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* House Speaker Michael Madigan unveiled a joint resolution yesterday which attempts to inject the General Assembly into upcoming state labor negotiations…
Madigan introduced a resolution that would empower the Legislature to have input into raises that may be part of upcoming collective-bargaining talks between Quinn’s administration and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
In a jab at Quinn, Madigan’s measure also states that no-layoff pledges, like the governor’s “side agreement with AFSCME,” can’t be part of collective-bargaining discussions.
“Gov. Quinn gave that away. I don’t think he should do that, and that’s why we recite in this resolution that should not be done,” said Madigan, chairman of the state Democratic Party.
* The Speaker’s rationale…
Madigan said the state faces tough budgets for years to come, and much of the spending in those budgets will be employee salaries. The resolution states that payroll for AFSCME members alone in the current budget year would have been more than $2.76 billion had lawmakers not cut personnel expenses.
The resolution also states that cost of living increases for AFSCME members have averaged 4.25 percent a year over the past five years. From 2007 to 2010, the resolution says, the consumer price index has increased an average of 1.95 percent a year.
“We have a choice. We can stand on the sidelines and let those people go off and do what they do and send us a bill,” Madigan said. “Or, we can interject ourselves now and be present through the negotiations.”
AFSCME’s contract expires June 30.
* With many thanks to our friends at BlueRoomStream.com, here’s raw video of Madigan’s remarks on the House floor…
* From Madigan’s resolution…
[Resolved…] the State shall appropriate for no more than an X% increase for wage increases associated with any and all collectively bargained contracts throughout State government; and be it further
RESOLVED, That it shall be the policy of the State of Illinois that the size of, or a reduction in, the State employee workforce shall not be a topic of collective bargaining.
* More…
Madigan implied Quinn and his aides — or “those people” — can’t be trusted to negotiate financially realistic contracts. Instead, lawmakers should play a role so that they don’t get any nasty surprises.
“We can stand on the sidelines, let those people go off and do what they do and send us a bill, or we can interject ourselves now and be present through the negotiations so that our position is known and understood as those people are bargaining,” Madigan said told fellow lawmakers.
Madigan said a House committee will determine an acceptable percentage for union raises in the next contract and then vote on the resolution before the Legislature adjourns its fall session next month. Senate President John Cullerton, D- Chicago, said he wants the two chambers to work together on the issue and he would review Madigan’s plan.
Quinn spokeswoman Brooke Anderson called Madigan’s resolution “an interesting suggestion.”
* AFSCME’s response…
“Instead of stirring resentment toward working people and weakening their rights to bargain collectively, Illinois politicians should focus on fixing a tax structure that has never made rich people and big corporations pay their fair share,” said AFSCME spokesman Anders Lindall. “It’s wrong to shift blame from the tax-ducking 1% and the recession they caused to the middle class wages of average working people who care for veterans and the disabled, protect children and keep prisons safe.”
* Coincidentally, organized labor is holding a major Statehouse rally today.
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Oct 26, 11 @ 9:39 am
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–and weakening their rights to bargain collectively–
How is this right being weakened?
I totally agree with this. The people that actually make the budget (aka, set the payroll) should be involved in the bargaining process. In fact, they can bring more to the table then the Governor. This doesn’t weaken anything, it just brings someone to the table (that should be there already) that AFSME doesn’t want there.
Comment by Ahoy Wednesday, Oct 26, 11 @ 9:55 am
I do not begrudge workers raises however select groups of employees have been flush with raises while others have gone without raises for years. Better to fix the collective bargaining process than take away pensions for everyone.
Comment by Liberty First Wednesday, Oct 26, 11 @ 10:03 am
I do not begrudge workers raises however select groups of employees have been flush with raises while others have gone without raises for years. Better to fix the collective bargaining process than take away pensions for everyone.
Comment by Liberty First Wednesday, Oct 26, 11 @ 10:03 am
Yes as we have seen AFSCME has been jerked over by the 1 person in Illinois who is governor…
Oh wait is that not the 1 they are talking about.
Comment by OneMan Wednesday, Oct 26, 11 @ 10:10 am
Makes sense. By what authority can a governor commit the legislature to a certain spending level. As we recently found out, he can’t.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Oct 26, 11 @ 10:10 am
“Better to fix the collective bargaining process than take away pensions for everyone.”
How long has it been since union leadership *actually* cared about all their current and future member? They’re straight out of the Chicago mold–Ubi Est Mea?
Comment by Chris Wednesday, Oct 26, 11 @ 10:11 am
Umm dude I thin Governor Quinn and the courts have done that to you… Remember Pat Quinn, guy who sold you down the river.
Comment by OneMan Wednesday, Oct 26, 11 @ 10:11 am
The way I read this is that Madigan wants the unions to come to him for their pay raises–and I don’t mean make a compelling argument at his capitol office. I mean more like come to him when he’s at the spfld yacht club.
