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Friday February 15, 2013
The Daily Illini www.DailyIllini.com
The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
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Vol. 142 Issue 102
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Same-sex marriage bill passes Ill. Senate
‘Hit it and quit it’
BY CHRISSY PAWLOWSKI STAFF WRITER
DANNY WICENTOWSKI THE DAILY ILLINI
Aaron Fuster, junior in Engineering, swings a stick at a heart-shaped, condom-filled pinata on the Quad on Thursday. The pinata was part of a booth run by the Mexican Student Organization. Students around Fuster chanted “Hit it and quit it!” while he hit the pinata.
LOCAL ELECTIONS
Forum scheduled for Urbana Dem. primary BY CORINNE RUFF STAFF WRITER
The Champaign County League of Women Voters will host a question forum for the Urbana Democratic primary on Friday night. The forum will be held in the Urbana City Council Chambers, 400 S. Vine St., and is open to the public. The forum begins at 7 p.m. with mayoral candidates Laurel Prussing and Les Stratton, who will each be given two minutes to introduce their campaign. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask candidates their questions.
After the forum, city clerk candidates Phyllis Clark and Robert Michael Gatsche will also answer questions from the public. Carole Rebeiz, voter service chair for the Champaign County League of Women Voters, said the organization hosts question forums for every contested local race to spread awareness of local elections. “This allows the community to have the opportunity to watch a forum and get an idea for what the candidates are like,” she said. Rebeiz said she expects about 30 people to attend. The event will be
broadcasted live on the Urbana Public Television on Channel 6 and will also be rebroadcasted several times before the Feb. 26 election. “This is important for Urbana since this may determine who wins in the general election because there is a larger Democratic community,” Rebeiz said. Sandra Kato, director of project Upward Bound at the office of minority student affairs at the University, will moderate the event.
STRATTON
PRUSSING
Corinne can be reached at cruff2@ dailyillini.com.
Flex-N-Gate workers fight to join United Auto Workers BY AUSTIN KEATING STAFF WRITER
ZACH DALZELL THE DAILY ILLINI
Serice Employees International Union members arrived to support FlexN-Gate workers, who want to join the United Auto Workers union, at a protest on Wednesday.
About half of Flex-N-Gate plants not unionized Eleven out of the 20 U.S. Flex-N-Gate plants are not unionized, including Urbana’s. Protestors on Wednesday said they want the plant to join the United Auto Workers union. non union
union
McCalla, AL Belvidere, IL Danville, IL Urbana, IL Angola, IN Covington, IN Veedersburg, IN Russellville, KY Battle Creek, MI Fowlerville, MI Grand Rapids, MI Iona, MI Royal Oak, MI Warren, MI Kansas City, MO Salem, OH Sandusky, OH Ada, OK
Source: Chris Schwartz, research coordinator for the UAW
INSIDE
J MICHAEL MIOUX Design Editor
Employees of the Urbana Flex-N-Gate car parts plant owned by local billionaire and alumnus Shahid Khan are looking for support from co-workers in petitioning to join the United Auto Workers union. “Workers have, for a long time now, wanted to improve working conditions at the plant,” said Chris Schwartz, research coordinator for the union. “For months and months, Flex-N-Gate has been reluctant to sit down and have a talk about a free and fair process for workers to form a union.” The group will need to rally the support of at least 30 percent of workers to send a petition to the Illinois Labor Relations Board for unionization. To raise awareness, employees of the headquarter facility in Urbana stationed themselves outside the building’s gates Wednesday. Similar events were staged at seven other Flex-N-Gate locations across the country Wednesday. Flex-N-Gate Corp. operates 20 facilities in the country, nine of which allow employees to join unions. Calls to the Urbana Flex-N-Gate were not returned. Isaias Ortega, robot technician at the plant, was one of the workers holding signs and blowing whistles at drivers entering the gates, some of whom honked in solidarity. Ortega said he thinks the reason plant workers hadn’t looked to unionization earlier was fear of retribution. “The thing is that these supervisors are scaring and intimidating our workers,” he said. He cited an example of a co-worker who was told he couldn’t participate in the event the night before by a supervisor.
