Gov. Bruce Rauner mingled with Illinois residents and pushed his agenda at the state fair in Springfield Tuesday on the eve of an important vote in the Senate.
On Wednesday, the Senate is expected to vote to override the governor's veto of a measure that would ban a union strike or a government lockout in the event of an impasse. The state's contract with members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees expired June 30.
"They want to go to an arbitrator, an unelected, unaccountable, bureaucratic arbitrator who probably — most of them have the labor union backgrounds, and they're somebody who's going to be very sympathetic to their cause," Rauner said.
The Illinois State Fair took place this year in the middle of a budget crisis that has caused some potential problems for the fair's vendors, who have been told they may not be paid on time.
Some have complained that a state fair should not be held without a state budget, but Rauner stands by the decision to keep the event going.
"People said you shouldn't have a fair if you don't have a budget. I said, look, a lot of the money to support the fair was already spent prior to this crisis and the reality is the state fair brings in a lot of revenue," the governor said.
On Wednesday, Rauner will attend the annual "Governor's Day" at the fair. This day is reserved specifically for the governor, who often hosts special guests, including former governors.
