State Employees Plan to Picket Government Buildings Tuesday

[TimeStandsStill]

http://www.wjbdradio.com/index.php?f=news_single&id=27921

State Employees Plan to Picket Government Buildings Tuesday
7/11/11 @ 9:21:09 pm


SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - State workers plan to picket at government buildings across Illinois to protest Gov. Pat Quinn's attempt to cancel their raises.   The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees says it will hold informational pickets at more than 75 places Tuesday.
   

Quinn said recently that he's canceling raises for nearly 30,000 employees, even though they're required by contract. He says lawmakers didn't give him enough money to increase pay and still keep state agencies running.  The union is suing and taking the issue to an arbitrator.
   

The union accuses Quinn of breaking his word. Workers struck a deal with him last year to delay raises but not cancel them.
 

[Forevermah]

Monday July 11th, 2011, 3:42pm
AFSCME Plans Statewide Pickets "In Defense Of Collective Bargaining" (UPDATED)

In response to Gov. Pat Quinn's decision to freeze state worker pay, the American Federation of State and City Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 31 will be setting up statewide picket lines tomorrow at more than 75 locations "in defense of collective bargaining."

In an attempt to ease the state's budget woes, Quinn sent notices to 14 state agencies and employee unions stating that the 2 percent raises outlined in public worker contracts would not be honored because lawmakers failed to allocate enough money for the pay increases in the FY 2012 budget.

"If the state paid these increases, the impacted agencies would not be able to make payroll for the entire fiscal year, preventing them from continuing operations and providing core services to the people of Illinois," Quinn's spokeswoman Mica Matsoff said in a statement at the beginning of the month.

But officials for AFSCME, the union representing thousands of state employees, say public workers have already done their fair share to help ease the budget crisis.

"AFSCME members have already renegotiated their contract with Gov. Quinn to help balance the state budget," reads a press release announcing tomorrow's informational picket lines. "They have agreed to defer parts of three negotiated wage increases, made changes to their health plan resulting in tens of millions of dollars in savings to the state, and taken thousands of unpaid furlough days."

AFSCME has filed a federal lawsuit against Quinn and the state of Illinois as a result of the pay freeze affecting some 30,000 workers. The union has also begun arbitration proceedings to get the contractual pay raises paid out. Briefs for the proceedings are due to the arbitrator on July 18.

“AFSCME members do the real work of state government, such as caring for the disabled, preventing child abuse, guarding state prisons and much more,” AFSCME Council 31 executive director Henry Bayer said. “These hard-working men and women deserve to know that their employer, the governor, will keep his word and honor his commitments under the law.”

The informational picket lines are scheduled to be set up at the following locations at the times designated below:

Chicago
Bilandic Building, 160 N La Salle St. — 12:15 p.m.
Children and Family Services office, 1026 S Damen — Noon
Illinois Youth Center, 100 N. Western — 1 p.m.
Read Mental Health Center, 4200 N Oak Park Ave. — 2:30 p.m.

Springfield

Willard Ice Building, 101 West Jefferson — Noon

Bloom Building, 201 South Grand Ave — Noon

 

Alton

Alton Mental Health Center, 4500 College Avenue — 12:15 p.m.

 

Anna

Illinois Veterans' Home, 792 N Main St — 11:30 a.m.

 

Aurora

Lake St. and Indian Trail Rd. (Route 31 N.) — 12:30 p.m.

 

Canton

Illinois River Correctional Center, State Road 97 — 2:15 p.m.

 

Centralia

Murray Center, 1535 West McCord — 3 p.m.

 

Champaign

Employment Security office, 1307 N Mattis Ave — Noon

 

Chester

Menard Correctional Center on Lehmen Drive — 3:00 p.m.

 

Danville

Danville Correctional Center, 3820 East Main Street — 3:15 p.m.

 

Decatur

Decatur Correctional Center, 2310 East Mound Road — 3 p.m.

 

Dixon

Dixon Arch, 309 S. Galena Ave — 3:30 p.m.

 

Dwight

Fox Developmental Center on Route 17 — 2:30 p.m.

 

East Moline

East Moline Correctional Center, 100 Hillcrest Rd — 3:30 p.m.

