rights to free speech and free association. The California Teachers Association maintains the fees are reasonable payments for representation in labor negotiations, and that fees prevent nonmembers from free-riding and secure the state's interest in stable labor relations.

[READ: California’s Summit Public Schools Are the Schools of the Future]

The justices' questioning during oral arguments suggests the unions should prepare for defeat. If that is in fact the verdict, what would happen to the unions in the 23 states that currently have agency fees? The immediate impact would be that unions forego the agency fees and lose revenue. However, that would be just the tip of the iceberg.

As I have written elsewhere, removing agency fees changes the cost of union membership. In California, the real cost now is about $350, the difference between $1,000 in dues and the $650 fees. Without fees, the choice would be between $0 and $1,000, so the cost would rise to $1,000. This increase would encourage uncommitted members to leave and discourage new teachers from joining. Without agency fees, union membership would decline in states that now allow agency fees, and they would have far less political power.

Wisconsin is a telling example. In 2011, Gov. Scott Walker passed Act 10, legislation that did away with agency fees for public sector unions, among other measures that curbed union power. Membership in the state's largest teachers union, the Wisconsin Education Association Council, dropped dramatically, from about 98,000 members in 2011 to about 40,000 last year. The graph below shows data on that union's political activities from 2005 to 2015.

The council's annual lobbying expenditures ranged from $500,000 to $1,500,000 from 2005 to 2010, and peaked at $2.25 million in 2011 during its fight to stop Act 10. Since Act 10 passed and agency fees were eliminated in 2011, the council's lobbying expenditures have remained below $150,000. A similar pattern is evident in hours spent lobbying.

But Act 10 limited union power in ways besides removing agency fees, which raises a fair question: Is Wisconsin a good test case for post-Friedrichs unions?

A look at Indiana teachers unions suggests it is. With agency fees already outlawed, Indiana passed limits on collective bargaining in 2011 similar to those in Wisconsin's Act 10. Yet since 2011, membership in Indiana's largest teachers union has only dropped by roughly 10 to 15 percent, compared to roughly 60 percent in Wisconsin. This difference suggests that agency fees, and not the other limits to collective bargaining, are the biggest challenge to retaining members that unions would face.

[READ: More 2016 Candidates Need to Talk About Charter Schools]

Returning to that challenge, it's impossible to know exactly what the fallout from a Friedrichs ruling against agency fees would look like, but here are three likely consequences.

With agency fees prohibited, unions' membership and revenue would decline and so would their political muscle; they would have to focus their remaining resources on collective bargaining. Whether that is good or bad outcome depends largely on which rally on the Supreme Court steps you support. The fact is that teachers unions currently spend heavily on political activities; by the California Teachers Association's own accounting, about one-third of dues are used for explicitly political purposes. If declines in membership in other states are even half those seen in Wisconsin, unions' political wings will be substantially clipped.

Those clipped wings would not mean unions will not survive, as they do in states without agency fees. One positive would be that once the uncommitted drop out, the remaining membership would have higher commitment and participation. But unions would have to become leaner and more focused on proving their value to members at the collective bargaining table.

[READ: Common Core Is Good for Military Families]

In the long run, union claims that agency fees are important to retain stability in labor negotiations could prove prescient. Recertification, by which unions retain their role as the sole representative in contract negotiations, has long been a pro forma affair because the certified unions have automatically received mandated agency fees, fees which have kept their membership high and made their recertification all but certain. Down the road, with no fees and diminished membership bases, certified unions could face real challenges from rival unions, meaning the state might negotiate with different unions over time. The case of Wisconsin is again telling: About half of local unions have failed to recertify as the sole representative since Act 10 passed.

If the court rules against agency fees, the Wisconsin example suggests teachers unions should expect their revenue and power base to be greatly diminished. Although teacher unions are likely to remain a principal political force in public education for the foreseeable future, the next time they hold a rally at the Supreme Court, their political machine might not muster the largest crowd.

Above is from:  http://www.usnews.com/opinion/knowledge-bank/articles/2016-01-20/the-supreme-court-and-friedrichs-spell-a-bleak-future-for-unions

Fiat Chrysler has a huge looming problem because it's selling so many trucks

 

Business Insider January 20, 2016

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) may be running into an emissions dilemma of its own, but for completely different reasons from Volkswagen.

