.jpg)
Despite a family history of actions to knock down unions, J.B. Pritzker is touting his endorsement from them in a new television ad, the Illinois Republican Party said in a recent press release.
“J.B. Pritzker’s new television ad is a deceptive attempt to cover up his family’s history of attacking the labor movement,” Illinois GOP spokesman Steven Yaffe said in a statement. “Pritzker personally profits by exploiting union labor – just listen to what union protesters have to say about the billionaire family. Just like (House Speaker) Mike Madigan (D-Chicago), J.B. Pritzker is a politician with zero credibility who says one thing and does another.”
Pritzker, a billionaire, is heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune and owns a nearly 2 percent stake in the company. According to the GOP, he has in the past aligned his shareholder votes with that of his cousin, who chairs the company’s board of directors.
The Pritzker family and Hyatt fought doggedly against worker efforts to unionize during the recession, the GOP reported. The business pushed back against workers protesting mistreatment, in one case even turning heat lamps on protesters during a heat wave, the GOP contended.
Alerts Sign-up