Working with Arise Chicago, a local workers center, there were plans for a morning of voter registration among students at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), a meeting with Governor Pat Quinn where 3 low wage workers could tell their stories and a picnic in Union Park followed by a press conference and rally.

The Nuns on the Bus arrive

At around 10 am the gaily decorated Nuns on the Bus vehicle pulled in front of the UIC Student Center to the cheers of Chicagoland sisters and their supporters.





Founder of Nuns on the Bus Sr. Simone Campbell

After everyone had gotten off the bus, Nuns on the Bus leader Sr. Simone Campbell addressed the crowd of about 75:

“We are on the road to make sure our people wake up to the fact that there is an election on November 4. What we heard in June was that 60% of the American people did not even know there was an election.”

However this year’s theme was not just a simple Get Out The Vote (GOTV) campaign. The sisters had some radical social objectives, as can be seen on the card they asked people to fill out.

Mending the Wealth Gap

Enacting a Living Wage

Crafting a Faithful Budget that Benefits the 100%

Securing Healthcare for All

Protecting Immigrant Rights

Promoting NonViolent Solutions to Conflict

The completed cards will be forwarded to the political leaders In Washington:

However the card did have one line of curious language that said “Crafting a Faithful Budget that Benefits the 100%”, reflecting Sr. Simone Campbell’s view that somehow we are “all in this together”, even the wealthy perpetrators of exploitation who make social reforms necessary in the first place. It’s hard to imagine top CEO’s agreeing with the nuns' goals, especially as they persist in hacking away at wages and an already badly frayed social safety net.

After Sr. Simone’s brief remarks, the nuns, accompanied by allies from the Illinois Hunger Coalition, then fanned out across the campus talking with students. They handed out voter pledge cards and directed students to authorized registrars if they were not registered to vote.

Some students ignored the nuns, but others filled out pledge cards and said they planned to vote and still others engaged in extended conversations. Several of the nuns expressed a concern about low voter turnout among young people.

Sr. Mary Loftus was one of these:

“I have worked with young people of this age level and I realized that so often they are non-involved. Young people I have met over a number of years feel that their vote doesn’t matter; that they really have no power in this governmental structure of ours. I am just happy to keep inviting them and really pushing them toward voting because they are really influencing legislation in this country.”

Members of the Illinois Hunger Coalition aided the nuns with voter registration

It is understandable why many young people feel their vote doesn’t count in a nation where Big Money drives electoral politics and largely excludes alternatives to the two major parties.

A round table discussion between low wage workers and Governor Pat Quinn

The sisters left the UIC campus around noon and headed for their picnic in Union Park, located next to the now diminished Union Row where some Chicago unions still have their offices. In its southwest corner Union Park has a statue of James Connelly, the Scottish-born Irish revolutionary and radical union leader . To the west is the First Baptist Church, a stop on the underground railroad where Dr. King once spoke.

Both of these are reminders that social change requires stepping outside of the laws and conventions of society as well as exercising the vote. Voting by itself is not enough.That is one reason why there is a strong civil disobedience tradition within the Catholic social justice movement.

While most of the sisters lunched, the leadership went to the Arise Chicago office for a meeting with Governor Pat Quinn where low wage workers were waiting to describe their challenges. The Democrat Pat Quinn is facing his own challenge in this election cycle, with the wealthy Republican Bruce Rauner pouring millions into the tight race for governor. Quinn was clearly trying to burnish his faded populist image by associating himself with low wage workers and social justice nuns.



The three workers who addressed Governor Quinn were car wash worker Martina Sanchez, McDonalds worker Doug Hunter and Golans striker Augusto Rufasto. Arise Chicago Executive Director C.J. Hawking opened the meeting by explaining how Arise Chicago functions as a workers center for non-union low wage workers. They help workers become leaders in their workplaces and in their communities. They currently have 800 worker members. Hawking said that wage theft is one of the biggest issues that they organize around:

“Workers are not paid minimum wage, proper overtime, being forced to work off the clock etc. In the 12 years we have been doing this work, Arise Chicago has helped recover $5.5 million dollars... and every penny we recovered went to the workers.”