The company is struggling to match increasing emissions standards and may not have the capital to dig itself out, Bloomberg's John Lippert and Jeff Plungis reported:

For the fourth consecutive year, the maker of Ram pickups  and Jeep sport utility vehicles finished dead last in a 2014  Environmental Protection Agency ranking of carbon-dioxide  emissions among big auto manufacturers. And the agency plans to  accelerate its CO2 targets sharply beginning next year.  To comply, FCA must improve faster than bigger and richer  rivals who also are straining to cut emissions. Failing that, it  might be forced to stop building some of the light-duty trucks  Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Kevin Tynan says deliver 90  percent of its profit.

"Light-duty trucks," which include FCA's Jeep SUVs, Chrysler minivans, and Ram pickup trucks, are the largest selling and most profitable sectors in the entire automotive industry, and have long been the bread-and-butter of American brands.

Bloomberg reported that light-duty trucks comprise 78% of FCA's American sales volume, a proportion that is about 8% lower for rivals Ford and GM.

Ceasing production would probably not be an option for FCA, even as a short-term solution, while the money required to catch up to other car makers' years of research and development may simply be out of reach.

The only other option may be yet another merger for the conglomerate (Fiat and Chrysler were conjoined in 2009), which makes for awkward timing less than a year after CEO Sergio Marchionne unsuccessfully tried to pair up with General Motors.

But FCA's impending emissions woes would certainly help explain why Marchionne pushed so aggressively to make the seemingly hopeless deal work. 

Above is from:  https://www.yahoo.com/autos/fiat-chrysler-huge-looming-problem-205828640.html

Evac North America to remain in northern Illinois

CHERRY VALLEY — Defense contractor Evac North America recently announced its plans to remain in northern Illinois.

The company provides wastewater collection systems for military ships and submarines, for commercial cruise ships and for corporate clients, including Costco retail stores. The company employs about 30 people at its current facility and anticipates adding 15 more positions.

For information: evac.com.

Above is from:  http://www.rrstar.com/news/20160120/evac-north-america-to-remain-in-northern-illinois

 

CHERRY VALLEY

A northern Illinois company will stay put and grow locally after considering a jump across the state line.

Lieutenant Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti was on hand today at Evac North America's to announce the company will stay at Huntwood Business Park.  Evac considered moving to Beloit.

But, Belvidere and Boone County leaders expanded the enterprise zone to include the business park, which provided business friendly incentives.  "The interstate system allows us to pull local employees from Elgin to Madison and we're all one big region" says Evac President Ken Postle.  "It's a great day for us."

Evac will add 10,000 square feet to its current facility and anticipates adding about a dozen new jobs.  But, officials say that number will grow as the company expands.

Above is from:  http://www.mystateline.com/news/cherry-valley-company-wont-move-to-wisconsin-will-expand-operations

 

This is the “confidential annoucement” reported by Representative Sosnowski and posted earlier this week on BC Watchdog at:  http://boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2016/01/international-firm-to-come-to-boone.html

Rockford Register Star outraged by Winnbago Co. Chairman’s private use of county purchased equipment

• Our View: Politics, health have nothing to do with perceived abuse of Winnebago County tax dollars

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• By The Editorial Board
  Rockford Register Star

  Posted Jan. 20, 2016 at 5:00 PM

  Winnebago County Board Chairman Scott Christiansen is “disappointed in journalist for taking advantage of personal health issues for headlines.”

  We’re outraged that Christiansen thinks it’s OK to have an item paid for by taxpayers delivered to his home for personal use.

  In typical kill-the-messenger fashion, Christiansen took to Facebook to complain about reporter Isaac Guerrero’s story headlined “FBI seizes county sauna.”

  The story is not about Christiansen’s privacy rights or health issues; it’s about perceived abuse of taxpayer dollars. It’s not a lot of money — the sauna cost about $4,200. It's the principle of the thing — public dollars used for private purposes. Christiansen’s use of the sauna may not be illegal, but it shows a lapse in judgment.

