Where: Illinois College, Jacksonville, IL
When: Wednesday, March 7th at 5pm.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
COGFA Hearing on the closure of the Jacksonville Developmental Center
Where: Illinois College, Jacksonville, IL
When: Wednesday, March 7th at 5pm.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Governor's Budget Response from Council 31
BUDGET
Governor Quinn’s budget address turned out to be nothing more than warmed over Rod Blagojevich. Like his former running mate, Quinn appears utterly indifferent to the real work of state government, the employees who perform it, or the citizens who rely on it.
Quinn callously boasted of eliminating the jobs of over 2,000 state employees since he took office, even though Illinois has the nation's fewest state employees per capita, and despite the fact that millions of citizens, especially the most vulnerable, depend on the services state employees provide.
The specifics of Quinn’s budget plan still haven’t been released even to members of the General Assembly, but Council 31 budget analysts are already at work gathering information from all possible sources. For now, only the broad outlines are known, and they aren't good.
The governor trumpeted the closure of 14 state facilities as the centerpiece of his FY13 budget proposal. In addition to the previously announced closures of Jacksonville Developmental Center and Tinley Park Mental Health Center, Quinn now says he wants to shutter Dwight CC, Tamms CC, Singer MHC, Murray DC, IYC Murphysboro, IYC Joliet and six DOC Adult Transitional Centers.
Closures on this scale would result in thousands of layoffs. And it doesn’t end there. Every department budget was cut by at least 9%. The DOC budget would cut parole staff by 50%. The DHS budget would consolidate 24 offices. And the Illinois State Police budget would close the forensics lab in Carbondale, as well as all telecommunications centers except those in Chicago, Springfield, DuQuoin and Sterling. (It’s important to note that the office closings/consolidations and layoffs listed here are based on preliminary information. Others could be announced in the coming days.)
Quinn’s cuts to state operations would cause great damage. He would increase tensions and danger in the state’s already overcrowded prison system, wreak havoc in the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families, deny treatment to individuals with severe mental illness; decrease supports for children and families in need and weaken the ability of state agencies to fulfill their missions.
The governor's cuts would also cause immense damage to the thousands of state employees who would lose their jobs, to their families, and to the communities their wages help sustain.
Yet Quinn is proposing all these cuts shortly after signing into law $300 million in new annual tax breaks, mostly for the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and other big corporations. And the Civic Federation and other big business honchos are applauding his cuts while defending a tax system that lets the rich get away with paying far less than their fair share.
Our battle against this bad budget plan has already begun, with AFSCME leaders across Illinois featured prominently in news reports criticizing the budget and pointing out the flaws in Quinn’s proposals. Today the fight intensifies, as we begin the member mobilization and community outreach that will be essential to persuading the General Assembly to defeat this plan.
It will take the active involvement of all AFSCME members to beat back these devastating service cuts and layoffs. It won’t be easy, but we’ve done it before. If we stay united and work together, we can do succeed this time as well.
PENSIONS
Another central element of Quinn’s budget address was a call for overhauling the state’s pension systems. Illinois pension systems face a severe funding crisis caused by the state’s failure, year after year, to pay its share of pension costs even as employees paid theirs. Now that the Quinn Administration has begun to make the full employer contribution, the dimensions of the crisis have become even clearer because those pension contributions—mostly to pay down the state's unfunded liability—are consuming an ever-larger portion of the state budget and squeezing out other important priorities.
That budget squeeze is a big reason why efforts by Big Business to effectively wipe out public pensions have gained so much traction over the past few years. SB 512, the CEO-backed pension bill, would force employees to choose between (1) paying up to 9% more to retain their current modest pension, (2) accepting the lower Tier II benefits that new hires get, or (3) leaving the pension system entirely with only a 401(k) to fall back on. AFSCME and other unions blocked passage of this measure in the last legislative session, but its proponents are back and pushing harder than ever.
In his address, Governor Quinn appeared to indicate that he did not support the approach embodied in SB 512. Rather he said he wanted to work toward a solution that would be “meaningful, constitutional and fair to employees who’ve faithfully contributed to the system.” He cited a pension work group he’s established made up of legislators from each caucus and both houses of the General Assembly.
AFSCME and other unions in the We Are One Illinois Coalition have met with the pension work group to make clear that no one has a bigger stake in stabilizing Illinois pension funds than the state and university employees, teachers and other public employees whose retirement security depends on keeping the pension funds solvent and adequately funded. AFSCME and our labor allies are insisting that any changes must be constitutional, fair to employees, and focused on guaranteeing public employees that their pensions will be there when they retire.