 

East St. Louis

East St. Louis Regional Office Bldg., #10 Collinsville Ave. — 5:30 p.m.

 

Elgin

Elgin Mental Health Center, South Gate, 750 South State Street — Noon

 

Galesburg

Hill Correctional Center, 600 Linwood Rd. — 3 p.m.

 

Harrisburg

IYC-Harrisburg, 1201 W. Poplar (Rt. 13) — 4:00 p.m.

 

Hines (Maywood)

Madden Mental Health Center, Roosevelt Rd & 1st Ave. — 1 p.m.

 

Ina

Big Muddy Correctional Center, 251 N. IL Hwy. 37 — 2 p.m.

 

Jacksonville

South Main Street and Morton Avenue — 3:30 p.m.

 

Joliet

Illinois State Police building, 260 N Chicago Street — 12:15 p.m.

Stateville Correctional Center, 16830 S. Rt. 53 — 3 p.m.

Illinois Youth Center, 2848 W. McDonough — 2 p.m.

 

Kankakee

Shapiro Developmental Center, 100 E. Jeffrey — 11:30 a.m.

 

Kewanee

Illinois Youth Center, 2021 Kentville Road — 2:30 p.m.

 

Lincoln

Lincoln and Logan Correctional Centers, 1096 1350th St. — 3:15 p.m.

 

Marion

Department of Human Services, 1107 W. DeYoung — 12:30 p.m.


Mt. Sterling

Western Illinois Correctional Center, 2500 Rt. 99 South — 3 p.m.

 

Murphysboro

Illinois Youth Center, Route 13 at Elza Brantley Dr. — 2 p.m.

 

Park Forest

Ludeman Developmental Center, North and Orchard — 1 p.m.

 

Pinckneyville

Pinckneyville Correctional Center, 5835 State Rt. 154 — 3 p.m.

 

Pontiac

Pontiac Correctional Center, 700 W Lincoln St. — 3 p.m.

 

Robinson

Robinson Correctional Center, 13423 East 1150th Avenue — 3:15 p.m.

 

Sheridan

Sheridan Correctional Center, 4017 E. 2603 Rd. — 3 p.m.

 

St. Charles

Illinois Youth Center, 445 Lincoln Hwy. — 1 p.m.

 

Sumner

Lawrence Correctional Center, Route 50 — 3:15 p.m.

 

Taylorville
Taylorville Correctional Center, Route 29 S — 2 p.m.

UPDATE: Additional locations have been added to the schedule as follows:

Chicago
Read Mental Health Center, 4200 N Oak Park Ave. — 2:30 p.m.
Human services office, 1112 S. Wabash — 1 p.m.
Intersection of Milwaukee, Ashland and Division — 12:30
Human services office, 5323 S. Western Ave. — 12:45

Freeport
Park next to library, 124 E Douglas — 12:30 p.m.

Peoria
Becker Building, corner of Main and Jefferson — 12:30 p.m.

Rockford
Zeke Giorgi State of Illinois Building, 200 S Wyman — 12:30 p.m.

Skokie
Human services office, 8020 St. Louis Ave. — 12:30 p.m.

Waukegan
Kiley Developmental Center — 12:30 p.m.

[TimeStandsStill]

I wonder if more facilities will go on lockdown because of this.  The way things have been at BMR lately maybe they'll just have another one of their "mini" lockdowns....  At least it'll be temporary....   J did ring the phone at 8am today so nothing as of yet.

[Forevermah]

I am not sure if Menard is on LD because of this, or they are just picketing there.  Something else could of happened at Menard, will have to wait and see.

[TimeStandsStill]

I am hoping this is the start of something positive.  Underpaid guards and overcrowded prisons....maybe, just maybe, the Governor will have a light bulb go off....

[mamacita1]

For a more detailed synopsis on all affected budgetary department cuts, see the following:
 http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/jul2010/illi-j09.shtml

Budget Cuts:

Elementary/Secondary Education:  241 million
Universities: 100 million
Prisons: 42 million
Public health: 17 million

Unpaid bills:  5-6 billion
Deficit: 11.5 billion
Yearly budget: 24.9 billion

[Forevermah]

Sad sad state of affairs for Illinois and not only Illinois, many states are in trouble, BIG TROUBLE!

