Cunningham: ‘This is the result of Gov. Rauner’s obsessive attacks on public workers’

CHICAGO – State Senator Bill Cunningham expressed disappointment in this morning’s U.S. Supreme Court decision to weaken collective bargaining rights for average workers who depend on unions to amplify their voice in the workplace.

“This is the result of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s obsessive attacks on teachers, police officers, firefighters and all the other public employees who do difficult work on behalf of taxpayers every day,” said Cunningham, a Democrat representing Chicago and the southwest suburbs.

“The middle class is shrinking in our nation, and it is in large part due to the loss of union jobs. Those losses will accelerate with the Janus decision. It’s both shameful and telling that the governor will count this set-back for working families as one of the few ‘accomplishments’ of his tenure.”

The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in the landmark Illinois public employee union case Janus v. AFSCME Council 31 overturns unions’ ability to collect fees from non-members to cover the costs of collective bargaining and enforcement of labor contracts. These fees are known as “fair-share” or “agency fee” payments.

Rauner filed suit over fair-share fees in 2015 shortly after becoming governor. The Supreme Court’s ruling, which overturns a 1977 decision, has implications for collective bargaining units all over the country.

During the past few years, I have worked with Evergreen Park Mayor Jim Sexton and 19th Ward Ald. Matt O’Shea to hold CSX Railroad accountable for the frequent traffic delays it creates in our communities.

In 2016, the City of Chicago and the Village of Evergreen Park initiated legal action against CSX related to ongoing public safety and quality-of-life issues arising from the repeated blockage of grade crossings by stopped trains or malfunctioning gates on CSX’s Elsdon Line. This particular rail line runs north and south (mostly parallel to Sacramento Avenue) before angling northwest and crossing Kedzie just north of 95th Street.

In 2016, the City of Chicago and the Village of Evergreen Park initiated legal action against CSX related to ongoing public safety and quality-of-life issues arising from the repeated blockage of grade crossings by stopped trains or malfunctioning gates on CSX’s Elsdon Line. This particular rail line runs north and south (mostly parallel to Sacramento Avenue) before angling northwest and crossing Kedzie just north of 95th Street.

As a result of this legal action, CSX is required to file monthly reports with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) regarding use of the line through June 2018.

As the STB reporting period draws to a close, I’d like to ask residents to comment on their experiences with the Elsdon Line during the past 12 to 18 months. Please note: this does not include the recent closing of the 95th and 103rd Street crossings, which was part of a regularly scheduled reconstruction project. Complaints should focus solely on delays or other issues caused when the line is operating under normal circumstances.

CHICAGO – A resolution presented by State Senator Bill Cunningham celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Special Olympics and congratulates Special Olympic athletes, past and present, on their accomplishments.

“As athletes and organizers from all over the world prepare to convene in Chicago to celebrate the Special Olympics’ 50^th anniversary, I’m privileged to present Senate Resolution 1796 to commemorate the athletes who have carried this movement for their continuous inspiration over the past 50 years and to encourage the next generation of athletes and volunteers to get involved,” Cunningham said.

While the official 2018 Special Olympic Games will take place in Seattle this summer, there is a week-long series of events taking place in Chicago from July 17-21 to celebrate the Games’ 50^th anniversary and raise awareness and support of the Special Olympics and its “Choose to Include” movement. Over 70,000 athletes and supporters are scheduled to attend.

Earlier this year, the Chicago Park District presented the Eternal Flame of Hope Monument as a permanent tribute to the organization and its athletes. The monument sits at the entrance of Soldier Field, the site of the very first Special Olympics.

The Special Olympics was inaugurated in July of 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the sister of President John F. Kennedy, who invited 1,000 intellectually disabled athletes from 26 states and Canada to Chicago’s Soldier Field to compete in Olympic-style track and field events.

Cunningham has been an active supporter of the Special Olympics for years, having frequently participated in the organization's Polar Plunge and the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Illinois to raise money and to gain awareness for the athletes who participate in the games.