Comment by Easy Wednesday, Oct 26, 11 @ 10:17 am
Does anyone have an estimate of where those average working people rank in statewide income levels. Certainly they are well above minimum wage folks and the many unemployed, not to mention the above average benefits package.
Comment by Just Asking Wednesday, Oct 26, 11 @ 10:19 am
Madigan and Quinn are pummeling collective bargaining in Illinois and AFSCME trots out the same tired, weak and lazy talking points. 1% and corporate greed. Really? Thats all you can come up with? Leadership cannot be trusted to adequately represent their members. They have a giant conflict of interest and are part of the elite they claim to despise
Comment by Generation X Wednesday, Oct 26, 11 @ 10:23 am
-Does anyone have an estimate of where those average working people rank in statewide income levels. Certainly they are well above minimum wage folks and the many unemployed, not to mention the above average benefits package. -
No idea what the numbers are but I would bet the disparity is not nearly what it should be when education and experience is factored in
Comment by Generation X Wednesday, Oct 26, 11 @ 10:26 am
Ok, let’s see….
Check - Payback to AFSCME
Check - Sends our Governor a message about fiscal responsibility (not that he’ll get it).
Check - Burnishes his credentials as the leader of a faction representing a fiscally responsible Democratic party.
Check - Steals an issue from the Republicans (or at least gets into a defensible position).
Check - Puts a marker out on the table that this is how the ‘narrative’ for the next session is going to play out.
BIG Check - Comes across to the average ‘Joe Taxpayer’ as “hearing what they are saying”.
IMO, Genius.
House Speaker Michael Madigan obviously hasn’t lost a thing in terms of “Having Game”….
Comment by Judgment Day Wednesday, Oct 26, 11 @ 10:28 am
Actually, though more needs to be known, I don’t have a huge problem with this resolution. I can understand where it burdens the bargaining table on some points (ex: alot of what is bargaining or conceded is at times traded in the ‘raise’ amount, it does affect the process)…but no lay-offs was pretty over the top.
If the GA is serious about this, they need to figure the details out fast. To try it later timewise would mean a whole lot of people are sitting at a table batting things back and forth that may have to be done all over again or reviewed in a different process mannerism.
Comment by Cindy Lou Wednesday, Oct 26, 11 @ 10:31 am
“Madigan implied Quinn and his aides — or “those people” — can’t be trusted”
He is right, Quinn can’t be trusted. But Madigan by refusal to enact substantial work comp reform and his daughter by refusing to pay attention to the the lackluster defense of cases under her supervision have orchestrated one of the biggest payoffs to AFSCME members through our workers compensation system.
Don’t sit there and say the Gov can’b be trusted when you and your daughter are redirecting millions in taxpayer dollars to AFMSME members which in turn donate to you and your daughter.
Comment by the Patriot Wednesday, Oct 26, 11 @ 10:53 am
How about another perspective to this problem.
First, I don’t think the Gov should have made the deal with AFSCME in the first place. He backed himself into a corner, or so I thought.
Isn’t the legislature actually at fault here? The State of Illinois entered into a contractual agreement (whether good or bad). The legislature decides not to fund this contractual agreement. They could have moved money from some other area of state government spending but didn’t. Now if Quinn wins in court that the contract isn’t valid, there will be no more long term contracts with AFSCME since the state can no longer be trusted. One would assume that each year will have to be addressed since the state has only one year appropriations. So the GA would be in charge any way. Whatever they appropriate for salaries would be the starting point for salary negotiations.
Thoughts?
Comment by RetiredStateEmployee Wednesday, Oct 26, 11 @ 10:53 am
Why can’t MJM run for governor if needs to control every single thing in this state so badly and he thinks he knows so much better about negotiating contracts?
Whether Quinn or Blago or Ryan or whoever were dolts or corrupt in their dealings with the unions, the governor is the official empowered to negotiate these contracts for the taxpayers of Illinois because the governor is elected by all the residents of Illinois unlike a House Speaker.
This move IMO is Madigan just grabbing more power for himself so he can get the AFSCME cash to flow to him and his members rather than the governor’s race during the next election cycle.
Disgusting.
Comment by hisgirlfriday Wednesday, Oct 26, 11 @ 11:01 am
This bill is bad.
It overcomplicates negotiations and will wreck them.
The Governor should have included the GA when they dealt with AFSCME.
Quinns failure to do that does not justify Madigans power grab.
Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Oct 26, 11 @ 11:11 am
Lindall is out of touch.
His union favors salary caps to prevent lay offs.
They want job assurance first and foremost.
They want to keep their careers.
They are willing to take less during these hard times.
Union leadership is not seeing support regarding wages.
Their support is based on lay off scares.
Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Oct 26, 11 @ 11:20 am
The GOP needs to find the middle ground here.
They favor smaller government.
Now is the time for them to present a plan that doesnt cause harm to AFSCME members and shrinks government.
