Gov. Bruce Rauner's campaign rhetoric was a turnoff for Illinois' public employee unions; he continually blamed "union bosses" for contributing to the state's financial woes. Now Rauner's making direct appeals to workers.
It wasn't just the campaign; during his inaugural address, Rauner touched again on what labor leaders consider an anti-union theme. He said Illinois has an ethical crisis because taxpayers “see government union bosses negotiating sweetheart deals across the table from governors they've spent tens of millions of dollars to help elect."
It's the sort of talk that's raised fears of what Rauner will try to do as he and the state's largest public workers' union, AFSCME, try to hash out a new contract this year. Rauner also wants to move state workers out of pensions and into a 401-k-style system.
But in a video to state employees on Friday, Rauner said he wants to make Illinois a “wonderful place to work.”
"I want good, fair compensation with appropriate, good, attractive benefits," he said, with a smile.
Rauner also talked about giving workers' money in exchange for coming up with ways to make government more efficient, "like to find ways where you can be compensated, and make bonuses, based upon productivity and effectiveness. So it's a win for you, and a win for the taxpayers as well. I'd also like to explore opportunities where you can keep more of your hard-earned money in your pocket as you serve the people of our great state."
In the video, Rauner told workers he wants to meet many of them personally.
He visited the Department of Transportation and Illinois Emergency Management Agency's headquarters in Springfield on Thursday.