This week in the war on workers: Judge blocks effort to shut workers up in Chicago mayoral election

Laura Clawson for Daily Kos Labor

Daily Kos Staff

Saturday April 04, 2015 · 3:55 PM PDT

2015/04/04 · 15:55

no image description available — Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel

A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order against the Chicago Transit Authority's attempt to ban political speech. The Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents CTA workers, had endorsed Jesus "Chuy" Garcia in the mayoral election against incumbent Rahm Emanuel, and the ban on talking politics in the workplace came not long after Garcia forced the election to a runoff. And it wasn't business as usual:

In the past, the Chicago Transit Authority has allowed employees to distribute political material in break rooms on non-working time, according to the lawsuit. [...]
[ATU president Larry] Hanley points out that Emanuel held a press conference Friday in the work area of a city bus garage, where he announced the expansion of a city internship program. Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., who has endorsed the mayor’s re-election, was in attendance and wearing an Emanuel campaign button at the time, according to the lawsuit.

“If it’s unethical for a bus driver to talk to a bus driver about the election, why is ethical for Rahm Emanuel to come into a garage and hold a political event?” Hanley says. “This smells of unfair advantage and bullying.”

In any case, with the runoff coming on Tuesday, there's not a lot of time left to fight this one out—but hopefully CTA workers know whose appointees were trying to shut them up.

Please chip in $3 to help Chuy Garcia finish strong against Rahm Emanuel.

Continue reading below the fold for more of the week's labor and education news.

A fair day's wage

Belabored talks about pregnancy at work—and losing your job over it.
Rand Paul's favorite union-buster.
The poor are treated like criminals everywhere—even at the grocery store.
Seattle is beginning to phase in its $15 minimum wage. Here's how that's supposed to work. Activists, meanwhile, are taking enforcement into their own hands. And businesses don't seem to be getting scared off.
Dollar General continues to be a terrible place to work.
Anti-worker lobby fights hiring mandates aimed at helping former felons and addicts and people with disabilities.
Breaking: @UAW membership rises 3.1 percent in 2014 to 403,466 -- first time above 400,000 members since 2009. Story coming @detroitnews
— @davidshepardson
Is there anything to gain from Ellen Pao's loss?

Education

Labor audio

Workers Independent News union economy newsdesk:

This week in the war on workers: Judge blocks effort to shut workers up in Chicago mayoral election

Comments are closed on this story.