Rauner draws battle lines with executive order

Lawyers' Forum

By Paul H. Burmeister and Steve A. Miller

Paul Burmeister and Steve A. Miller are attorneys at Fisher & Phillips LLP, a national labor and employment law firm that represents employers. They can be reached at pburmeister@laborlawyers.com and smiller@laborlawyers.com.

Posted March 9, 2015 3:00 PM

On Feb. 9, Gov. Bruce Rauner signed an executive order preventing unions representing state employees from collecting “fair share fees” from employees who are not union members. The stated reason for that executive order, which reverses decades of law allowing the collection of those fees, is to permit every state employee to enjoy the freedoms of speech and association enshrined in the state and federal constitutions. The reason for such a change in philosophy, other than the usual political …

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