* An e-mail sent to state employees by the administration…
The many important issues facing the State of Illinois require that all of us make every effort to be thoroughly informed.
The ongoing collective bargaining process is of particular interest - understandably so - given the contracts’ expiration date of June 30, 2015.
To provide a forum for all employees to raise questions and seek answers is one way that we can be better informed with timely and accurate information.
A new website will be available today and will be at http://www.illinois.gov/EmployeeFAQs.
The site will provide you the detail regarding how to submit questions and will be periodically updated with questions and their associated answers. We urge you to visit this site every few days to inform yourself and raise any concerns that you might have.
* Emphasis added…
Welcome to the Illinois state employee Frequently Asked Questions website. The state recognizes that its employees may have concerns about a variety of issues. This website provides a forum for employees to raise questions and find answers about a variety of subjects, including labor issues, the state’s finances, and new policies that may have an impact on state employees.
All questions submitted by employees through this website will remain anonymous. In fact, employees can and should submit questions without providing their names. Thank you for your interest in the state.
State Finances & Economics
Q: Is the state truly facing a financial crisis?
A. Yes. Years of mismanagement have caused a financial crisis. When Governor Rauner took office, the state had nearly $6 billion in unpaid bills, a mid-year budget deficit of $1.5 billion, and over $100 billion in unfunded pension liabilities. Moreover, the state is now facing an over $3 billion hole in the budget the General Assembly recently passed for the upcoming fiscal year.
Contract Expiration – 6/30/15
Q: Will managers have to perform the jobs of union employees if those union employees strike?
A. The administration is negotiating with the unions in good faith and hopes all employees remain active and productive. That said, the state is developing plans to ensure continuity of services for any number of contingencies.
Q: Who makes the decision to strike? Can I abstain?
A. Most unions follow some process by which they request the union membership to vote to authorize their bargaining representatives to initiate a strike. You should familiarize yourself with the process your union follows. If the union initiates a strike, you still have the absolute right to remain at work or return to work.
- MrJM - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 10:35 am:
Not providing your name to a website ≠ Anonymous.
Unless you are particularly well-versed in the latest iterations of TOR and VPNs, it is almost impossible to visit a website anonymously.
There’s nothing particularly nefarious about that fact, but it is a fact.
– MrJM
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 10:37 am:
There will be no strike. If anything, the Unions will force a lockout, if they are wise.
Couple thoughts;
This seems right out of an “Office Space” deleted scene…
No one will be checking where the emsils might be coming from? Gotta trust that.
You can be the worker’s “pal” with the negotiated terms Rauner’s Crew has submitted.
Didn’t Rauner have a “hotline” during the campaign to “whistleblow” corruption? What ever happened to that?
Suggestion boxes are passive-aggressive. “Welp, they want this, ok.” It’s the opportunity to make changes you don’t want to own by saying “Someone suggested…”
How many sock puppet “suggestions” will be magically fiubd that the Administration just “loves”
When names aren’t attached to ideas, no one takes the blame when it goes south.
- zatoichi - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 10:37 am:
‘If the union initiates a strike, you still have the absolute right to remain at work or return to work.’ OK. If there is no state budget approved how do I get paid when the state has no money?
- Anonin' - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 10:38 am:
Quite entertainin’
1.Fiscal crisis dates to Ryan early retirement scheme if not BlinkyJim’s decision to skip the pension entirely) and helped along b the Cheny Bush Depression of ‘07-’08. Since Governor Rauner has come aboard he has spent most of his time threatenin’ GOPies, tellin’ staffers to waste thousands of hours on local government votes to reject his anti worker ideas. Now he is faced with governin’ and erects a website — simply brilliant. The man is a bleeping genius.
- walker - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 10:38 am:
Not a very high view of their own employees’ knowledge and intelligence. At least so far.
Wonder if this is a common tactic in private companies facing union contract renewal. I have not seen it, but am out of date.
- Wordslinger - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 10:38 am:
Q. If I submit a question anonymously from my work computer, can you still identify me?
A. Of course not! No employer has the ability to monitor an employee’s Internet activity.
- Qui Tam - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 10:38 am:
I hope the administration addresses the question as to why the CMS suggestion board for cost savings has been shut down for some time.
- Norseman - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 10:40 am:
MrJM, you beat me to the point. The only difference is that I’m not as certain that the Rauner folks wouldn’t look up a person that offends them.
- nixit71 - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 10:42 am:
“Thank you for your interest in the state.”
If they’re working for the state, I certainly hope they’re interested in it.