[bmonska]

Exactly, Mah. I am by no means a fan of Quinn but I can see what he's saying. THey didn't allocate enough money for him to pass out the raises which, if they do, is going to affect the payroll at a later date. So either they don't get their raises now, or they don't get a paycheck (or their paycheck bounces) later. It's a vicious circle when it comes to State pay these days. As for him going back on his "word," he's a politician. He shouldn't be making "promises" he can't keep, let alone in the first place. For once I'd like to see a politician who didn't make promises and kept it real as far as what he can and can't do vs. what he will and won't do. We'd have a more efficient Governor if that was the case.

[jdmlt]

The State of IL employees have a SIGNED AGREEMENT between union & state....The State needs to be held responsible for their actions. The State already whined to the union after the agreement and the union gave an inch, now the State wants a mile....so typical. This was brought up before and then I also stated let the company you work for, try not to pay an agreed upon raise and see how you would feel.
I am not anti or pro Union...but if anyone or any company decides to go this route, then the agreement should be biding. Next contract, the State might think before they agree. Maybe the State feels they can do what they want, no matter what.

[Forevermah]

I understand all about unions and agreements, but what IF there just isn't any money, then what?  Do they give them the raise now and 6 months down the road no pay checks at all?  Just asking, I don't know what the answer is either, but Illinois is in big trouble along with many other states.

If Quinn brought back MGT, that would save the state 64M a year, I am sure there are other things they can do, besides withholding employees raises/pay, but when are they going to get rid of all the fluff?   Instead of the two parties always fighting amongst themselves, who is going to have the balls to make the needed changes.

In Chicago right now, the new mayor is working with the unions for changes, or 600 employees are going to be laid off, so far the unions are working with him, we'll see in a couple weeks what happens.

[mamacita1]

What frustrates me the most about our legislatures/governor is the games they play. Check out this out:  http://www.wttw.com/main.taf?p=42,8,80,32&pid=OyuIxva0BqiA90pr_X4_kg8Mt0CePxcu

Cuts to the various departments may be "fake" -  He cut the appropriation, but not the authority to incur more debt - in other words, the legislature can still spend money and further increase debt for the next year. 

[bmonska]

It's all a giant mess but I agree with mah. Like I previously stated, what happens when you try to pick up your check or you take it to the bank and the check isn't there or it bounces 6 months from now? I would be ******** if I worked for the state and wasn't getting the raised that was agreed upon but I also understand the state's financial crisis right now and I would be willing to give up my raise if I absolutely had to, for now not forever, so that I could ensure my paycheck was there to pick up or did not bounce months from now when I have bills to pay. Yes it's a binding contract and maybe the Gov. decided to agree to it then for whatever his reason, wether he had a reason or not, but then why didn't congress allocate the funds for the agreement to be carried out? How is he supposed to pay for the raise when the actually money paper, dollars, are just not physically there to pass out.

Yes it sucks, it sucks bad, but I think everyone, not just state workers who belong to a union, should have to give up more than an inch right now so we can all get that mile back in an effort to actually reverse this debt creating spending. It's just seriously ridiculous.

[CMarie1881]

I have to chime in here.

On a state level as well as national level- it seems to be "cut spending". Which is great. However, taxes on the top 2% and the corporations (that are NOT creating jobs btw) need to be reversed back to the 39% rate. We have tax cuts that were meant to expire and yet we continue to keep them. You can't fix a problem by cutting spending AND lowering revenue. The problem will continue on and on.

As a state employee, I have mixed feelings about this.  I pay 5.5% of my wages into my pension, and the state pays 1.3% into it. I have to work for 10 years to become vested- if I quit anytime before that, the state gets their cut back.  I pay $297.95 bi weekly for insurance on myself and my children, $17 bi weekly for dental and $5 bi weekly for vision. My raise this year has not come, last year it was frozen and the year before it was .38.  I am overloaded with patients- the ratio climbs higher and higher.  Our local union gave in to many of the states requests, I feel that the state needs to stop attacking unions and blaming them for the mess we are in.  The money for pensions would be there, but the state borrows against those funds and never pays them back. We are on a hiring freeze, yet there is a ton of overtime...so much that we are on mandated OT. When we work just about all we can work, the state then pays a private agency to come in for relief.

