Illinois governor Bruce Rauner: organized labor's public enemy No 1?

[Omaha Steve]

Union leaders say Republican who spent $27m of his own money on getting elected may surpass Wisconsin’s Scott Walker in ferocity of his ‘assault on labor’

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/feb/17/illinois-governor-bruce-rauner-unions-labor

Steven Greenhouse
Tuesday 17 February 2015 07.00 EST

Rob Fanti, a counselor for prisoners at the Sheridan correctional center outside Chicago, said he had expected Illinois’ new governor, Bruce Rauner, to begin his term by attacking the state’s outsize budget deficit.

Fanti said he was “stunned” that Rauner instead began by attacking labor unions, pushing a half-dozen proposals that would weaken and shrink organized labor. Among those proposals, Rauner – the former chairman of a private equity fund who spent $27m of his own money to win election – would prohibit government-employee unions from contributing to state and local political campaigns.

“This state has some major fiscal problems, but he wants to turn his attention to bashing state workers and busting unions,” said Fanti, who heads his prison’s 400-member union local. “Morale is right out the window now because of what he’s doing.”

Rauner ran to the right during the Republican primaries, saying “government union bosses” ran the state, but in the general election he muted his views on labor. Since his inauguration last month, however, he has emerged as a full-throated foe of unions, with some labor leaders complaining that he is pushing to demonize, defund and delegitimize unions. Some union leaders say he might supplant Wisconsin governor Scott Walker as labor’s public enemy No 1.

FULL story at link.

[Egnever]

1. Spent 27 mill of his own money for a governor seat

Holy cow!

Amazing that he was even a viable candidate after that. That is an insane amount of money and I am not sure if anyone has ever screamed any louder "I am going to buy myself the governors mansion". Amazing the people of Ill. let him get away with it.

[Drale]

3. The only reason he won was because the Media made Pat Quinns name toxic

anyone else who would have run that was even remotely qualified would be beat Brucy boy

[Bandit]

2. Unions had a chance to unify and combat this but they chose not to.

Until Unions unify they are going to continue to lose. It will be a death by a thousand cuts unless and until Unions wake up and realize they are almost history.. Unions could shut this country down if they so choose but as long as they say, well it isn't our union that is being picked on, so why should we care, then Unions will be a thing of the past.. That is just how it works. If you have Power, sometimes you need to exert it or lose it..