Illinois governor Bruce Rauner joined a Labor Day parade today in friendly territory, west-suburban Naperville. Rauner is not seen as a friend of organized labor. But he got cheers at this heavily Republican parade, marching amidst the high school bands and dance teams.
"Enjoy Labor Day! Happy parade!"
Jim Caffray, a home remodeler from Oswego, says he likes that the governor is fighting the democratic machine. There’s no unions in this Labor Day parade.
"I think that’s great, actually. Because I think the unions have been destroying this country for 50 years now."
There were still union supporters in the crowd. A Batavia public school teacher greeted Rauner like this:
"Go UNIONS! IEA, NEA! Support the teachers—they’re our future!"
Rauner remains locked in a prolonged fight with the state workers’ union.