Martina Sanchez was one of those workers. A car wash worker for many years, she survived off of tips by customers. She was forced to work from 7 am to 7 pm, but was not paid for that time, nor did she ever receive minimum wage or overtime. All of these are clear violations of labor law and constitute wage theft. She was even told that she and her co-workers had no labor rights because they were “Hispanics”. She turned to Governor Quinn and said to him:

“I ask Gov. Pat Quinn to help us, all who live in poverty and face abuse and labor violations as there are hundreds or thousands of people in the same situation and if we want the economy to improve we must stop wage theft and support all the workers who are asking for a minimum wage increase, because it is the only way to improve the lives of families in Illinois.”

Martina is currently partnering with Arise Chicago to fight for her wages.



Martina Sanchez

Doug Hunter spoke about his experiences as a West Side McDonalds worker and his involvement in the Fight for $15movement. He is a single dad with a 16 year old daughter in high school. He makes $9.25 an hour and with the hours that he gets, that never comes close to a living wage:

“I have to juggle between rent and whether I can pay the light bill each month and if I can afford groceries...and with a 16 year old in high school, it’s a real struggle. It’s so stressful to have to go through this day in and day out. I heard about this Fight for $15 and it interested me because it was something that would help me and benefit other people.”

Doug Hunter with C.J. Hawking

Hunter finished by urging young people, many of whom are skeptical about the political process, to get out and vote because,” Even if you vote for nobody, you’re still voting for somebody.”



The issue of wage theft came up again when striking Golans worker Augusto Rufasto addressed the Governor. Golans, a moving company based in Skokie IL, has been on strike since July 28, represented by Teamsters Local 705. Rufasto explained how the workers were required to purchase their own uniforms, were required to deposit $500 if they wished to apply for promotion and were required to come to work at 6 am but were not paid until 9 am.

Rufasto invited Governor Quinn to join the workers on the picketline. Quinn said he would “check his schedule”, but Rufasto did get Quinn to hold a sign for the cameras in solidarity with the Golan workers.

Sr Simone Campbell with Governor Pat Quinn

The wage theft stories of Martina Sanchez and Augusto Rufastoare hardly isolated cases. C.J Hawking referred to a 2010 University of Illinois at Chicago study which estimated,”...that in one week in Cook County 7.3 million dollars were stolen from low wage mostly immigrant workers. So it’s a million dollars a day, just in Cook County.”

Quinn was clearly on the hot seat, but did appear to listen and take notes, occasionally interrupting to make observations, tell personal anecdotes or say he would take up an issue with the appropriate state official.

Following the meeting with Governor Quinn there was a press conference in front of the Nuns on the Bus vehicle. It was well attended by the media, eager for a statement from Quinn in a close governor’s race. Sr. Simone Campbell introduced the Governor by saying he would talk about “some of the legislation that has been passed here”.

Doug Hunter with Governor Pat Quinn and Sr Simone Campbell

Instead Quinn spoke in generalities about an economy of inclusion with “everybody in and nobody out”. He talked about raising the minimum wage and referred to the referendum on the Illinois ballot. Unfortunately it is only an advisory referendum that recommends $10 an hour, far short of the $15 an hour that has caught the imagination of low wage workers across the country. After thanking the nuns for their ethic of service, he was gone.

No one brought up Quinn’s role in cutting pensions for state workers or his choice for Lt. Governor, the anti-union and anti-public education Paul Vallas.

A rally of about 150 people followed with speakers continuing the same themes that had been raised throughout the day.

Nuns on the Bus: Dogged dedication and a sometimes mixed message

The dedication of the Nuns on the Bus as well as the Chicagoland sisters who came to greet them is undeniable. Most of them either work in or are retired from education, social welfare and health professions. Many have been on the frontlines of battling poverty and racism, with few resources and nothing but their determination, faith and communal solidarity to keep them going.