I don't really know where I was going with all of this lol....it's a sensitive subject with me =).

[rottiemama2003]

Everything that is being said it what is happen in the private sector as well, not only government agencies are having trouble.  But they do have some ways to help the debt crisis for a short fix. As  you well see that search no one has escape this problem. We can blame, blame, blame but at the end of the day it is GREED!!!!!

[jdmlt]

I don't know the answers to the debt problem of IL. I do know that things aren't what they always say they are by the politicians. Example: The State said they were eliminating the level of Majors in the prison system, saving tons of budgeted money. Actually the name was eliminated not the people and not the money. I don't like being lied to or told things, just to pacify me. I have a problem with State Officials agreeing to a contract that can not be honored. I don't take out a loan knowing I can't make the payments. The union has given back raises already in the contract previously.

I don't know the solution, but lying, conniving is not it.

I do agree with CMarie on the corporations cuts of taxes but no more job openings in their company. I understand that it takes this many people to work the company, that many is hired. The tax saved to them is spent where? Didn't lower the price of their product & their employees didn't get a big raise. Sounds to me, the company bigwigs gained and no one else really did....oh I forgot, they say they have jobs. Take it or leave it, we will move out of the state and take our jobs with us...It's all a Catch 22, isn't it?

I know state employees also, I know what she stated is true (not insinuating no one believed it).

[lovinhim11]

Ok I got a question the 41.9 million they are cutting from illinois prisons, where are these cuts gonna be? Hope like hell they are not gonna make the prisoners suffer even more. some are already inhumane conditions.

[rottiemama2003]

Look at the Federal level senior and disabled one may not get their money on the 3rd of August, I understand the revenue has been down....but people for get that if the person on the bottom do not have a job they can not buy so those on top will not make money. But until greed is done away with we will continue to have this problem over and over.  I agree about being lied to about changing the position of Major on paper but the pay did not change... That is not a salary job is it?  But there is better days coming!!!!!

I am so sorry that so many people are being affected by this... and the number 1's is the people we love..... underwear shortage, fan shortage, feeding the soy and turkey, etc, etc, etc............. I know i only scratched the surface

[Bobsgirl17]

Greed...a horrible word.  It is greed that has created the problem.  I get so frustrated when I hear "we were promised a raise".  You know what?  My father started his own business 30 years ago.  We were making good money and getting a lot of "perks".  However, when the economy went down the toilet, so did every small business.  It is a domino effect.  The banks won't loan money, so people cannot build homes, so the lumber, appliance, cabinetry, roofing, painting and etc. businesses suffer.  I have saw my 73 year old dad work his a** off to build a very reputable company to wondering if we can keep the doors open.  He has used most of his retirement to keep the business running.  We pay for our own insurance, we don't have to 401K or anything like that.  I took a 50% pay cut.  But you know what?  I have a job and I am very thankful for that.  Yes, I live paycheck to paycheck but I have a job. 

The state employees need to realize that they are no better than the private sector.  Almost everyone in Illinois is hurting financially in some way.  The tax payers are barely making ends meet, yet the government wants to tax us more so they can have raises?

I am sure I will get criticism for what I have said.  But it hurts everyday to see my dad worry about his small business and his employees (which are mostly family).  I thank the Lord everyday for what I have and I pray that his companies awesome reputation is what has sustained us through so far.

Correct me if I am wrong, but the Social Security retirees and disability people did not get cost of living raises in their checks last year.  Something they counted on as it happened every year before.  Please someone tell me if I am wrong. 

[rottiemama2003]

And did the Medicare insurance go up ?????

[jdmlt]

I was wondering if our IL senators/congresspersons received their pay raises?

I sure hope our LOs don't lose more, already their training, schooling and medical has been hit. I know they are suppose to be punished but supposely with rehabilitated therapy not with cruel and unusual punishment.

I am making this statement from comments of people I know on SSI & SS. They didn't even get a cost of living raise last year. The year before they got approx. $10.