PAY RAISE
It didn’t come as a surprise to anyone that Quinn's speech made no mention of the money he owes to tens of thousands of state employees whose wage increases he is refusing to pay. The governor claims that funds aren’t available, but his recent round of tax breaks for Big Business proved he can find funding for what he believes is important.
AFSCME is fighting for these pay raises on several fronts, including both state and federal court. An arbitrator ruled in the union’s favor and ordered the governor to pay the raises, but the Quinn Administration appealed the arbitrator’s ruling to circuit court, where the judge has stayed the arbitrator’s order until the appeal is decided. Judicial proceedings are almost invariably slow, plagued by delays and continuances, and this case has been no different. It could take many more months before a decision is reached in Circuit Court.
That’s why it’s so critical to keep the pressure on in the court of public opinion. The union has held several direct actions that shine a bright public spotlight on the governor’s dishonesty and hypocrisy. Most recently, the members of the State Bargaining Committee—some 250 strong—marched on the Governor’s Office to deliver a giant “collection notice” for the raises owed. While the Governor’s staff hid, the media was out in force. The action garnered news coverage across the state.
AFSCME is also continuing to work with other affected unions to galvanize state legislators to stand up for state workers and press the Governor to pay the negotiated raises. Last week a bipartisan group of 36 state senators and representatives issued a public letter calling on the Governor to honor union contracts and pay the raises. And union members are keeping the heat on other legislators to add their voices to the growing chorus.
THE FIGHT IS ON
All across the country, public employees are under attack by elites with big bucks who want to weaken the public sector and destroy public sector unions. In Wisconsin, the battle continues after Governor Scott Walker—with backing from the notorious Koch Brothers—pushed through legislation that effectively outlaws collective bargaining and prevents labor unions from representing state workers. Now tens of thousands of public employees in Wisconsin no longer have the protection of a union contract.
Here in Illinois, the attack is led by the Civic Federation and the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club, bands of rich corporate elites who are out to slash government spending and undermine public employee unions. As Quinn made clear in his speech today, they’re the ones issuing his marching orders—to hand out tax breaks to big business and to eliminate solid middle-class jobs.
He’s clearly prepared to do their bidding, but fortunately many legislators don’t seem prepared to march off the cliff behind him. All across the state today, legislators of both parties joined AFSCME members in speaking out against Quinn’s budget cuts.
The message was clear: These devastating cuts can be stopped. But it’s up to us to build the public pressure that will convince the General Assembly to declare Quinn’s budget dead on arrival, and to get to work on shaping a budget that preserves vital services and good jobs—a budget that serves the interests of all Illinoisans, not just the privileged few.
Governor Quinn’s budget address turned out to be nothing more than warmed over Rod Blagojevich. Like his former running mate, Quinn appears utterly indifferent to the real work of state government, the employees who perform it, or the citizens who rely on it.
Quinn callously boasted of eliminating the jobs of over 2,000 state employees since he took office, even though Illinois has the nation's fewest state employees per capita, and despite the fact that millions of citizens, especially the most vulnerable, depend on the services state employees provide.
The specifics of Quinn’s budget plan still haven’t been released even to members of the General Assembly, but Council 31 budget analysts are already at work gathering information from all possible sources. For now, only the broad outlines are known, and they aren't good.
The governor trumpeted the closure of 14 state facilities as the centerpiece of his FY13 budget proposal. In addition to the previously announced closures of Jacksonville Developmental Center and Tinley Park Mental Health Center, Quinn now says he wants to shutter Dwight CC, Tamms CC, Singer MHC, Murray DC, IYC Murphysboro, IYC Joliet and six DOC Adult Transitional Centers.
Closures on this scale would result in thousands of layoffs. And it doesn’t end there. Every department budget was cut by at least 9%. The DOC budget would cut parole staff by 50%. The DHS budget would consolidate 24 offices. And the Illinois State Police budget would close the forensics lab in Carbondale, as well as all telecommunications centers except those in Chicago, Springfield, DuQuoin and Sterling. (It’s important to note that the office closings/consolidations and layoffs listed here are based on preliminary information. Others could be announced in the coming days.)
Quinn’s cuts to state operations would cause great damage. He would increase tensions and danger in the state’s already overcrowded prison system, wreak havoc in the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families, deny treatment to individuals with severe mental illness; decrease supports for children and families in need and weaken the ability of state agencies to fulfill their missions.
