State Sen. Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) recently scoffed at Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s opposition to an injunction supporting state workers, claiming in a Facebook post that she aimed to bolster House Speaker Mike Madigan’s (D-Chicago) standing.
“AG Lisa Madigan moves to strengthen Speaker Madigan's negotiating position at a table where he's done nothing but stall,” McConchie said on his webpage.
Although McConchie did not overtly mention their connection in his posting, most constituents know that the attorney general is the speaker of the House’s daughter — with potential implications of partisanship raising the level of alertness at least among some observers.
Illinois Republican Party spokesman Steven Yaffe called Lisa Madigan’s action “outrageous,” saying that she chose to put her father’s political aims ahead of Illinois families.
"Only a Madigan would try to disrupt bipartisan momentum in a matter that threatens to cripple government services and hurt state workers and their families,” Yaffe said, noting that the move comes at a time when steps toward a detente between parties have advanced.
Lisa Madigan requested the dissolution of what was issued as a preliminary injunction in 2014 to ensure the delivery of paychecks to state workers — a measure that was structured to provide certain standards of security for back pay and other aspects of earned compensation.
Hence, when a St. Clair County Circuit judge was asked to “dissolve” the injunction by the last day of February by Illinois State Attorney General Lisa Madigan, the request did not sit well with McConchie and may stand to impact thousands of state employees who belong to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and other major unions with contracts in Illinois.
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