Almost overlooked during the flood of legislation coming out of the Statehouse was the May 31 tentative agreement on a new contract between AFSCME, the 40,000-member state employee union, and the Pritzker administration. If approved, it will be the first contract in four years. “Illinois has turned another important page from years of brutal ideological warfare,” said Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Roberta Lynch, AFSCME executive director, said this: “In the Pritzker administration, AFSCME members have an employer who understands the importance of their work, respects their rights and is a constructive partner in the collective bargaining process.” “A new day,” as we called this week’s coverage, doesn’t always mean a better day. But a new contract with state employees is much better than the chaos and hostility we had before. –Fletcher Farrar, editor and CEO