- How Ironic - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 10:43 am:
@TeamRauner
“If the Admin initiates a lockout, do I still have the absolute right to remain at work or return to work?”
Let’s start with that one.
- Norseman - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 10:44 am:
=== The administration is negotiating with the unions in good faith … ===
LOL
- PublicServant - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 10:45 am:
===Q. If I submit a question anonymously from my work computer, can you still identify me?
A. Of course not! No employer has the ability to monitor an employee’s Internet activity.===
Perfect, Word. Or should I say almost perfect.
A. Of course not! No employer has the ability to monitor an employee’s Internet activity. Thanks for the question John. Now, go see your manager, Dave, and he’ll explain your @#%@^%# problem.
- birds - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 10:48 am:
It’s a subtle start to try and undercut the union. Expect this to expand with more of their rhetoric as we go along. Its’ a given that the email part will be used to use employee concerns as a way to manipulate them against the union. The interactive part could also be used as a way to try and directly deal with employees about what they would accept in a contract agreement. That would be illegal, but the oligarchs don’t seem to care much about labor law.
If I worked for the state I’d avoid that email thing for the reasons listed by others here.
- The Muse - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 10:48 am:
Trying to plant the seeds of discontent among their own… Rauner isn’t messing around. It looks like he wants a strike.
- x ace - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 10:49 am:
Just a Matter of Time before Rauner crosses line and starts racking up NLRB ” Unfair Labor Practice ” charges. Feds ain’t gonna like him and he ain’t gonna like them.
- Johnnie F. - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 10:50 am:
Should I be tellin’ my union bosses to accept what your currently offrin’? I know how much you care about us workin’ class folk.
- RNUG - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 10:53 am:
Anybody that believes this is *Anonymous*, I’ve got a bridge in Brooklyn and shore front property in Florida for sale.
I’ve seen many anonymous paper surveys from the state that all had secret encoding so they could be identified. In a digital age, it’s even easier to identify the source. Think I’d be usin’ a public computer at the local library.
- Norseman - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 10:56 am:
=== Think I’d be usin’ a public computer at the local library ===
RNUG, I don’t think anyone is going to get a straight answer from them. The answers will all be in Raunerspeak.
- How Ironic - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 10:56 am:
@Team Rauner
Hi, I’m an employee in XXXX Dept. Our headcount expense is a little high. How can we best shift those employees to another department so we look better? I was thinking maybe DHS or similar.
Looking forward to your answer!
- Langhorne - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 10:59 am:
Five questions? Thats it? Not much there to keep us all informed. Interesting that two questions have to do w a strike, and the message from big brother comes from an unattributed source, instead of the usual chain of command. I would be very cautious about the promise of anonymity.
==Q: Is the state truly facing a financial crisis?==how unbelievably insulting.
- How Ironic - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 11:01 am:
@GovRauner
Due to the states dire financial situation, have you considered offloading some of the more costly departments to elderly nursing home residents? I bet you could dump them for next to nothing!
Anxious to hear if your past experience will help with this suggestion!
- A Jack - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 11:02 am:
Before the site was was actually working, it had a blank page with my user Id saying that my ID was not authorized. So anonymous? Not hardly. They are grabbing network ID’s. If you want to ask a question that may get you in hot water with Rauner, you might want to try the site from a library computer and see if it even lets you in.
- Emily Booth - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 11:04 am:
Most employees trust their union stewards more than they trust the administration during times like these. And, most employees where I worked never used their computers except for the programs required to process their work. BTW, Emily Booth is not my real name. When I first read CF, I was still employed and altho I never read it while at work, I was still very cautious.
Still am.
- RNUG - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 11:08 am:
== I don’t think anyone is going to get a straight answer from them. The answers will all be in Raunerspeak. ==
Yeah … but think of all the snarky questions you could post!
- Frenchie Mendoza - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 11:09 am:
If you look at the source code from the site, you see (a) that they’re using Sharepoint (which is completely unnecessary these days) and (b) an outdated version of Bootstrap — version 2.3.2 — from at least a 1+ years ago.
Come on state website gurus, get off your massively wasteful (and expensive!) MS Sharepoint contracts and start writing modern web code.
- The obvious - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 11:14 am:
Governor Brilliant keeps battling in creative ways while keeping the big picture in mind. Madigan continues to play small ball. Such a nice change.
- Grandson of Man - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 11:17 am:
Rauner’s contract terms are so draconian and extreme that they’re doing a good job of speaking for themselves. Many of the workers with whom I speak know exactly where Rauner is coming from and what he ’s trying to do. Some thankfully read this blog, so they get vital information hot off the press.
