132 Comments - Annonin' - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:01 am: The merit pay scam seems a little odd…if you miss less the 5% of the work days we give you $1K…could 5% equal 12.5 days? two plus weeks? Does not seem like a very high bar for the reward. We are sure someone can illuminate. - yeah - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:04 am: Some folks have health problems and have burned through their time. But mostly, this is aimed at Union Stewards and Officers who take off unpaid Admin time and are reimbursed by the Union. If you volunteer for the Unions, you might miss your bonus. - Up North - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:06 am: Merit Pay: If merit pay can be understood in a contract as a bonus, not part of your wage or salary, than the next step is to declare it non-pensionable income. - Chicagonk - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:06 am: A lot of good points, especially the mantra “If you are explaining, you are losing.” - Anonymous - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:06 am: Go to the courts and then get behind a solid candidate for Governor in two years. If you can stall it in the courts for two years you are in the clear if you can get your candidate elected. - Union proud - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:08 am: The two 15 minute breaks are paid for. It’s the hour lunch that is unpaid. Which is how 8:30 to 5 becomes 7.5 hours. Annonin, the merit pay for not missing time was expanded since the first proposal. Initially even people off work for cancer wouldn’t get it. Now it basically just cuts out UA’s and XA’s. And there is a belief that it will “accidentaly” cut out people who take a lot of unpaid union time. Like the bargaining committee… - working stiff - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:08 am: =AFSCME’s best bet is to convince the courts to force Rauner back to the table.= that was the idea with the arbitration attempts. to keep the negotiation going. - Rich Miller - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:09 am: ===Does not seem like a very high bar for the reward=== Yep. Looks to me like a cash inducement to vote against a strike. - Langhorne - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:10 am: You are right, as long as rauner and others are talking about overtime pay and merit pay, he is winning the war of public perception. Afscme has to focus on how much the insurance premiums will go up and how much that hurts in relation to what people make. then the public can understand and maybe sympathize. Double your cost for less coverage is a raw deal. Rauner also wins talking only about concepts, and not being forced to put numbers to it–for individuals, and in total. - hisgirlfriday - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:10 am: AFSCME leadership needs to be real with its members on this contract if it wants to keep them even after AFSCME is dead as a political entity when Donald Trump’s SCOTUS pick is sworn and the Abood precedent is overturned. Rauner knows this is coming and is acting accordingly. I wish I knew what AFSCME could do to stop this but there’s really nothing that doesn’t involve a time machine. - x ace - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:15 am: Thought used to be a law or Constitution provision that prohibited giving a ” Bonus” ? - Lincoln Clay - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:15 am: Not that Roberta listens to anyone, but afscme should really focus on the insurance details and step back from anything else. As Rich says, complaining about merit pay and overtime and volunteers isn’t going to get you anywhere. However, with public focus on cost hikes for Obamacare, people can understand the problem of employee health insurance increasing from $600 to $1200 per month. This is where afscme should fight this battle in the media. Repeat it over and over and over again, save the rest for the bargaining sessions (if they can ever get the state back to it) - Shanks - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:16 am: The 37.5 hour work week, for me, as a state worker, I work in a prison, we aren’t allowed to leave grounds…but, not a big deal if we don’t make overtime after 40 hours, I’m sure the union would compromise rather than strike for this. Volunteer shouldn’t be an issue, the union should back down unless real issues happen, (ex liability, etc) I’m positive the union will compromise on this) Merit pay, unless its based strictly off attendance and actual discipline, who cares, but Rauner insists that it be based off evaluations, which is obvious will become corrupt, like it was years ago. The REAL issue at hand, is the drastic health insurance increase, the freezing of wages, the privatization of peoples jobs…we will lose thousands, many of who are living paycheck to paycheck, can’t afford another setback. - Anon - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:17 am: Can somebody remind me of the percentage of union households who voted for Rauner over Quinn in 2014? - Norseman - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:17 am: Great analysis Rich. To Honeybear and other union commenters, good luck. - Yiddishcowboy - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:18 am: I recall reading that 2 out of 5 Union households voted for Gov. Rauner. However, I don’t recall by how much Quinn lost. Had all Union households voted for Quinn, would that have