  We expect public officials to avoid even the appearance of impropriety. They often disappoint.

  Christiansen has been County Board chairman since he was appointed in 2004. The Editorial Board has praised many, if not most, of his initiatives so much so that other elected officials have asked how they could get equally favorable opinions written about them.

  Our response has been: “Do the right things in the right ways.”

  Christiansen diverged from the “right ways” mantra with his personal use of a taxpayer-funded item.

  He does not dispute the facts.

  — FBI agents seized a sauna Dec. 17 as part of the agency’s investigation into county purchasing irregularities.

  — The sauna had been in Christiansen’s home for about a year before he and his brother dismantled it and took it to the basement of the downtown Public Safety Building where it could be used in the county’s wellness program.

  Check with your boss (we did). If you had something paid for by the company delivered to your house for personal use, even if it is for a “trial period,” would you have a job tomorrow? (Our boss said no.)

  Christiansen’s defense is lame: “To try to tie a federal investigation into an effort to treat a health condition is inappropriate and simply politics of the worst kind,” he posted on Facebook.

  Our reporter made the connection based on facts that became public after FBI agents confiscated the sauna. Christiansen volunteered information, acknowledging that he was waiving his HIPPA rights. Also, for Christiansen to hint that our reporter pursued the story because this is an election year is beneath Christiansen.

  Christiansen is being challenged in the March 15 Republican primary by Frank Haney, chairman of the Rock Valley College board of trustees,

• It’s never good news when the feds are investigating what’s going on within a taxing entity in your community. They tend to be very thorough so there’s no telling what they might dig up.

If the feds find more improprieties, “disappointed” would not be a strong enough word to use.

Above is from:   http://www.rrstar.com/opinion/20160120/our-view-politics-health-have-nothing-to-do-with-perceived-abuse-of-winnebago-county-tax-dollars/?Start=2

Interesting Legal Decisions

Zoning Ordinance Limiting Tattoo Parlors Unconstitutional

From the IML comes an interesting First Amendment case involving zoning and tattoo parlors. Buerhle v. City of Key West (11th Cir. December 29 2016). The City of Key West Florida adopted an ordinance that prohibited more than two tattoo establishments in the City's historic district. A tattoo artist challenged the ordinance after he was barred from opening up a business in the historic business. The lawsuit claimed that the zoning regulation violated the First Amendment because a tattoo is expressive speech under the constitution.  The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed, and found the ordinance unconstitutional.

The question of whether a tattoo is protected speech was a case of first impression for the 11th Circuit. Other courts had already ruled that tattoos were protected speech, including the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Arizona Supreme Court in a case we wrote about here.

Above is taken from:  http://municipalminute.ancelglink.com/2016/01/zoning-ordinance-limiting-tattoo.html

Governor Rauner Is Skipping Payments for Vital Public Services but Paying Banks $6 Million per Month for Toxic Swaps

 

Chicago, IL –(ENEWSPF)–January 19, 2016.   Even though the Rauner Administration is skipping payments that the State of Illinois is legally required to make to social service providers under federal law, the state nevertheless pays banks like Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase $6 million per month for interest rate swap deals. That is the conclusion of a new report by the ReFund America Project called Turned Around: How the Swaps that Were Supposed to Save Illinois Millions Became Toxic.

The report shows that the State of Illinois is embroiled in the same toxic swaps that have been blamed for the financial problems facing the City of Chicago and Chicago Public Schools. Illinois has spent $618 million on these swaps already, and the total cost to taxpayers could climb to $1.45 billion by the time these deals end in 2033. However, if the budget impasse continues and the state’s credit rating tumbles further, Illinois taxpayers could be hit with $124 million in termination penalties on some of its swaps as early as this November. The report recommends that the state should take legal action to get out of the deals without penalties and to recover past taxpayer losses.

“This report shows that these toxic swaps have been an unmitigated disaster for the state, failing in almost every way,” said Saqib Bhatti, Director of the ReFund America Project and one of the co-authors of the report. “If state officials knew then what we know now, it would have been financially irresponsible for them to have signed these deals. We believe the banks that pitched these deals to the state misrepresented the risks, and we are calling on the Governor to take legal action against them to get back our money so that we can properly fund services in Illinois.”