I wouldn’t submit something anonymously either, especially with this governor.
I’m waiting to see what Rauner does with the union strike bill. The unions sent a clear message that they want a safeguard against a strike. With the combo of spiteful and punitive contract proposals, union hatred and the “no strike” bill, unions can tell the public that Rauner will be responsible for major discord.
- The Way I See It - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 11:28 am:
I would pay good money to read all of the questions, not just the ones they choose to post.
Makes me think of Ken Lay’s meeting with the Enron employees where he told them to buy more Enron stock before it tanked and one of the questions he got was whether he was smoking crack.
The one that they chose to post about can I got work even if there is a strike reminds me of going to a fundraiser and some plant asks what is the maximum I can give to the candidate.
- Current_Public_Servant - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 11:29 am:
The last time we were negotiating I believe we already had a vote to gauge member’s willingness to strike by now. Nothing of the sort this time. There is zero talk of striking. Union leaders are well aware of the Governor’s tactics and won’t bite.
According to an update meeting yesterday, we are scheduled to negotiate with dates thru July. Apparently a mediator will also be in attendance.
- Madison - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 11:29 am:
Sounds pretty close to what the union could claim as bargaining with the workforce; however, the claim is enforceable though the ILRB rather than the NLRB.
He better own it before it gets there.
- foster brooks - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 11:30 am:
Rauner knows at least three people will be crossing the picket line
- Kippax Blue - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 11:36 am:
Question for the forum: Should there be a strike, and if a state employee covered by a BU contract decides to become a scab, must that scab accept a Tier 2 pension as a condition of crossing the picket line?
- Juvenal - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 11:38 am:
=== ‘If the union initiates a strike, you still have the absolute right to remain at work or return to work.’ OK. If there is no state budget approved how do I get paid when the state has no money? ===
If there is no budget, you cannot work.
- dupage dan - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 11:44 am:
Suggestion box? Seriously? Isn’t that a waste can under it?
AFSCME, please don’t vote to strike. Don’t make Rauner’s job easier.
- me too - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 11:46 am:
I submitted one about how good people will no longer be interested in State government jobs without the benefits. Also, his whole plan to reduce seniority is to lay off Tier I employees. Little does he know, most employees that know how to do their jobs are Tier I. You can’t run the State with folks that have been here three years. Not to mention the effect it will have on the economy. Killing unions in the public sector, and what he’s trying to do to them in the private sector, will cripple the economy, reduce tax receipts, and allow the wealthy to amass even larger fortunes. That is, until they go broke because no one is left to buy their stuff. I suppose they could all just work in finance. I can’t afford to strike, and hopefully it won’t come down to that. I will do it however, because I’m not crossing a picket line. I’ll be out there in a lawn chair every day. With signs saying it’s the gov’s fault. All he has to do is say no raises. I think both sides could be equally unhappy with that.
- Anonymous - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 11:49 am:
- me too - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 11:46 am:
No raises and no changes for three years just extend the current contract as is, period end of story
- me too - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 11:52 am:
If anyone comments, just be respectful and lay out the facts as to what will happen if no agreement is reached. Also, maybe tell him his agenda to get us all in Tier II, might work until the courts override it as an attempted sidestep of the Constitution. It doesn’t matter if one leaves employment, upon return the original pension guarantee is still in place. You can’t give it away. Maybe if you got double your salary, but there’s really no coerced agreement that will stand up in court. Yet more dollars wasted on defending the indefensible.
- Cassiopeia - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 11:56 am:
Most state employees that I know will cross the picket lines to keep their jobs. They don’t plan to follow the union down the employment drain.
- me too - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 12:04 pm:
The problem with that anonymous is that he’s going to terminate the contract and impose his last best final offer. We can still work under that, but negotiations must continue. If not, it is a clear unfair labor practice. We’d have to vote to accept those terms in a new contract. He has to extend the contract to continue working under its conditions. A little birdy told me he won’t. Come end of July, the contract will be terminated.
- me too - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 12:09 pm:
Cass, giving up long term security for short term gain is ludicrous. Most folks I know live paycheck to paycheck but won’t cross. It isn’t just about supporting the strike, it is about having to work with the people that did after all of it is over. God forbid the contract and the union both go bye bye. It’s going to be hard to work with people responsible for that. Even harder still for them to work with those that fought for the rights of the people who could’t care less.