The governor's cuts would also cause immense damage to the thousands of state employees who would lose their jobs, to their families, and to the communities their wages help sustain.
Yet Quinn is proposing all these cuts shortly after signing into law $300 million in new annual tax breaks, mostly for the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and other big corporations. And the Civic Federation and other big business honchos are applauding his cuts while defending a tax system that lets the rich get away with paying far less than their fair share.
Our battle against this bad budget plan has already begun, with AFSCME leaders across Illinois featured prominently in news reports criticizing the budget and pointing out the flaws in Quinn’s proposals. Today the fight intensifies, as we begin the member mobilization and community outreach that will be essential to persuading the General Assembly to defeat this plan.
It will take the active involvement of all AFSCME members to beat back these devastating service cuts and layoffs. It won’t be easy, but we’ve done it before. If we stay united and work together, we can do succeed this time as well.
PENSIONS
Another central element of Quinn’s budget address was a call for overhauling the state’s pension systems. Illinois pension systems face a severe funding crisis caused by the state’s failure, year after year, to pay its share of pension costs even as employees paid theirs. Now that the Quinn Administration has begun to make the full employer contribution, the dimensions of the crisis have become even clearer because those pension contributions—mostly to pay down the state's unfunded liability—are consuming an ever-larger portion of the state budget and squeezing out other important priorities.
That budget squeeze is a big reason why efforts by Big Business to effectively wipe out public pensions have gained so much traction over the past few years. SB 512, the CEO-backed pension bill, would force employees to choose between (1) paying up to 9% more to retain their current modest pension, (2) accepting the lower Tier II benefits that new hires get, or (3) leaving the pension system entirely with only a 401(k) to fall back on. AFSCME and other unions blocked passage of this measure in the last legislative session, but its proponents are back and pushing harder than ever.
In his address, Governor Quinn appeared to indicate that he did not support the approach embodied in SB 512. Rather he said he wanted to work toward a solution that would be “meaningful, constitutional and fair to employees who’ve faithfully contributed to the system.” He cited a pension work group he’s established made up of legislators from each caucus and both houses of the General Assembly.
AFSCME and other unions in the We Are One Illinois Coalition have met with the pension work group to make clear that no one has a bigger stake in stabilizing Illinois pension funds than the state and university employees, teachers and other public employees whose retirement security depends on keeping the pension funds solvent and adequately funded. AFSCME and our labor allies are insisting that any changes must be constitutional, fair to employees, and focused on guaranteeing public employees that their pensions will be there when they retire.
PAY RAISE
It didn’t come as a surprise to anyone that Quinn's speech made no mention of the money he owes to tens of thousands of state employees whose wage increases he is refusing to pay. The governor claims that funds aren’t available, but his recent round of tax breaks for Big Business proved he can find funding for what he believes is important.
AFSCME is fighting for these pay raises on several fronts, including both state and federal court. An arbitrator ruled in the union’s favor and ordered the governor to pay the raises, but the Quinn Administration appealed the arbitrator’s ruling to circuit court, where the judge has stayed the arbitrator’s order until the appeal is decided. Judicial proceedings are almost invariably slow, plagued by delays and continuances, and this case has been no different. It could take many more months before a decision is reached in Circuit Court.
That’s why it’s so critical to keep the pressure on in the court of public opinion. The union has held several direct actions that shine a bright public spotlight on the governor’s dishonesty and hypocrisy. Most recently, the members of the State Bargaining Committee—some 250 strong—marched on the Governor’s Office to deliver a giant “collection notice” for the raises owed. While the Governor’s staff hid, the media was out in force. The action garnered news coverage across the state.
AFSCME is also continuing to work with other affected unions to galvanize state legislators to stand up for state workers and press the Governor to pay the negotiated raises. Last week a bipartisan group of 36 state senators and representatives issued a public letter calling on the Governor to honor union contracts and pay the raises. And union members are keeping the heat on other legislators to add their voices to the growing chorus.
THE FIGHT IS ON
All across the country, public employees are under attack by elites with big bucks who want to weaken the public sector and destroy public sector unions. In Wisconsin, the battle continues after Governor Scott Walker—with backing from the notorious Koch Brothers—pushed through legislation that effectively outlaws collective bargaining and prevents labor unions from representing state workers. Now tens of thousands of public employees in Wisconsin no longer have the protection of a union contract.
