Governor should reopen negotiations with AFSCME now

Senator Andy Manar, a Bunker Hill Democrat and supporter of collective bargaining rights, reacted this afternoon to word that Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed a measure that would have protected the jobs of unionized state prison nurses:

Gov. Rauner went back to the table with these nurses and renegotiated their contract because of pressure from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Had it not been for that, he would have embraced this as yet another opportunity to thumb his nose at unions and working families. Since it was so easy for him to return to the table and reopen negotiations with the prison nurses, perhaps he can find it within himself to return to the table with AFSCME and do the same. As Gov. Rauner acknowledged in his veto message, an agreement is indeed possible when all parties work together.