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Rauner Hints State Workers Paid Too Much, Shouldn't Be Able To Strike

Bruce Rauner
brucerauner.com

State employees can rest assured-- Gov. Bruce Rauner does not want to cut their salaries. But a memo sent to state legislators Monday warns of other changes the governor would like to see.

Shortly after becoming governor, Rauner tried to spread goodwill, reaching out to workers with visits to state offices.

"I want to make Illinois a wonderful place to work for everyone here. I want good, fair compensation."

Then came a series of speeches, previewing his State of the State address on Wednesday, in which he says Illinois' payroll is bloated.

Now - the memo. Rauner writes that he has no intent of proposing a pay cut. But he paired it with PowerPoint slides that aim to showcase jobs in which state workers, like cooks and barbers, make far more than the average wage for that job.

The Republican writes that spending on salaries is unsustainable, and called for major, structural reforms.

Amanda Vinicky moved to Chicago Tonight on WTTW-TV PBS in 2017.
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