Here in Illinois, the attack is led by the Civic Federation and the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club, bands of rich corporate elites who are out to slash government spending and undermine public employee unions. As Quinn made clear in his speech today, they’re the ones issuing his marching orders—to hand out tax breaks to big business and to eliminate solid middle-class jobs.
He’s clearly prepared to do their bidding, but fortunately many legislators don’t seem prepared to march off the cliff behind him. All across the state today, legislators of both parties joined AFSCME members in speaking out against Quinn’s budget cuts.
The message was clear: These devastating cuts can be stopped. But it’s up to us to build the public pressure that will convince the General Assembly to declare Quinn’s budget dead on arrival, and to get to work on shaping a budget that preserves vital services and good jobs—a budget that serves the interests of all Illinoisans, not just the privileged few.
Contract Negotiations Status - 2/17/2012
* Management is continuing to push for drastic changes to our contract that would effectively wipe out job rights and protections that we’ve struggled decades to achieve.
* Management did back off a few of their worst proposals, but they are still pushing hard for many others that are completely unacceptable to the Union Bargaining Committee. So the process is moving very slowly.
* Moreover, Management is continuing to use the excuse of the State’s fiscal crisis to resist even the smallest improvements in employees’ working conditions if they appear to have even minimal cost involved.
* Right now we’re only in the non-economic phase of negotiations. But you’ve got to remember that many of the most important gains made for union members over the years were achieved through negotiations over such matters as job rights, seniority, and layoff protections.
* You’ve got to know that if Management is making these kind of take-away proposals during this non-economic phase, the situation is only going to get much tougher when economic issues move front and center later in the process.
* And we’ve got to keep the fight to secure our negotiated pay raise in the current contract front and center throughout this process.
* That’s why the Union Bargaining Committee recently marched on the Governor’s Office with a giant “collection notice” demanding that he pay state employees’ the wage and step increases they are owed. The Governor’s staff refused to come out of hiding, but the media was out in force and there was widespread press coverage of our action.
* Then last week more than 40 state legislators sent a letter to Governor Quinn urging him to honor our union contract and pay negotiated raises. Bargaining Committee members are now reaching out to any of our legislators who did not sign that letter to urge them to send their own letters to the Governor with a similar message.
* But the Quinn Administration has to understand that it’s not just the Bargaining Committee that’s making this demand. It’s critical that union members back up the Committee’s actions with grassroots action at the worksites. That’s why the Bargaining Committee is calling for statewide informational pickets at all state worksites on Thursday, March 8 demanding that Quinn honor our contract and pay our raises. Let’s start planning now to make our picket a big success.
* Management did back off a few of their worst proposals, but they are still pushing hard for many others that are completely unacceptable to the Union Bargaining Committee. So the process is moving very slowly.
* Moreover, Management is continuing to use the excuse of the State’s fiscal crisis to resist even the smallest improvements in employees’ working conditions if they appear to have even minimal cost involved.
* Right now we’re only in the non-economic phase of negotiations. But you’ve got to remember that many of the most important gains made for union members over the years were achieved through negotiations over such matters as job rights, seniority, and layoff protections.
* You’ve got to know that if Management is making these kind of take-away proposals during this non-economic phase, the situation is only going to get much tougher when economic issues move front and center later in the process.
* And we’ve got to keep the fight to secure our negotiated pay raise in the current contract front and center throughout this process.
* That’s why the Union Bargaining Committee recently marched on the Governor’s Office with a giant “collection notice” demanding that he pay state employees’ the wage and step increases they are owed. The Governor’s staff refused to come out of hiding, but the media was out in force and there was widespread press coverage of our action.
* Then last week more than 40 state legislators sent a letter to Governor Quinn urging him to honor our union contract and pay negotiated raises. Bargaining Committee members are now reaching out to any of our legislators who did not sign that letter to urge them to send their own letters to the Governor with a similar message.
* But the Quinn Administration has to understand that it’s not just the Bargaining Committee that’s making this demand. It’s critical that union members back up the Committee’s actions with grassroots action at the worksites. That’s why the Bargaining Committee is calling for statewide informational pickets at all state worksites on Thursday, March 8 demanding that Quinn honor our contract and pay our raises. Let’s start planning now to make our picket a big success.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Bargaining Committee Takes It to the Governor
From the outset, the Union has made clear to Management that this round of negotiations is tainted by the Quinn Administration s failure to honor the existing AFSCME contract by withholding negotiated pay raises.