“This reports shows that toxic swaps have been draining money out of the state’s budget for years. That Illinois continues to pay the banks for these swap deals at a time when there is no state budget – and many vital social services are missing their funding – raises real questions about the state’s moral priorities,” said Carrie Sloan of Refund America Project, the report’s co-author. “Right now the state is choosing to keep paying bankers for possibly fraudulent deals, at the expense of children, domestic violence victims, the homeless, and college students, among others. Instead, we urge Illinois to take every action available to it to end the deals without paying penalties, recover monies, and enact a fair budget.”

“Every day in Brighton Park I see people seeking assistance for programs like LIHEAP; on the first day alone of the program, we were able to help 115 families. Teen Reach has served about 200 students in Brighton Park every year. We’ve offered programs for academic support, character development, enrichment, health and wellness, STEM-based, fine arts, service learning projects, and more. These programs also kept students off the streets and in a safe space to learn and grow. The budget impasse is putting all of these vital programs in jeopardy. During this time of crisis we should be protecting working families not bank profits,” stated Marcos Ceniceros with the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, a member organization of Grassroots Collaborative.

Evan Cauble-Johnson, Chief Development Officer at Inspiration Corporation, an agency that provides job training and employment placement, supportive housing, and other services to Chicago’s homeless and low-income residents stated, “Having accumulated more than $100,000 in unpaid receivables from the State, our agency has been forced to access lines of credit to maintain services, and we are beginning to question how long we can continue to operate our housing program without a budget.  If we do not see payments for another month, we will almost certainly be forced to enact contingency plans that would immediately cut services to more than 80 households, many of them families with children.”

Key Findings from the Report:

• Even though the State of Illinois has been skipping some legally-required payments to social service providers because of the budget stalemate, it has nevertheless made paid banks $6 million per month for interest rate swaps.

• Illinois paid banks $618 million on these swap deals through the end of fiscal year 2015, and the State Comptroller’s office estimates the state will pay another $832 million over the remaining life of the deals, through October 2033, bringing the total taxpayer cost to $1.45 billion.

• These swaps did not work as they were supposed to, and actually cost the state millions more than traditional fixed-rate bonds would have.

• If Illinois’s credit rating continues to decline, which is likely given the ongoing budget stalemate, it could trigger termination clauses on some of the state’s swaps and force taxpayers to pay $124 million in penalties to the banks. This could happen as early as this November.

• Illinois taxpayers could indirectly be on the hook for $636 million in swap termination penalties owed by the City of Chicago and Chicago Public Schools. At the same time the Emanuel Administration is paying these swap penalties, the Mayor is seeking $800 million in state assistance for the city, schools, and Chicago Transit Authority budgets.

• The banks that marketed and sold interest rate swaps to cities and states typically misrepresented the risks associated with the deals, in violation of the federal fair dealing rule and the Illinois state law of fraudulent concealment. The state should take legal action to get out of the deals without penalties and to recover taxpayer losses. This would allow the state to stop paying banks $68 million a year, recover up to $618 million in past swap payments, and eliminate the threat of termination penalties as the state’s financial health continues to deteriorate.

The full report can be found at: http://www.refundproject.org/#turned-around

###

Grassroots Collaborative is Action Now, American Friends Service Committee – Great Lakes Region, Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, Chicago Teachers Union, Enlace Chicago, Illinois Hunger Coalition, Jane Addams Senior Caucus, ONE Northside, Service Employees International Union Healthcare Illinois Indiana

Source: http://www.grassrootscollaborative.org

- See more at: http://enewspf.com/2016/01/19/new-report-governor-rauner-spends-millions-on-bad-bank-deals-while-cutting-social-services-and-college-grants/#sthash.zqr6CpRt.dpuf

Rauner suspends $26 million in social services, public health grants

llinois Gov. Bruce Rauner suspended $26 million in social services and public health grants as part of his push to whittle away at a $1.6 billion shortfall in the current state budget.

The Republican's office released a list of targeted programs late Friday that included funding to pay for the funerals and burials of public-assistance recipients, smoking cessation, teen programs, autism, and HIV and AIDS programs, among other things.

