Reader comments closed for the holiday weekend
Friday, Jul 1, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller * Chuck, Linda, Keef and the late, great Jonnie Johnson will play us out. Get up and dance, kids… Did I miss the skyscrapers, did I miss the long freeway? Go Sox.
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AFSCME: Quinn’s actions “Illegal and irresponsible”
Friday, Jul 1, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller * 3:04 pm - Statement of AFSCME Council 31 executive director Henry Bayer…
Looks like the governor got the union’s attention. Quinn has “sunk even lower” than Walker, Kasich and Christie? Wow.
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This just in… CMS decrees no union pay raises at 14 agencies, boards, etc. - 29,905 workers, $77 million
Friday, Jul 1, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller * 12:36 pm - The Department of Central Management Services has just sent a memo to agency directors decreeing that pay raises mandated by union contracts in 14 state “departments, boards, authorities and commissions” cannot and should not be paid. The CMS document can be read by clicking here. * CMS’s logic is that the General Assembly has sole authority to make appropriations under the Illinois Constitution. As you already know, the GA did not adequately fund personnel line items in the budget which was sent to the governor’s desk. The state’s Labor Relations Act also includes a provision about how union contracts are “subject to the appropriations power of the employer.” The governor, therefore, “does not have the appropriations authority to implement cost of living adjustments, longevity enhancements, or step increases covered by a collective bargaining agreement,” according to the memo. * The agencies impacted are…
…Adding… The missing three…
* The memo, signed by CMS’s Acting Director Malcom Weems, continues to say, “due to the absence of sufficient appropriations by the General Assembly, the above listed agencies cannot implement the FY 12 increases.” Agencies not listed had sufficient appropriations to implement the increases. * The CMS memo goes on to say that those workers who’ve already committed to retire by the end of December will continue to receive the raises. * I’m awaiting a call-back from AFSCME at the moment. That oughtta be good. * According to a top administration official, CMS believed it had no choice because of the budget sent to it by the General Assembly. “There simply isn’t enough appropriation,” the official said, adding “We pleaded with the House to work with us and the Senate to reallocate to cover the huge shortfalls in personal services lines at the affected agencies.” Asked whether eliminating positions would’ve been an option, I was told that the action would’ve required going to court and getting the union involved. * The memo also has this paragraph, and I’ve asked for clarification about what it means…
* If this is a device to get AFSCME’s attention, it’ll probably work. * This reportedly totals $77 million in savings. * While I wait for more info and some call-backs, here are a few other news stories that have popped up in the past few minutes…
* AP…
The actual number is 29,905 workers out of about 41,000 union employees. Scheduled union wage increases beginning today…
* From the governor’s office…
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Judges in two states allow pension benefit cuts
Friday, Jul 1, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller * Two state judges, one in Colorado, the other in Minnesota, have ruled that certain cuts to pension benefits are constitutional in those states. First up, Colorado…
What that means is the judge ruled that COLAs could be cut, but not the actual pension benefits. * Minnesota…
* COLA cuts are picking up steam elsewhere as well…
* However, Minnesota doesn’t even mention pensions in its constitution. And Colorado’s constitution has nothing that even comes close to Illinois’ language…
So, if you’re a state employee or a retiree here, don’t freak out yet.
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Budget action roundup
Friday, Jul 1, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller * I’m going to take the rest of the day off for the holiday, so I won’t be turning on comments. I’ll post a video later, but let’s do a quick news coverage roundup of last night’s action. * First up, the Medicaid cuts…
* More…
* Now, on to the school transportation cuts…
* More…
* Regional superintendents…
* More…
* More…
Yep, I screwed up in the subscriber edition. * AFSCME is unhappy…
* Last word…
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition and a Statehouse roundup
Friday, Jul 1, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Friday, Jul 1, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller
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