been enough to put Quinn over the finish line? - pool boy - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:20 am: You are spot on. The Gov has picked items that most people view as reasonable. He has been trying the divide and conquer strategy ever since he got other unions to sign. It will be a rough ride ahead. - Shanks - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:20 am: And I never heard of the two 15 minute breaks? At least I don’t get those… Someone asked about merit pay, if we miss 5% of work, not counting vacation, personal days, sick days, FMLA, or comp days? Basically, 5% of days that are no call no show, suspension days, or dock days…so pretty much 99% of staff will get the bonus this year…until next year when evaluations are put in to play. - Indochine - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:20 am: Lincoln Clay is exactly right. Forget volunteers and OT and put real people out there and how their budgets and lives would be wrecked with premiums 2x and 3x. Don’t think Roberta and Team have that in them, however. - Piece of Work - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:21 am: I would suggest comparing your entire compensation package to what you could potentially receive in the private sector. Pay, sick days, cost of health insurance, pension, holidays,etc. If you can do better in the private sector, make the move. If not, and if there are is a significantly better arrangement in state government, you may want to compromise some. - ComeTogether - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:21 am: Myself and some co-workers are willing to cut some holidays, work 40-45 hour work weeks and I’ll even work to adjust my tier 1 entitlements in order to get our step increases. Heck, I’ll even pay more toward insurance. I’m sure there’s a lot of others out there that feel the same way. - Irish - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:24 am: Volunteers at State Sites sounds great, looks great, on paper. But as a retired manager of three state sites it doesn’t work as well as it sounds. If you are a site with a visitor center or equestrian, bike, or atv/snowmobile trails you can use volunteers for those specific jobs and it can work. The people at visitor centers get to wear uniforms and meet people and that is the extent of it. The trail people are usually interested in improving and maintaining the trails because they use them and they know what it takes to make a good trail for them. But when you try to use volunteers for the maintenance of site you start seeing why it doesn’t work. First of all if any volunteer is going to be in restrooms, shower buildings, or picking up garbage, they must have the series of shots to protect them from infectious diseases. These shots are given over a six month period. I doubt that the state will spring for the cost and the volunteer usually doesn’t want to either. So you lose the volunteer or he doesn’t have to do those duties that require the shots. Secondly maintenance at a site is an every day thing. So you have to have a core group of workers that you know are going to be there in case you need them. While Mrs. Smith will sign up for three weekends a month to put on a nice uniform and stay clean and fresh while she gets to chat with visitors, she most likely will not sign up for four days a month picking up litter, trimming grass, cutting brush, etc. The state and most certainly some agencies have a history of under staffing their sites. They love volunteers because they appear to do the job of full time employees. The higher ups get to report that they are maximizing their budget dollars by using volunteers. When in fact the sites are suffering because people are not showing up, they are abusing equipment, either through lack of knowledge or because they don’t really care they just want to get the job done and go home. Whereas the full time employee knows he is going to have to live with that piece of equipment for many years and he wants it to keep working. And finally maintenance at sites requires a working knowledge of a lot of skills. The full time employees are usually hired because they have those skills. The tests they take to get hired show how skilled they are. Volunteers takje no tests you get who you get. Sometimes you get lucky buy most tomes you get a well meaning individual who has no skills. So next time you go to plug your RV in during a rainstorm you might wonder who it was that made the repairs on that outlet. - X-prof - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:27 am: Also, merit pay in the form of a bonus doesn’t go into your salary base. If you get an x% raise over your current salary, a bonus doesn’t count. Since the merit criteria will be judged by supervisors in future years, this $1000 bonus just for showing up is a one-time thing. It’s meant to play well to the public on Rauner’s behalf and to divide state workers by luring some to take the money and split from the union. I totally agree with Rich about overtime after 37.5 hours. The gain is not worth the political cost — destruction of the union. AFSCME would have better proposed something like guaranteed 40 paid hours per week with overtime after 40. I think the public would better understand this. It would have some cost savings over status quo where more than 37.5 hours per week is needed to get the job done. It’s late, but not too late, to propose this now. - From the 'Dale to HP - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:29 