CHICAGO — Gov. Bruce Rauner has long said he is not pushing a “right-to-work” agenda for Illinois, but when speaking to a friendly crowd Friday at the Illinois Manufacturers Association’s annual luncheon, Rauner said the idea was only off the table “for now.”

Rauner claimed that Illinois’ labor regulations, while all the states around us have gone right-to-work, that’s killing a lot of employers.

He told the crowd he’s taken right-to-work off the table, for now, in the spirit of trying to get a deal.
However, he is currently pushing a less aggressive version of right-to-work, which allows local governments and school districts to decide what gets collectively bargained and whether or not to pay prevailing union wage rates on public projects.

That effort, along with a number of other items on Rauner’s legislative wish list, has held up action on a budget for state government since the new financial year began July 1. Rauner told the manufacturer’s group that he had always expected the budget fight to drag into the new year, and said it could be months still before a deal is made.

The governor has commented that when he started the process, he they would probably have a compromise in the fall, and that that was his original plan when he took office in January that they would have a compromise in the fall, but now it looks now most likely January to April.