Mailee Smith August 11, 2020
The death of George Floyd in the custody of a Minneapolis police officer set off a firestorm of calls for police reform. Witnesses captured the scene with their smartphones, enabling the world to watch video of an officer pinning Floyd to the ground, with a knee to his neck, for nearly nine minutes.
Reformers are calling for broad changes. Many of the contemplated reforms—such as making it easier to fire problem officers—are meant both to protect citizens from police brutality and to protect the vast majority of police officers who serve honorably from having their reputations tarnished by the conduct of a few.
These efforts could prove meaningless, though, in states like Illinois that give public-employee union contracts greater power than state law. Buried deep in the Illinois Public Labor Relations Act, which gives collective bargaining power to police unions, is Section 15, entitled “Act Takes Precedence.” Section 15 explicitly provides that when a government-union contract conflicts with any other law or regulation, the contract prevails............To Read More.....
Editor's Note: I recommend subscribing to their e-mail alerts.
My Take - Whether or not we agree with the provisions of these contracts is immaterial to the point at hand. These unions are now a fifth branch of Illinois' government right behind the fourth branch, the bureaucracy, neither of which is authorized to have the power they have by the voters, or any state .or the federal constitutions. This is the corruption of big government's elected officials who've been bought lock, stock and barrel by the unions and interest groups, all of whom end up with too much power and too much money.
The death of George Floyd in the custody of a Minneapolis police officer set off a firestorm of calls for police reform. Witnesses captured the scene with their smartphones, enabling the world to watch video of an officer pinning Floyd to the ground, with a knee to his neck, for nearly nine minutes.
Reformers are calling for broad changes. Many of the contemplated reforms—such as making it easier to fire problem officers—are meant both to protect citizens from police brutality and to protect the vast majority of police officers who serve honorably from having their reputations tarnished by the conduct of a few.
These efforts could prove meaningless, though, in states like Illinois that give public-employee union contracts greater power than state law. Buried deep in the Illinois Public Labor Relations Act, which gives collective bargaining power to police unions, is Section 15, entitled “Act Takes Precedence.” Section 15 explicitly provides that when a government-union contract conflicts with any other law or regulation, the contract prevails............To Read More.....
Editor's Note: I recommend subscribing to their e-mail alerts.
My Take - Whether or not we agree with the provisions of these contracts is immaterial to the point at hand. These unions are now a fifth branch of Illinois' government right behind the fourth branch, the bureaucracy, neither of which is authorized to have the power they have by the voters, or any state .or the federal constitutions. This is the corruption of big government's elected officials who've been bought lock, stock and barrel by the unions and interest groups, all of whom end up with too much power and too much money.
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