- nixit71 - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 12:36 pm:
@me too - While I agree a mass layoff of Tier 1 employees would be foolish, they are in direct competition with Tier 2 employees. Tier 1 has the experience but at a much higher cost. Tier 2 offers scalability and affordability in services that cannot be achieved w/ a predominantly Tier 1 workforce.
The most vulnerable folks would be Tier 1 employees w/ 5-10 yrs experience. Taking the entire compensation package into account, is a Tier 1 w/ 6 years experience that much more valuable than the Tier 2 guy w/ 2 years under his belt? That’s for mgmt to decide.
I’ve read before that Tier 1 re-hires would come back as Tier 1. My take is they might not come back, essentially priced out of a job. This actually happens more than you think. Would there be some short-term pains? You bet. Would we be better off long-term? Probably.
- Precinct Captain - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 12:40 pm:
==- The obvious - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 11:14 am:==
How is this “creative” or “big picture” thinking?
==- The Way I See It - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 11:28 am:==
Maybe Rauner will slip up and call a reporter an a-h like Enron’s Jeff Skilling did. Now that I think about it, the Rauner administration is remarkably similar to “The Smartest Guys in the Room.”
- Finally Out (and now very glad to be) - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 12:42 pm:
Wordslinger - @ 10:38 am
I have to slightly disagree but CMS can and does filter and log internet activity. I never knew them to monitor real time because of the volume (we occasionally did in testing), but the data is available to extract if the right request came along. And you definitely do NOT want to put anything in a state email system. These files are archived and are still available even if deleted from your personal computer. If it isn’t state business, I would not test them.
Frenchie @ 11:09 am
You are correct and just scratching the surface. The contracts are another area, but we were using 20-year old DOS software for mission critical systems when I left. I have been told it is still in use. The computers using these systems couldn’t be upgraded because the programs weren’t supported anymore.
Bottom line from my 25+ years experience in IT, I would not believe you can submit anything anonymously while logged into a state computer with your state ID on the state network. If it isn’t state business, don’t do it on state systems, period!
If anyone can argue otherwise, I would love to hear it.
- Wordslinger - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 12:45 pm:
Finally Out, I kid, my friend. Nothing is secret online, believe me.
- Mouthy - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 12:55 pm:
- Wordslinger - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 10:38 am:
Q. If I submit a question anonymously from my work computer, can you still identify me?
A. Of course not Edward! No employer has the ability to monitor an employee’s Internet activity.
- RD55 - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 12:56 pm:
Well, people here were quitely LOL on reading the “FAQ”. Office Space does spring to mind. A lot of “How dumb do they think we are” type comments. Not that previous administrations haven’t done similar things.
- Demoralized - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 1:09 pm:
Unless the questions posed are posted you’ll never know if they are cherry picking or not. And, since you can’t post everything somebody is going to ask since you know you are going to get goofy stuff you go back to my first statement - nobody knows if they are cherry picking.
This is a silly idea in my opinion.
- Anonymous - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 1:10 pm:
- me too - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 12:09 pm:
Me Too — I want to be clear. I agree with 100% of what you say. I was just giving an idea that I wish would work but you are correct, Rauner wi not accept.
If it is a strike or lock out, I think that it will be a strike because I can not imagine Rauner locking people out. Luckily my wife who is a State Worker can fall back on my salary. I will be difficult but we will deal with it if only to keep her from having worse working conditions.
For her, it is the fact that her working conditions have gotten so much worse. The stress on her has hurt our marriage but we will make it. It is me that she comes home crying to every night and it hurts.
I feel as close to state workers as a outsider can get but I am so lucky that I stayed in the private sector or come the fall my family might be homeless.
- Anonymous - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 1:22 pm:
To those who support no raises, congratulations on making it to Step 8.
- Dirty Red - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 1:27 pm:
= In fact, employees can and should submit questions without providing their names. =
I was wondering what was up with the new IP address tracking service procurement request.
- Mama - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 1:32 pm:
==No employer has the ability to monitor an employee’s Internet activity.==
Oh yes they can and they have in the past.
- Finally Out (and now very glad to be) - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 1:34 pm:
Word…thought you might be. But just in case, the post was more aimed at those who think otherwise!
- Wordslinger - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 1:37 pm:
mama, lol, I kid, I kid.
I did not think anyone could possibly take seriously that employers don’t have the ability to monitor employee Internet activity.
If any of you at work took that seriously, close out now!
- ryan - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 1:45 pm:
Reminds me of:
http://dilbert.com/strip/2010-09-01
- Mama - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 1:47 pm:
++Come end of July, the contract will be terminated.++
I am pretty sure there is a continuation clause in the contract in case there is no agreement by July 1st.