On February 2, the AFSCME Bargaining Committee took that message directly to Governor Quinn. When negotiations wrapped up on Thursday afternoon, the entire Bargaining Committee, some 240 strong, headed over to the State Capitol with a giant 6 X 3 ft. Collection Notice to deliver to the Governor's Office. With the Capitol Police barring the door to the Office, the Bargaining Committee with signs raised and whistles blaring pressed in behind Council 31 Executive Director Henry Bayer as he demanded that a representative of the Governor come out to receive and respond to the Collection Notice. But apparently fearful of its own employees, the Quinn Administration was in hiding and refused to show their faces.
Fortunately, however, the news media was out in force and heard our message loud and clear. You can view the extensive media coverage of the event by going to www.afscme31.org. The text of the Collection Notice—signed by all of the Bargaining Committee members read:
This is an attempt to collect a debt. On behalf of 30,000 Illinois state employees who care for the most vulnerable, keep prisons safe and much more, we are seeking to uphold and enforce our legally binding collective bargaining agreement with the State of Illinois and you, Gov. Quinn. You say you "believe in the right of working people to organize" and that unions exist to "make sure people get a decent wage." Yet you have failed to comply with our union contract and the law with respect to the pay schedule of the men and women who do the real work of state government. Instead you have chosen to provoke a costly court battle. Please immediately remit the amount you owe in full.
Hypocrisy Doesn’t Become You, Governor
Last week we saw Republicans in our neighboring state of Indiana strike a disastrous blow against working men and women with the enactment of a Right-to-Work-for Less bill that will greatly weaken the ability of unions to represent their members both in the private and public sectors. Governor Quinn was quick to criticize Indiana Republicans for their actions and he was right to do so. But what Quinn failed to note is that Democrats in that state fought a long and fierce battle trying to defeat this anti-union legislation and protect collective bargaining rights. At the same time, Governor Quinn, Illinois' leading Democrat, is seeking to undermine fundamental principles of collective bargaining by refusing to honor the contracts he negotiated with AFSCME and other unions representing state employees and withholding scheduled pay increases from union members. While the General Assembly contributed to the state s dire fiscal crisis by failing to appropriate sufficient funding for state operations, the blame for trampling on union contracts must lie with Governor Quinn, who alone made the decision to withhold the negotiated raises. The governor could have decided to stand up for what s right. Instead,he has chosen to break his promises and to launch an assault on state employees
Management Wants to Turn Back the Clock
Negotiations continue to focus on issues considered non-economic, i.e. those not deemed to have a direct economic cost for the State or for employees. It s important to remember that many of the most vital gains we’ve made over the years such as promotion standards, layoff protections, restrictions on management s control and authority, fairer hours and scheduling, workplace safety measures, binding arbitration of grievances and much more have all been achieved in this non-economic phase of negotiations. Management is using the State s economic crisis as an excuse to put forward a package of draconian proposals that drastically weaken even obliterate fundamental workplace rights that have been achieved for union members over the years. While Management did back off of a few of those proposals in the most recent round of negotiations, they continue to push for sweeping changes to contract language that would erase many of the gains we’ve made over the past three decades, making it very clear that it s going to take a real battle to protect the contractual rights that are so essential to fairness and dignity on the job.
Unity in Action
Your AFSCME Bargaining Committee is made up of elected representatives from every state local union. All Committee members have pledged to promote unity within the bargaining team in order to secure the best possible contract for AFSCME members. But even the strongest Committee, led by some of the most skilled negotiators in the state, cannot gain a good contract all on its own. Making the kind of progress we’ve achieved over the years has always required the active involvement of AFSCME members at the grassroots level. We’ve had green days, sticker days, solidarity days and just plain in-your-face days. We’ve had pickets, marches and rallies from our local worksites all the way to the State Capitol. It s early in the negotiating process, but from what we’ve seen across the table so far, there’s one thing we can say for sure: As hard as we’ve had to fight before, we re going to have to fight even harder this time. Now is the time for you to make the same commitment to secure a first-class contract that your elected representatives on the Bargaining Committee have already made.
From the outset, the Union has made clear to Management that this round of negotiations is tainted by the Quinn Administration s failure to honor the existing AFSCME contract by withholding negotiated pay raises.