Rauner also froze $3.4 million in funding for immigrant integration assistance as part of ongoing efforts to keep the state rolling through the June 30 end of the fiscal year.

Rauner's office said the check-writing halt - he also interrupted $180 million in parkland grants in March - is necessary because the expenditures were based on the assumption a temporary income tax would be extended past January, but it wasn't after Rauner won the election.

"Part of the solution to solving the inherited $1.6 billion budget hole without raising taxes or increasing borrowing is to continue to evaluate the current fiscal year's budget," Rauner spokeswoman Catherine Kelly said. "The governor's office worked with agencies to see which grants could be suspended and prioritized essential services."

The cuts will save the state $21.8 million in Department of Human Services Grants and $4.5 million in unexpended funding through the Department of Public Health. The suspensions only affect this year's funding, Kelly said.

Gov. Rauner issues his first two pardons

Gov. Bruce Rauner has issued his first two pardons, as well as rejecting 57 other clemency requests he has considered since taking office.

Gov. Bruce Rauner has issued his first two pardons, as well as rejecting 57 other clemency requests he has considered since taking office.

But there's always another price - this one paid for by constituents who, as soon as Monday morning, will be told through closed doors there's no more money to help them.

Breandan Magee, senior director of programs for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, said dozens of organizations assisted 102,000 legal immigrants in 2014 with applications for citizenship, English as a Second Language classes and health and nutrition programs for low-income immigrants.

"There are 299 jobs across 60 different immigrant-services agencies at risk" with funding ceasing, Magee said Saturday. "There are workshops scheduled for citizenship, applications for citizenship pending, ESL classes hallway through."

Immigrant integration programs - which Rauner proposed eliminating entirely in the 2016 budget - will forfeit nearly half of their $6.7 million budget, according to figures provided by the governor's office. Magee said he hopes the state will cover expenses he's already incurred.

A copy of Friday's letter from Human Services, obtained by The Associated Press, notifies the recipient to "immediately cease incurring additional obligations, costs or spending any further grant funds." Agencies must submit records of all spending for the year.

Jimi Orange of Children's Home and Aid faces the unenviable task of telling up to 25 of the 100 children in Chicago's impoverished West Englewood neighborhood they can't come to Earle Elementary School for after-class tutoring and cultural activities because the state has recalled the remaining $3.1 million of Teen REACH money for kids ages 7 to 17.

"The staff's concern is how to tell the families? What to tell the kids? How to tell the kids?" Orange said. "These are kids who already have abandonment issues, trust issues."

Parkland-related grants Rauner has suspended this year include $90 million for park facility construction, $56 million for local governments to purchase open space for future parkland, and $30 million for museum capital-construction grants.

Grants suspended by Rauner include:

DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES

Funeral & Burial, $6.9 million

Immigrant Integration Services, $3.4 million

Welcoming Centers, $191,300

ARC Lifespan, $118,100

Best Buddies, $250,000

Autism, $1 million

Group Home Loans, $20,000

Compulsive Gambling, $406,000

Westside Health, $94,200

Addiction Prevention, $1.6 million

Assistance for Homeless, $300,000

Community Services, $2 million

Teen REACH, $3.1 million

Coalition F/Tech Assist-Child, $250,000

For Children's Health Program, $231,600

Outreach to Individuals to Engage in Services, $380,700

Regions Special Consumer Support, $277,700

SMRF Training, $420,100

Transportation, $43,900

DD Latino Outreach, $87,500

Microboard Development and Outreach, $47,500

Epilepsy, $514,700

DHS TOTAL: $21.8 million

DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

Brothers and Sisters United Against HIV/AIDS, $789,800

Increasing Access to Health Care-Wellness on Wheels, $180,000

Wellness on Wheels - Mobile Administration 2015, $135,000

Illinois Tobacco Quitline, $3.1 million

Project Safe Sleep Education and Outreach, $250,000

MidAmerica Regional Public Health Leadership Institute, $75,000

IDPH TOTAL: $4.5 million

DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES*

Park and Recreational Facility Construction, $89.5 million

Open Space Lands Acqusition and Development, $56.3 million

Museum Capital Grants, $30.4 million

Bike Paths, Mud-to-Parks, others, $2.6 million

IDNR TOTAL: $178.8 million

*Grants suspended in March

Associated Press

Above is from: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/chi-rauner-social-services-20150404-story.html

