Irony of the Day: Did Representative Tom Cross Forget that the IEA Supported His Re-election?

“When it comes to identifying a critical roadblock impeding the efforts of those working to reform Illinois' budget and addressing our state's pension crisis, Bruce Rauner's "Government unions and the downfall of Illinois" (Perspective, Nov. 1) makes a compelling case. Unfortunately, however, he used an overly broad stroke that mischaracterizes the true nature of where many legislators stand on reform.

“No honest assessment can lump legislative Republicans into the same category as the Speaker Michael Madigan/President John Cullerton-controlled majorities in the General Assembly. Republicans have been sounding the alarm on the need for comprehensive pension reform for several years. We have, in fact, spearheaded several reforms into law that curb abuses in state pension systems and put forward specific, detailed proposals to meet the challenge posed by the state's growing pension crisis.

“We also led the charge on workers' compensation reform, in the face of stiff resistance from the status quo Democratic majority whose members made clear to us that any reform opposed by the unions was automatically off the table. Undeterred, we kept up the fight. To this day, we are pushing for inclusion of the causation standard in workers' compensation claims, adding real teeth and cost-savings to the law enacted last year. Tort reform is another area where union opposition has thwarted common-sense reforms.

“Simply put, not every legislator in Springfield is beholden to government employee unions. Everyone knows that public sector unions are a core Democratic constituency. The millions of dollars in campaign contributions from these unions generally flow to one party, and it's not Republicans. Union campaign contributions to Republicans are a tiny fraction of the tens of millions given to Democrats. In fact, this year alone, public sector union campaign contributions to House Republicans amount to just 3 percent of the total that those very same unions have given to Speaker Madigan's organization.

“We recognize the concerns Rauner raised and share the commitment to help restore Illinois to a fiscally sane, common-sense path. What some on the outside looking in may not realize, however, is that legislative Republicans have been the leading voice for reform for years, long before the need was recognized at the Statehouse. Working together, we can enact the reforms we all agree are needed” — Tom Cross, House Republican leader, Oswego.

Printed as a comment under “Pension Support” in Voice of the People, The Chicago Tribune