On February 2, the AFSCME Bargaining Committee took that message directly to Governor Quinn. When negotiations wrapped up on Thursday afternoon, the entire Bargaining Committee, some 240 strong, headed over to the State Capitol with a giant 6 X 3 ft. Collection Notice to deliver to the Governor's Office. With the Capitol Police barring the door to the Office, the Bargaining Committee with signs raised and whistles blaring pressed in behind Council 31 Executive Director Henry Bayer as he demanded that a representative of the Governor come out to receive and respond to the Collection Notice. But apparently fearful of its own employees, the Quinn Administration was in hiding and refused to show their faces.
Fortunately, however, the news media was out in force and heard our message loud and clear. You can view the extensive media coverage of the event by going to www.afscme31.org. The text of the Collection Notice—signed by all of the Bargaining Committee members read:
This is an attempt to collect a debt. On behalf of 30,000 Illinois state employees who care for the most vulnerable, keep prisons safe and much more, we are seeking to uphold and enforce our legally binding collective bargaining agreement with the State of Illinois and you, Gov. Quinn. You say you "believe in the right of working people to organize" and that unions exist to "make sure people get a decent wage." Yet you have failed to comply with our union contract and the law with respect to the pay schedule of the men and women who do the real work of state government. Instead you have chosen to provoke a costly court battle. Please immediately remit the amount you owe in full.
Hypocrisy Doesn’t Become You, Governor
Last week we saw Republicans in our neighboring state of Indiana strike a disastrous blow against working men and women with the enactment of a Right-to-Work-for Less bill that will greatly weaken the ability of unions to represent their members both in the private and public sectors. Governor Quinn was quick to criticize Indiana Republicans for their actions and he was right to do so. But what Quinn failed to note is that Democrats in that state fought a long and fierce battle trying to defeat this anti-union legislation and protect collective bargaining rights. At the same time, Governor Quinn, Illinois' leading Democrat, is seeking to undermine fundamental principles of collective bargaining by refusing to honor the contracts he negotiated with AFSCME and other unions representing state employees and withholding scheduled pay increases from union members. While the General Assembly contributed to the state s dire fiscal crisis by failing to appropriate sufficient funding for state operations, the blame for trampling on union contracts must lie with Governor Quinn, who alone made the decision to withhold the negotiated raises. The governor could have decided to stand up for what s right. Instead,he has chosen to break his promises and to launch an assault on state employees
Management Wants to Turn Back the Clock
Negotiations continue to focus on issues considered non-economic, i.e. those not deemed to have a direct economic cost for the State or for employees. It s important to remember that many of the most vital gains we’ve made over the years such as promotion standards, layoff protections, restrictions on management s control and authority, fairer hours and scheduling, workplace safety measures, binding arbitration of grievances and much more have all been achieved in this non-economic phase of negotiations. Management is using the State s economic crisis as an excuse to put forward a package of draconian proposals that drastically weaken even obliterate fundamental workplace rights that have been achieved for union members over the years. While Management did back off of a few of those proposals in the most recent round of negotiations, they continue to push for sweeping changes to contract language that would erase many of the gains we’ve made over the past three decades, making it very clear that it s going to take a real battle to protect the contractual rights that are so essential to fairness and dignity on the job.
Unity in Action
Your AFSCME Bargaining Committee is made up of elected representatives from every state local union. All Committee members have pledged to promote unity within the bargaining team in order to secure the best possible contract for AFSCME members. But even the strongest Committee, led by some of the most skilled negotiators in the state, cannot gain a good contract all on its own. Making the kind of progress we’ve achieved over the years has always required the active involvement of AFSCME members at the grassroots level. We’ve had green days, sticker days, solidarity days and just plain in-your-face days. We’ve had pickets, marches and rallies from our local worksites all the way to the State Capitol. It s early in the negotiating process, but from what we’ve seen across the table so far, there’s one thing we can say for sure: As hard as we’ve had to fight before, we re going to have to fight even harder this time. Now is the time for you to make the same commitment to secure a first-class contract that your elected representatives on the Bargaining Committee have already made.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Local 3416 Contract Delegates Sign Collection Notice
Union members are negotiating a new contract in good faith with the State of Illinois in spite of the fact that the current contract has been broken. The issue of our raises is outstanding in the Judicial System. Regardless, we raise the issue at every session of bargaining. In this session, we will take the issue directly to the Governor's office. Here you see President Travis Smith and Treasurer Travis Houzenga signing the collection notice to be presented to the Governor. We are owed! We will collect! The message is not going away.
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