Rauner's Republicans to propose allowing bankruptcy, state oversight of CPS

 

Rick Pearson and Kim GeigerChicago Tribune

Republican legislative leaders on Wednesday are expected to unveil proposals to allow Chicago Public Schools to declare bankruptcy and to put the financially struggling school district under state supervision, sources said Tuesday.

It's the latest move as Gov. Bruce Rauner and Mayor Rahm Emanuel continue to play the blame game over CPS' $480 million budget shortfall that threatens layoffs and has led to heavy borrowing to keep the state's largest school district afloat.

House Republican leader Jim Durkin and Senate Republican leader Christine Radogno are scheduled to unveil the proposals at a Wednesday morning news conference where an adviser said they'll "introduce legislation pertaining to the fiscal crisis in the city of Chicago and the Chicago Public School system." That also could include a provision allowing City Hall to declare bankruptcy as well, the source said.

Juan Perez Jr.

Reinforcing Wall Street's dim view of Chicago Public Schools finances, Standard & Poor's on Friday downgraded the district's debt by two notches.

"The rating action reflects our view of the board's low liquidity and significant reliance on market access to continue supporting operating and debt-service...

Reinforcing Wall Street's dim view of Chicago Public Schools finances, Standard & Poor's on Friday downgraded the district's debt by two notches.

"The rating action reflects our view of the board's low liquidity and significant reliance on market access to continue supporting operating and debt-service...

(Juan Perez Jr.)

Emanuel has spoken out against Rauner's bankruptcy idea in the past, saying instead the state should provide more money to CPS to cover its pension costs. That position hasn't changed.

"The mayor is 100 percent opposed to Gov. Rauner's 'plan' to drive CPS bankrupt. If the governor was serious about helping Chicago students, he should start by proposing — and passing — a budget that fully funds education and treats CPS students like every other child in the state," Emanuel spokeswoman Kelley Quinn said in a statement Tuesday.

Radogno brought up the bankruptcy option on last weekend's "Sunday Spin" radio show on WGN-AM 720. Declaring bankruptcy would allow the district to ditch its union contracts, which dovetails with Rauner's broader union-weakening push.

 

 

On Tuesday, Rauner was asked about a CPS bankruptcy bill and took shots at the mayor.

 

"I'm worried that the mayor is failing. The mayor gave in and caved on the (teachers) strike 41/2 years ago. Hurt the taxpayers, hurt the schoolchildren as a result. I'm very concerned about the trajectory of where we're going with CPS. And right now, the mayor's only real message to the state government is 'Hey, we failed financially our schoolchildren, send us half a billion dollars. That's not a reasonable position for the mayor to take,'" Rauner told reporters.

Rauner said he would be taking unspecified "action to protect the schoolchildren so they have good access and they have teachers and they have effective classrooms. And we're going to protect the schoolchildren and the taxpayers as well."

State universities: Illinois budget stalemate causing damage 'beyond repair'

Jodi S. Cohen

With no money from the state in nearly seven months and its financial reserves almost depleted, Chicago State University said Monday that it will be unable to pay its employees come March unless money begins flowing again from Springfield.

"This is a crisis by every definition of the word crisis,"...

With no money from the state in nearly seven months and its financial reserves almost depleted, Chicago State University said Monday that it will be unable to pay its employees come March unless money begins flowing again from Springfield.

"This is a crisis by every definition of the word crisis,"...

(Jodi S. Cohen)

CPS CEO Forrest Claypool fired back, calling the governor's comments "deeply irresponsible." The Chicago Teachers Union and district negotiators met again Tuesday in an effort to replace a contract that expired this past summer.

"The governor is defending a school funding system that is separate but unequal," Claypool said in a statement.

Tribune reporter Juan Perez Jr. contributed.

Above articles from:  http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-illinois-republicans-cps-bankruptcy-met-20160119-story.html