Or let Madigan call all the shots and remain gutless.
Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Oct 26, 11 @ 11:26 am
Yeah Quinn is a joke.
Yeah he was stupid to make those promises.
We dont need Madigans sticky fingers making things worse, do we?
Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Oct 26, 11 @ 11:30 am
Hisgirlfriday —– Exactly! Madigan could care less about who gets tax money as long as they contribute to him (or Lisa), not Quinn.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Oct 26, 11 @ 11:31 am
“Does anyone have an estimate of where those average working people rank in statewide income levels. Certainly they are well above minimum wage folks and the many unemployed, not to mention the above average benefits package.”
This is an old, tired myth and I am surprised anyone on this blog is bringing it up. If you compare the entire state workforce to to any Illinois corporation of the same size, you will find comparable benefits and payscale. If you compare education levels to comparable private employers, you will find state employees make slightly less that private employees. Don’t embarass yourself by bringing up this tired old mule again.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Oct 26, 11 @ 11:34 am
Come on the AFSCME deal was a good one,For Quinn he got what he wanted out of the deal a check and an endoresment.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Oct 26, 11 @ 11:41 am
The decision by the House Dems, last year, to firmly set a budget spending cap, lower than the gov and the Senate wanted, was driven partly by many members’ disgust with Quinn making a bad deal pledging no layoffs during a fiscal crisis.
On the other hand, Madigan, who prides himself on “separation of powers” arguments on behalf of the Legislature, better be careful not to step into Executive territory. That’s why this is now a resolution, not a bill.
Comment by walkinfool Wednesday, Oct 26, 11 @ 11:44 am
In this economy, AFSCME employees should be happy to have jobs.
And they would benefit even more from leaders who are not 99% politically tone deaf, demanding nearly 5% raises from folks who are taking 5% pay cuts. Not good.
Comment by Louis XVI Wednesday, Oct 26, 11 @ 1:18 pm
Maybe I’m wrong here but I’m not sure how I feel about this resolution and it is for this reason - do they really want to put a % increase out there? Doesn’t that compromise your bargaining position? Couldn’t, in the end, the union just point to that % as a “de facto” agreed % in the end? What if the goal is 0% raises but the legislature puts 2% out there as a possibility?
Comment by Demoralized Wednesday, Oct 26, 11 @ 1:41 pm
Good points, Demoralized.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Oct 26, 11 @ 1:57 pm
Here’s the Madigan method of negotiation:
Step 1: Send a few young staffers to the table to represent the “House Dems” and be seen and not heard, but never show up himself.
Step 2:Let both sides work very hard, negotiating for months, to finally arrive at an agreement that is acceptable to all.
Step 3:Ignore everything that was agreed to and ram whatever he wants through both chambers.
The unions might as well just save their time, effort, and money and let Mike have his way with them.
Comment by Bill Wednesday, Oct 26, 11 @ 2:31 pm
It appears salary increases will be bargained for with the legislature instead of the governor in the future. It will likely complicate matters but also may benefit the union in that all of their eggs will not be in the governor basket anymore.
The bigger problem is in the bill’s prohibition on the use of no-layoff agreements. The Speaker claimed that reductions in the workforce are the only way to change the budget dynamics once a contract is signed, but as evidenced by the no-layoff agreement the governor signed, AFSCME agreed to other cuts (that almost always get overlooked).
Chicago, for instance, was able to work out an agreement with unions that prevented layoffs in exchange for other budget givebacks. There’s no reason such agreements are bad or should be banned on their face. They often allow both sides to get what they need.
I don’t understand the baseless griping about union leaders not doing their job on the one hand, but getting ill-gotten work comp payouts for members, corrupt no-layoff agreements, undeserved raises, out of control benefits, etc. on the other. There’s really no way for them to win in that framework- they either are not doing there jobs or are doing there jobs to the detriment of the state. False choice.
And I didn’t know that AFSCME members were the only workers who could make a work comp claim if hurt on the job. Tip of the hat to the Patriot for patriotically pointing that out.
As an aside, the mindset that “they should just be happy to have jobs” is the start of a race to the economic bottom.
Comment by chi Wednesday, Oct 26, 11 @ 2:37 pm
I find it amusing that MJM is suddenly a union bashing fiscal conservative. He has for years taking union money left & right, never complaining about the contract or what was in it. MJM is also the guy who always found ways to get a budget passed without making any serious program or spending cuts, usually through some borrowing scheme. Now suddenly he is more conservative than the conservatives. What’s next, MJM hosting a Tea Party event ?
Comment by AFSCME Steward Wednesday, Oct 26, 11 @ 3:29 pm
We have a governor in jail and another one going to jail and they’re talking about state employees who perform their jobs for less than half the salaries of those in the legislature or in executive positions. Lawyers.
Comment by Emily Booth Wednesday, Oct 26, 11 @ 9:35 pm