Fight against Layoffs, Closures and Downsizing

Late yesterday (after the General Assembly’s veto session had wrapped up), the Governor finally acted on SB 1103. As you’ll recall, AFSCME played a critical role in drafting and helping to enact this legislation which “swept” certain special funds to provide new monies specifically for the purpose of averting planned layoffs (and related closures/downsizing) in DCFS, DNR, IHPA and DHS. The measure, which totaled $220 million in all, also included funds for a number of other purposes, including community disability agencies, drug treatment programs, the RTA, and other constitutional officers.

The Governor amendatorily vetoed the bill—leaving in funding for DCFS, DNR and DHS. However, he vetoed the funding for the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.

As written, SB 1103 specifically limits the use of the funds appropriated to DCFS, DNR and DHS to the purpose of averting layoffs of frontline staff. Since the Governor did not veto the funding for these agencies, it seems logical to conclude that the layoffs scheduled for these three agencies would be cancelled.

However, thus far we have not been able to confirm that this will be the case. CMS has notified AFSCME Council 31 that the layoffs of DCFS investigators, caseworkers and PSA VI’s will be immediately cancelled. But as of this hour, neither CMS, nor the individual agencies, have been able to confirm whether the layoffs of DNR and DHS employees or of DCFS clerical employees will be rescinded.

Needless to say, we’re pleased that the Governor has effectively restored funding for DCFS, DNR and DHS that could be used to avert layoffs. However, we are very disappointed that the funding for IHPA was not restored—and that there is still not clarity has to whether the funding that was approved will be used for its established purpose—to prevent scheduled layoffs.

It should also be noted that at this point, we do not know how the Governor’s action on SB 1103—and the related cancellation of some number of the DCFS layoffs—will affect the planned “restructuring” in DCFS.

AFSCME intends to continue the fight to prevent all of the scheduled layoffs—and the resulting service cutbacks.

In addition, the Union will be working with concerned legislators to develop a strategy to restore the funds that were cut from the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency by overriding the Governor’s veto. Unfortunately, the General Assembly is not expected to come back into session until January which means it is unlikely that there will be any action to restore these funds until that time. It’s essential that we continue the fight now to prevent the layoff of IHPA employees and keep public attention focused on the planned shutdown of some fourteen historic sites that are a vital element of our state’s heritage and critical to local economies across Illinois.

It’s still too soon to know exactly what the Governor’s action on SB 1103 will mean for all affected employees. But we know already that we have saved dozens of jobs in DCFS—with hopefully more to come in DCFS and other agencies. We can all be proud of the role that AFSCME played in shaping this legislation, in helping to enact it, and in persuading the Governor not to veto it out of hand.