Public-Union Payouts Bleed Illinois Families

The letters “In Defense of Illinois’s Public-Union Contract” (Aug. 8) omit some salient facts. Illinois Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi writes of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s big re-election win. He doesn’t say that Mr. Pritzker spent millions on preprimary ad buys to ensure that the most radical Republican would be nominated as his opponent.

In praising the governor’s fiscal management, he also doesn’t mention Illinois’s unsustainable pension debt, caused in great part by the state’s Democratic governors caving to union demands in return for financial contributions and manpower. That would be a criminal offense in the private sector, which is a strong argument for banning public-sector unions.

Rob Klein

Deerfield, Ill.

Rep. Krishnamoorthi writes that rating agencies have upgraded Illinois’s credit rating eight times under Mr. Pritzker’s leadership. Left unsaid is that, according to the State Journal-Register, “Illinois continues to have the lowest rated general obligation bonds of any state.” Its sluggish growth hasn’t helped.

As to the union pay increases, Lee Saunders and Roberta Lynch of Afscme seem to forget that those increases and the attendant pension payouts are, to borrow their words, “putting the squeeze on working class people”—just not those who enjoy public-union protection. Illinois has the second-highest property-tax rate in the country in large part because it has the second-highest level of unfunded public pension obligations, amounting to $41,656 for every man, woman and child in the state.

Our public-union employees retire quite well. I wish I could say, “You’re welcome.” Meanwhile, Illinois continues to be a most unattractive place to put down roots and raise families. The state lost a record 104,000 people from July 2021 to July 2022.

Lou Bury

Plainfield, Ill.

I’m a retired teacher who is enjoying the six-figure pension the teachers unions imposed on the taxpayers of Illinois. What I gave in pension payments over my 34 years paid less than 5% of the money I have received in the 20 years collecting my pension. The unions, in league with the Democrats, will bankrupt the state because no one represents the taxpayers. Mr. Pritzker has raised taxes and fees 24 times as governor. Thank goodness I escaped to North Carolina.

John Allen

Hendersonville, N.C.