MOLINE, Ill. — Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner told WHBF TV Monday in Moline that if members of the state’s largest employee’s union decide to strike, they probably won’t be missed.

Rauner told reporters that his administration is trying to cut down on excessive rules that are tough on small businesses.

He also said he’s focused on an ongoing battle with American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees union. 

He said unions have agreed to his demands but so far the big union AFSCME has said ‘No, no way’ and have threatened to strike.

He said Monday that he’s told AFSCME that the changes will be made and while he hopes they don’t strike, and he doesn’t want them to strike, they’re probably not going to miss them if they go. He added that the union didn’t like that response.

AFSCME and Governor Rauner are currently in court over contract negotiations. 

House Democrats responded by saying Monday’s comment was not the first time Rauner indicated an interest in forcing a strike.

They noted that during the 2014 gubernatorial campaign, Rauner said he wanted to “do what Ronald Reagan did with the air traffic controllers” in state government and “shut things down for a little while”, evoking the firing of nearly 12,000 striking air-traffic controllers in 1981.