The organized work prepares a scorched earth attack on Rauner

CHICAGO – The blockbuster Janus c. AFSCME The Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday is already shaping the legacy of Bruce Rauner as governor of Illinois. But he also threatens to end his political career.

From the moment Rauner announced that he would pursue the 2015 case that could financially paralyze public sector unions – he was eventually fired as a plaintiff by a judge for lack of status – hand – union work has been in a state of alert.

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Now, as a result of the High Court's ruling flowing from this policy, the Illinois unions – both public and private – have pledged to do whatever it takes to send Rauner packing in November. And they say that they are more unified and strategically coordinated than ever before.

Unions have already stepped up their fundraising efforts and, in anticipation of an unfavorable decision, they have worked to increase recruitment and block memberships, which account for more than 628,000 in the public sector alone. 39; Illinois.

But this week they have delivered a much more strategic shot: helping to secure the candidacy of a third-division governor candidate who will challenge Rauner from the right in November.

The presence of state Sam McCann on the ballot threatens to dilute support in key Republican areas Rauner must dominate if he wants to have a chance to fight in November in this solidly blue state. Rauner already had little room for error in his climb reelection against the billionaire democrat J.B. Pritzker.

"This governor has proved that it is antithetic to what most people believe.It is not difficult to motivate our members," said Wednesday the president of the Federation of Teachers of the United States. Illinois, Dan Montgomery.

Rauner's policies – including an unsuccessful attempt to set up workplaces in the state and a prolonged budget fight that has dealt a blow to funding for higher education – are partly what motivated a 600% stake in regional FTI meetings. l & # 39; state.

In general, dozens of people have been able to attend these meetings in the past. Then, said Montgomery, hundreds of people began to attend.

"It shows more commitment, more awareness and more participation," he said. "There is a lot of interest and motivation, higher than what I've seen since I was in this position."

The decision of the high court in favor of Illinois worker Mark Janus dictated that public employees can not be forced to pay union dues, which significantly impairs the ability of unions to generate income.

While multimillionaire Rauner has always had the resources to compete on the air and in the field in a re-election campaign that is headed for record levels of spending, the governor faces a unified and highly motivated union movement. in autumn.

McCann, a Republican from a heavily unionized district, challenged Rauner on legislative votes involving unions, and then survived Rauner's multi-million dollar attempt to take him to a local elementary school.

Rewarding McCann's loyalty, Local 150 of the International Union of Operating Engineers funded an expensive petition collection that required a year of planning, thousands of infantrymen, and intensive legal resources to put it to the vote. .

The effort was a heavy load that required collect more than 25,000 valid signatures without duplicating primary school petition circulators. On Monday, the union helped to sign more than 60,000 signatures and went so far as to check out 35,000 just to make sure McCann crossed the threshold.

"Sam McCann will not be eliminated from this poll," said James McSweeney, president of IUOE Local 150.

McCann threatens to erode Rauner's support in central and southern Illinois, areas that proved crucial for the governor's election in 2014. McSweeney said many of his own members , 50 percent of whom identify as Republicans, had already voted for Rauner. The intention now is to give these members a pro-union Republican choice.

"If the Republicans were to win in this election, it will be with McCann, not with Rauner, we can not take another four years of Bruce Rauner."

Still, there was a potential political point of view for Rauner on Wednesday as he stood on the steps of the US Supreme Court to claim a political victory that he called a major victory for them. taxpayers. The decision is to revive enthusiasm for Rauner amidst a conservative base that the insane governor with his support for a law providing public funding for abortion.

Rauner managed to at least temporarily rectify the barriers with John Tillman, director of the conservative Illinois Policy Institute and a political agent whose group served as the driving force behind the Janus affair.

President Donald Trump, who made no mention of the governor, offered his public support for the decision.

"The Supreme Court rules in favor of non-union workers who are now, for example, able to support a candidate of their choice without those who control the Union decide for them," Trump said in a tweet. "Great loss for the coffers of the democrats!"