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NewsWednesday, October 17, 2007 5:52 PM CDT
Officials in limbo over statewide construction program funding
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SPRINGFIELD — Anthony Spates has a lot riding on the passage of a controversial statewide construction program.

Like many of his counterparts who work as laborers in the construction field, the 42-year-old father of three from Decatur has been working fewer and fewer hours in recent years — not because he doesn’t want to, but because there are fewer jobs available.

The situation has left him occasionally without health insurance to cover his young family.

“That does not make me proud,” Spates said Tuesday as he and a handful of rank-and-file union laborers from throughout the state gathered in the Capitol to lobby for the passage of the controversial road and bridge building proposal.

Spates’ said he’s averaging less than 900 hours of work as a laborer over the past six years as state-funded construction projects have dried up because lawmakers and Gov. Rod Blagojevich can’t agree on how to pay for the program.

“I want to work hard,” Spates said.

While most lawmakers and the governor agree that the state needs to pump more money into road, school and bridge building, there are deep divisions over how to pay for the program.

Massive expasion

The debate this year has centered on the passage of a massive expansion of gambling, in which Chicago and two of its suburbs would get new casinos and existing casinos would have the chance to add more gambling positions, such as slot machines.

The money generated by the new casinos would finance billions of dollars in construction projects, resulting in the creation of thousands of good-paying construction jobs.

That plan has been approved in the Senate, but has stalled in the House, where leaders say the expansion may not pass muster.

The impasse has resulted in a record-setting overtime session, as well as bitter feelings between Blagojevich and House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago.

Hearing scheduled

On Wednesday, however, Madigan has scheduled a hearing to discuss the gambling package.

The union workers said Tuesday that they don’t care how the proposal is financed. They just want steady paychecks.

Brenda Taylor of Rock Island, a second generation member of the Laborer’s International union, said she’s found little work this year, despite undergoing large amounts of training aimed at qualifying her for numerous jobs.

She said the situation in Illinois makes it tempting for her to cross the Mississippi River into Iowa to make ends meet.

“Why would you stay in a state when you can’t make a dime?” Taylor said.

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Reader comments on this story - 3 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

To: Billie Bob wrote on Oct 17, 2007 4:51 PM:

" Where do you propose to get the money needed to support all this spending that your democrats want to spend? Not having money is the issue. Sure, if you want to increase everyone taxes 10%, we could have plenty of money. That is, until the government adds more programs and we are in the red again. What is needed is less spending, not more. Responsible management of funds and decreased social programs is what is needed. The US has turned into a debtor nation to create this facade of wealth to buy your votes, and the masses being ignorant continue to sell their futures. "

JD wrote on Oct 16, 2007 9:18 PM:

" This is the problem with socializing work programs to give people work. The state can only afford to do this for some long. As the worker base increases, more and more money is needed to create artificial jobs for these employees. It hits a critical mass at some point, because the tax payer can no longer afford to any more taxes to artificially bolster that sector because the number of employee has gotten too great. Supply and demand works great, when the government does not attempt to 'tweak it' to 'make it better'. "

BILLY BOB wrote on Oct 16, 2007 8:54 PM:

" If I was a gambling man I would bet that you are going to be working less hours this year Anthony. The Dems are not going to pass your funding through the House. Remember to vote for those democrats at the next election. Educators and school systems are in the same boat. State Police will be on the chopping block soon. Remember to vote your Democrats back in at the next election. There answer is to tie your pay check to the gambling interprise and your health care to a cigarette tax. Thats liberal thinking for ya!!!!! "

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