- RNUG - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 1:59 pm:
== I am pretty sure there is a continuation clause in the contract in case there is no agreement by July 1st. ==
But I believe the current contract clause requires BOTH sides to agree to the continuation. What are the odds of that?
The recently passed bill ensures continuation …
- Nick Name - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:00 pm:
“I am pretty sure there is a continuation clause in the contract in case there is no agreement by July 1st.”
There is but that didn’t stop Quinn from terminating the contract. Fat lot of good it did him.
- Greyhound - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:02 pm:
According to my union rep, we are asking for the status quo. Basically the current contract continued for the next 3 years with cost of living tied to the CPI. Considering that is the initial ask, the union is being somewhat reasonable.
I’ve never gone into a negotiation starting with my bottom dollar. I would expect increased pension contributions, increased health insurance costs, and a year or two of no cost of living bump being acceptable.
- RNUG - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:04 pm:
== I would expect increased pension contributions ==
The IL SC, with their SB-1 ruling, has already taken that one off the table.
- Frenchie Mendoza - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:06 pm:
Thing is — if Rauner was reasonable with his demands — and simply made a pitch for employees paying more pension, more health insurance, and take a freeze on raises for the forseeable future — most employees would do it in a heartbeat. Not because they fear for their jobs but because — and I know this hard to believe — they want to help.
If Rauner would simply ask for help, he’d get it.
- RNUG - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:11 pm:
== for employees paying more pension ==
The IL SC, with their SB-1 ruling, has already taken that one off the table.
- Anon - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:15 pm:
@ Cassiopeia. Where do all the union members you know work? Just curious?
- Joe M - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:28 pm:
An interesting side is that AFSCME not only negotiates health insurance benefits for their members - but also for all of the state university employees, including university administrators, faculty, staff - both university union and non-union members. Whatever AFSCME negotiates in health benefits for state employees, that is what the state university employees get also.
So here is a good question for the Governor’s Q&A. If there is an impasse in contract negotiations between the Governor and AFSCME, how that will affect health ins for the state university employees once the old contract ends?
- RLG - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:29 pm:
I think negotiated changes can be made to pension contribution amounts. The amount I paid went up and down a couple of times. Tied to new contracts.
- RD55 - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:33 pm:
@Frenchie - I wouldn’t be willing to pay more towards the pension unless the gov and GA are going to pay their end of it. Based on passed history . . .
- Greyhound - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:42 pm:
@RNUG We most certainly can agree to pay more into the pension. The benefits just can’t be diminished. It would be like a pay cut but at least I know where the money is going.
- Anonymous - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:59 pm:
In Mao’s reign, he instituted “May A Thousand Flowers Blloom” - encouraging feedback from the Chinese population to create a new, better, open society. Alas, he used the ploy to clean house with his favorite tool, the butcher knife. Lesson: BEWARE of leaders asking for input.
- Anonymous - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:01 pm:
@Anon
In the governors office.
- RNUG - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:10 pm:
== I think negotiated changes can be made to pension contribution amounts. The amount I paid went up and down a couple of times. Tied to new contracts. ==
Nope, not for the same benefits you are currently entitled to.
The reason the amount went down and up was either
(a) because the State picked up the employee contribution portion in place of a raise for a period of time as part of a union contract
or
(b) if you have been around a really, really long time, you started paying a bit more for an increased benefit such as when the AAI was added.
I agree there is nothing to stop you paying more for an INCREASED / NEW benefit BEYOND what you are currently entitled to.
The State promising to make their portion of the pension payment is NOT such a benefit; the State is already required to fund and pay the pensions when due.
- RNUG - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:12 pm:
== @RNUG We most certainly can agree to pay more into the pension. The benefits just can’t be diminished. It would be like a pay cut but at least I know where the money is going. ==
-Greyhound-, see 3:10 pm comment
- MickJ - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:44 pm:
Anon “@ Cassiopeia. Where do all the union members you know work? Just curious?”
In the Governor’s Office where they are members of the Villains, Thieves, and Scoundrels Union; B Badenov Shop Steward
- Greyhound - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:53 pm:
@RNUG I see what you mean. In past contracts, in the first year we might get a 2% raise but then we would pay 2% more into the pension.
- Kevin Highland - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 4:00 pm:
@Greyhound that pay increase/pension payment increase shuffle was a direct result of the State returning the employees pension payment liability back to the employee.
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