am: The flip side of course is the framing of Rauner isn’t that hard. “Guy who makes $200 million a year, wants to make the guy making $40,000 a year make even less.” - Union proud - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:31 am: Shanks, sorry I just looked at the rest period section and RC-6 only get it under current practice. So if you facility does it you get it. Furthermore correction officers on here need to know this current contract imposition doesn’t affect you directly. RC-6 and CU-500 are in binding arbitration. The same arbitrator has the FOP case for the troopers and that should be done this month. What they get will probably be close to what you get. For those claiming we should talk more about healthcare the governor has a new plan. He is trying to now claim that healthcare is a permissive subject of bargaining. That case will go before the board at some point. Even though he bargained over healthcare for almost 2 years. - Small Town Girl - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:31 am: I agree with all of Rich’s keen observations. What I cannot wrap my mind around is that after all of the issues Illinois has had with “Pay to Play” contracts that the general public is okay with Rauner having control of the subcontracting without having to prove it saves the state money. Seems to me that is is allowing him a dangerous amount of control. - SOIL M - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:34 am: I am not sure the argument on higher insurance costs will go over good with the general public either. The majority of people are dealing with skyrocketing health insurance, and may see it as reasonable now. If someone would lay out the costs in percentage paid by employee now versus percentage the governor wants employees to pay might be a better idea. Everyone knows they are paying more now and may not be sympathetic to state employees. It puts AFSCME in a tough spot. - curmudgeon - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:35 am: Two issues, not reported in the news, as explained by the union: 1. Per AFSCME, we do NOT get to vote on accepting Rauner’s “offer”. Since ILRB ruled there’s an impasse, he can impose his terms and the only thing the union could do is vote to go on strike to try to force negotiations to resume. 2. Again, per our AFSCME steward, the 40 hour issue is not about standard work time per week, but about overtime pay, especially in those jobs where mandatory overtime applies: A. A job has an regular Monday-Friday workweek. B. During the week, the employee takes time off due to a sick child, or perhaps due to car breakdown or winter road conditions. C. The supervisor decides overtime work is needed and orders the employee to work on Saturday. D. Under the new rules, the employee would NOT get paid any overtime for working Saturday because he/she had not yet completed 40 hours of work time during that week. So, there is concern that management would intentionally choose to fill overtime needs by ordering in anyone who was off the clock anytime during the regular work-week, so that overtime pay would not be paid. - Threepwood - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:36 am: I really don’t understand the resistance to the merit pay as currently proposed. How is it not win-win for AFSCME? If it’s actually handled fairly, then yay, extra money for employees and evidence to the public that the union can be flexible and embrace new ideas. If it’s corrupt, it didn’t come out of other compensation so at least employees didn’t take a hit, and the union can use the corruption against the Governor in the public eye. - Almost the Weekend - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:36 am: Rauner should have drove the wedge between tier 2 and tier 1. Tier 2 employees are on lower wage scale, student loans, young families, etc. Not to mention a horrible pension compared to tier 1 Co workers. Offer them large merit pay neglecting the tier 1 workers who are higher up the ladder. The way Afscme has been run all you have to do is grab some popcorn and watch from the sideline. - Louis G. Atsaves - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:41 am: This won’t be a popular comment here but AFSCME is in a trick box because of their refusal to negotiate or budge on many items. Take this stubbornness and add demonizing the Governor, add several attempts to eliminate the Governor from negotiations through legislation and fierce veto override fights, and now after a series of legal losses at the Illinois Labor Board, they are boxed in. All the sloganeering and chanting aside, what does AFSCME really want now? They should spell it out. And as to losing the public relations battle with this Governor, AFSCME needs to realize that they already lost it. Big time. Is there a Plan B? - AC - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:41 am: The Illinois Democrats are in a trick box too. Rauner loves creating no win situations, and he’s good at it. Something that has gotten very little mention was the earlier promise to charge increased health insurance premiums retroactively to the start of the fiscal year. That bonus could easily become negative if they decided to follow through with their earlier promise. I think the $1,000 is there to make the union look bad by attempting to prevent the implementation of the contract. Because of this. Because of this, I suspect the administration views the AFSCME appeal as having