State postpones union layoffs
Tuesday, Sep 22, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From Sean Smoot…
“On Friday September 18th, the Conservation Police Lodge represented by the PBPA and the State of Illinois agreed to defer implementing any layoffs while the parties continue to discuss and/or litigate the propriety of the proposed layoff of conservation police employees. Accordingly, we have been assured that the layoffs will not occur as scheduled on September 30. We have been told that official notification of the agreement is being sent to the affected agencies and employees today.
“The state also agreed to defer proposed layoffs of employees represented by AFSCME and the IFT.”
I’m hearing that the Illinois State Museum also received a reprieve.
- John A Logan - Tuesday, Sep 22, 15 @ 1:36 pm:
Governor, you might not be getting your “turn around” agenda because your letting every created crisis pass without incident.
- DuPage Bard - Tuesday, Sep 22, 15 @ 1:43 pm:
What? I’m aghast that this has occurred!
How could he veto a budget, then just keep worthless employees on the dole, who obviously are corrupt, without having money to pay for them? This is truly shocking!
- bobby brown - Tuesday, Sep 22, 15 @ 1:46 pm:
all talk…all bark no bite…smoke and mirrors baby
- Beatgrunt - Tuesday, Sep 22, 15 @ 1:49 pm:
And so it begins. Give up you gains, your raises ect or we will begin the layoffs aka firings. The flogging will continue until morale improves
- Honeybear - Tuesday, Sep 22, 15 @ 1:51 pm:
Thank a loving God. We’ve got a bunch of those folks in my local. I wonder why the stay of execution?
- Norseman - Tuesday, Sep 22, 15 @ 1:52 pm:
LOL Bard.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Sep 22, 15 @ 2:01 pm:
Well played by the PBPA. Keep pluggin’.
Waiting out Rauner is the Kryptonite to what Rauner wouldn’t mind at all;
Strike. Protests. Signs. Marching.
You wait Rauner out, your chances of staving the Governor off increase.
- How Ironic - Tuesday, Sep 22, 15 @ 2:01 pm:
@ Honeybear,
Apparently all that talk about ‘taking the arrows’ seemed like a good idea during the ‘pitch’ phase of planning.
Once it got real, apparently Gov Bruce ‘weaknees’ Rauner found out he really can’t take many arrows at all.
- A guy - Tuesday, Sep 22, 15 @ 2:09 pm:
Sometimes these kinds of moves indicate that elements of the negotiation are improving or making progress. Let’s hope that’s what it is.
- Anon221 - Tuesday, Sep 22, 15 @ 2:11 pm:
This is like being in an mentally abusive relationship. Just for kicks, I Googled “rauner psychological warfare”. Here’s what came up-
http://raunerlibrary.blogspot.com/2012_01_22_archive.html
Read the “Safe Conduct” article.
- Ducky LaMoore - Tuesday, Sep 22, 15 @ 2:16 pm:
Good news. It’s too bad I’m way past not looking a gift horse in the mouth.
- walker - Tuesday, Sep 22, 15 @ 2:22 pm:
Hunh?
In exchange for what?
- Threepwood - Tuesday, Sep 22, 15 @ 2:28 pm:
A guy:
I’m not sure much can be read into this about negotiations. This happened after a suit was filed over the layoffs, specifically over the “lack of funds” justification. It could just be the admin felt they couldn’t win that part of the suit.
- Cassandra - Tuesday, Sep 22, 15 @ 2:29 pm:
Remember when Pat Quinn was going to do all those layoffs and then he wasn’t. Didn’t, actually. The Rauner admin is still hiring at a brisk pace, I believe.
I don’t think there will be more than a token number of layoffs under Rauner either. Despite the doomsday rhetoric of some.If you are really in a pinch, you put in a hard hiring freeze. I don’t believe that has happened.
Existing employees could face de facto cuts, it seems, because of insurance costs. But they will all have jobs, secure jobs. Not such a bad deal in the 21st century, short-term contract economy.
My highly-educated daughter in law, to give an example, works for a company which is about to be sold for the second time in three years. She’s thinking of going out with colleagues and doing their own startup. No more lifetime jobs, I think, except in government.
- DonaldTrump - Tuesday, Sep 22, 15 @ 2:46 pm:
WEAK!
- A guy - Tuesday, Sep 22, 15 @ 2:55 pm:
==Threepwood - Tuesday, Sep 22, 15 @ 2:28 pm:
A guy:
I’m not sure much can be read into this about negotiations…===
Maybe not 3pwood. But, maybe.
- Threepwood - Tuesday, Sep 22, 15 @ 3:00 pm:
I hope you’re right.
- ihpsdm - Tuesday, Sep 22, 15 @ 3:16 pm:
Cassandra,
You are correct. The job security is really all that matters to me at this point. If this job went away, there really aren’t many options in terms of employment here in Springfield or within a reasonable commute. I could always move, but finding a job is never easy.
Hopefully AFSCME and the State are making progress in the negotiations.
- My New Handle - Tuesday, Sep 22, 15 @ 3:29 pm:
Though layoffs may be postponed or reversed, for the Illinois State Museum much of the damage has already been done. Professionals are leaving or retiring sooner, confidence in the museum’s ability to reposit items for future study and education has dwindled. Read the letters and testimony from state, national, and international sources that were filed for the COGFA hearing for just an important a resource the museum is/was. This was not a budget issue. Closure of the facilities was in Rauner’s sights from the outset of his taking office. Why? The Illinois State Museum was an institution of which every Illinoisan could be proud, regardless of political party or district. For someone who professes to love the State, the Governor has shown disdain and disrespect for its cultural and historical heritage and reputation. Shame on him.
- Anon - Tuesday, Sep 22, 15 @ 3:38 pm:
Next up, reprieves for the poor, right?
Right.
- sal-says - Tuesday, Sep 22, 15 @ 6:15 pm:
Probably not. But it smells like a guy who overplayed his hand while running out of chips to call. And, being a little slow, finally figured it out.
- Anonin' - Tuesday, Sep 22, 15 @ 6:41 pm:
Another huge U turn…whiplash anyone?
- GlimmerGirl - Tuesday, Sep 22, 15 @ 7:04 pm:
Three plus months of torture for the Museum employees and their families. Let’s just pull that bandaid off nice and slow…
- Hickory - Tuesday, Sep 22, 15 @ 7:28 pm:
Reminds me of a person in Washington DC that set a red line and backed away. Who do you trust?
- Anon - Tuesday, Sep 22, 15 @ 8:08 pm:
Just kidding Sal.
The rich and the public-sector unions get first dibs.
- Just sayin - Tuesday, Sep 22, 15 @ 10:41 pm:
These conservation officers pay etc comes out of special funds. The revenue is made up of fees from hunting, fishing licenses, etc. and from fines for conservation law violations and from federal grants and reimbursements. So not funded by GRF makes the whole lack of funds argument indefensible. This was a dumb group to try to layoff. If they had followed through with it the laid off employees would likely have been returned to work with full back pay. Not a very good business decision. Glad Rauner and company figured it before it was too late.
- Thomas Stell - Wednesday, Sep 23, 15 @ 3:19 am:
All workerkes will be affected with rtw , all workers need to stick together at all cost to show rauner that were not going to be like wisconsin and dont want to be under a directorship