“They said ‘I don’t want to see you out there. If I see you out there, you’re going to get fired,’” Ortega said. “That isn’t something you can do.” Jerry Harcharik, president of UAW local 2488 in Bloomington, joined with University students, community members, UAW members and local Service Employees International Union members. He said plant employees have to work for low wages and under poor safety conditions. “What these workers are forced to do, the conditions they’re asked to work under, the lack of pay, the lack of benefits — it’s unconscionable,” he said. “The guy who runs this place is worth $2.5 billion ... he sits in his high rise, and he doesn’t care, doesn’t even care to negotiate with them.” According to an Occupational Safety and Health Administration citation issued to Guardian West on Jan. 15, the plant was responsible for seven safety hazards classified as “serious” with proposed fines of up to $41,200. A serious violation is issued when there is a “substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.” Flex-N-Gate is currently negotiating with the administration, according to an email from OSHA spokesperson Allen Scott. Schwartz said this recent citation is one of the main reasons employees at Guardian West should be allowed to join UAW. “A union can both educate workers about the safety issues that they should be aware of and also provides them with
See FLEX-N-GATE, Page 3A
Under current legislation, Chan Choi, junior in FAA, only has the option of joining in a civil union in Illinois if he wants to legally commit to a partner. However, Illinois moved closer Thursday to becoming the 10th state in the nation to allow same-sex couples to legally wed, after the Senate voted to lift a ban on gay marriage. Senators voted 34-21 to approve the measure Thursday, sending it on to the state House where Democrats also hold a majority. Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn has said he will sign the bill if the House approves it. According to Quinn’s State of the State address Feb. 6, nearly 5,200 couples are joined in civil unions in the 94 counties in Illinois since the civil union law went into effect in June 2011. In Champaign County, 188 civil unions have been filed, said Champaign County Clerk Gordy Hulten. The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Heather Steans, D-Chicago, called it “a vote for the history books.” “We have the opportunity today to welcome all families in Illinois as equally valued,” she said. Choi had similar sentiments. “I think it is time for Illinois to pass the legislation because quite honestly ... it could be a monumental step for our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters,” Choi said. Some Republicans raised concerns that the bill would force religious organizations to allow samesex marriage ceremonies in their fellowship halls, parish centers or even in their sanctuaries. Before approving the measure, the Senate attached an amendment Thursday that explicitly states no church or other religious organization will be forced to perform same-sex marriages. It also says churches cannot be sued if they don’t allow their parishes to be used for same-sex marriage ceremonies. Sen. Jason Barickman, R-Champaign, was the only Republican to vote in favor of same-sex marriage. He said he worked with Steans on the amendment before pledging his support. “I think it was the right thing to do,” Barickman said. “It’s a vote that I understand some have varying opinions on, but I feel that I voted in the correct way.” The Valentine’s Day vote marked the first time samesex marriage has passed on the floor of either chamber of the Legislature. Steans and other supporters tried to pass it during the January lame duck session. But after getting approval from a Senate committee, Steans opted not to call for floor action, saying it didn’t have enough votes. After picking up seats in November, Democrats entered the current legislative session with control of 40 seats in the Senate, where 30 votes are required to advance most measures. The Senate Executive Committee approved the gay marriage bill on a partyline vote last week, setting up the Valentine’s Day floor action. Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, said he “the prospects are very good” in the House, where he’s the bill sponsor. Harris said he hasn’t spoken with House leadership about when a vote may occur in the House, but he said he hopes it will be soon. He wouldn’t comment on how the roll call looks so far. Polls show voters’ feelings shifting rapidly in favor of gay rights. Last year President Barack Obama said he supports same-sex marriage, and in November voters in four states either approved or voted down bans on same-sex marriage. “I think it’s a safer vote to vote with us than to vote against us at this point,” Bennett said. The issue has caused internal conflict among Republicans as the party works balance its efforts to appeal more to younger voters, minorities and women with the more socially conservative positions of some members. After Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady announced his support for gay marriage during the lame-duck legislative session, saying it was a civ-
See MARRIAGE, Page 3A
JUSTIN L. FOWLER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Illinois Sen. William Delgado, center, D-Chicago, celebrates after Senate Bill 10, a measure to legalize same-sex marriage, passed in the Senate with a vote of 34-21 at the Illinois State Capitol on Thursday in Springfield.
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