the possibility of forcing negotiations to resume. Despite everything that’s happened, a lot of state employees are still blissfully unaware of what’s coming. They have jobs and kids or aging parents or sick family members and are so focused on their own lives, that they are unable to even process this conflict. They of course will find out soon enough, probably too late to do anything about it. As Honeybear rightly predicts, the workforce will collapse, and in some ways it’s already started. This will make some people immensely happy, at least until they realize the true impact of such a collapse. - Rogue Roni - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:42 am: All the would of should ofs are kinda acemdic considering the administration left the table - Pelonski - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:43 am: Curmudgeon, Your #1 is not entirely correct. The union can still vote to accept the contract which would lock in the terms for the entire contract period and would activate the no strike - no lock out provisions and similar provisions which can’t be mandated by a last, best and final offer. - Pot calling kettle - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:44 am: The simple message from AFSCME should be: “The Governor is asking us to work more hours and take a pay cut. Under the Governor’s plan, the average member will see their take home pay go from $— to $—” That would be a message people could understand and appreciate. They could even add, “We’re willing to work more to help the state through this tough time, but we cannot agree to that AND take a pay cut.” - Local Union Officer - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:44 am: I am an officer in an AFSCME local. I observe that AFSCME often concerns itself too much with the issues that will affect its revenues than with the issues that most affect members’ welfare. Thus, much attention is paid issues like fair share and volunteer workers (who pay no dues) than to issues like four years of frozen wages and the $6,600 per year that I will need to pay for my healthcare insurance. Guess what motivates me more. And one thing about the overtime changes. Screw the 2.5 hours a week. Nobody sees that the changes remove the 16-hour-out-of-24 restriction. That means we will have 911 call takers and prison guards working at the limit of their physical capacity: a recipe for disaster. - Trolling Troll - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:44 am: I would focus on the $3 billion that he is taking out of the economy. That’s s lot of new cars and horseshoes. I guess moving imaginary lines on a map and term limits will feed us small business owners. - Joe M - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:47 am: The doubling of health insurance premiums is a biggie. Just take the Macomb area for example. State health ins premiums run between around $86 to $200 per month for individuals, depending on one’s income. So lets take a ballpark average of $143 per month individual average (Adding dependents can double that, but for sake of argument we’ll stick with individuals) Take 600 WIU faculty + 600 WIU civil service and administrators + say another 200 actual state employees in the area, for a total of 1400 employees. Then take 1400 employees having the $143 average individual monthly premium doubled = 1400 X $143 X 12 months = $2,402,400 that will be taken out of the already depressed Macomb area economy annually because of doubled ins premiums. And if dependents premiums are added to that, the amount becomes much higher. Rep. Hammond had a chance to support the arbitration bill, but choose not to. - Give Me A Break - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:50 am: If AFSCME thinks the public is going to be in their corner they are making a huge mistake. Look, if the 99th District can be won by a candidate who did, little if anything, for AFSCME members, AFSCME is in deep trouble. If any district in the state should have been able to elect a pro-AFSCME lawmaker it is the 99th with huge numbers of state workers and their family members residing in the district. Instead, the voters elected someone who has not and makes no secret of the fact wont support the AFSCME agenda and the vote wasn’t close. AFSCME you are losing the PR battle even in your backyards. If you can’t win the PR battle in Sangamon County I wish you luck trying to win the PR battle in areas without large numbers of state workers. - Union proud - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:51 am: “I really don’t understand the resistance to the merit pay as currently proposed. How is it not win-win for AFSCME?” You have to look at it in the context of the whole offer. 1000 dollars on one hand but no cola, no steps, no new longevity, thousands more for healthcare, being garnished for back-premiums, and most likely being privatized at the end of the day on the other hand. As for the merit pay offer going forward they still can’t say how it will work. Both the merit/comps and teamsters have had issues with it being done fairly. When it is your only hope of an increase besides promotion, how it is done matters more. Also the idea of making it non-pensionable is going to get challenged in court. - Pelonski - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:57 am: I can think of dozens of ways that Roberta Lynch and the rest of the AFSCME leadership made mistakes during this process, but one of the biggest was to not realize that she was negotiating from a weak position and worked on reasonable concessions. If you look at the last, best, and final offer, it places a disproportionate burden on new and lower paid employees, many of who already have reduced benefits by being in Tier II. The relative burden on experienced and high paid employees is much less, and they are the ones in the best position to absorb the impact. I think it would have been doable to convince the state to make the terms for new employees less onerous. For instance, in my agency, our work force is going to be severely impacted by the lack of step increases at the lower levels. What used to be a job with a good salary potential will now be well below average compared to the private sector. The good, young employees aren’t going to stick around when they can get paid a lot more elsewhere. We’ve already started to lose them, and the attempts to hire replacements has been a real challenge. - A guy - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 12:00 pm: Perception is very hard to get past. Here’s what a guy in precincts will hear a lot: It’s been a tough decade for people in the private sector. Many have lost jobs, seen pay decreases, seen the meteoric rise in their health care insurance from employers, seen full time go to part time. They’ve lived “scared”. Waiting for the hatchet to fall for years at a time. They’ve had to compromise so much of their quality of life because there’s no job security for them. They can afford a vacation, but they don’t dare go. The same $ that pays for the vacation, is the $ that tides them over for a few months if their job disappears or gets dramatically reduced. Or if their pay goes south while their benefits package goes north. In short, they’ve been dealing with uncertainty for almost a decade. There is envy for people who have job security, some increases, secure pensions and good benefits. They viewed the contract the union wanted as ill-timed and greedy when everyone else was suffering. This isn’t limited to only AFSCME. It’s teachers and legislators and every public employee. Whether the perception is wrong entirely, mostly or partly…that’s what you hear there. They don’t feel sorry. They resent it. The slight glimmer of good news is that they’re softening a little. As things get better in the private world, they are less judgmental of the public workforce. It may not be an accurate reality, but it’s definitely what the perception is out there. Timing is everything. All the public employee unions could work hard on timing and messaging. They’ve bungled that for sure. More Honeybears, less sugarbears. - Joe M - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 12:02 pm: ==I would focus on the $3 billion that he is taking out of the economy.== I am guessing that the $3 billion figure is based solely on the 38,000 AFSCME employees having their wages frozen and ins premiums doubled? But the doubling of health insurance premiums will also take a big chunk of money out of the economy from the non-AFSCME state employees - and also the nearly 42,000 full-time Illinois state university employees who will also see their health ins premiums doubled. - State Worker THX 1138 - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 12:04 pm: I’m really unhappy with the union. Recently hired and stuck at the bottom of the pay scale (or I might not have a job at all sometime in the future, yay). From what I can tell, the union did little to address people stuck where I am. Then they overplayed their hand, and here we are. They take my money and I am worse off than when I started. Meanwhile they get to collect a steady paycheck and work out of their opulent office in Chicago. Not feeling the love. /rant off - Piece of Work - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 12:05 pm: To Joe M.—Do you want to know what those insurance premiums would be in the private sector? - Small Town Girl - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 12:05 pm: Gimme a Break is dead on. One only has to read the comments on any newspaper article to know how much of the public feels about our state work force. No private company that I can think of would have so many vastly different types of positions and the generalizations are really disheartening. - Foster brooks - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 12:05 pm: I believe afscme is still looking for a raise also? - facts are stubborn things - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 12:07 pm: The ruling by the Labor Relations board basically admits that AFSCME and the state are not at impasse on key issues. The Labor Relations board was just not willing to go into knew territory and impose a partial impasse on some issues and not on others. I think the courts will look at the extensive record (ruling of the law judge) and provide a remedy. This thing has a long way to go and before you can judge AFSCME you have to see how this plays out. - Threepwood - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 12:09 pm: Union Proud: But I don’t understand how any of that affects my point, because I am talking about ONLY the merit pay. And I don’t see how the merit pay is essentially tied to any of the other points you raised, besides the basic fact that they were all part of the contract package on offer. AFSCME could signal that on the specific issue of merit pay they’d be willing to accept that item, or a modified version of it, and indeed to use that as a concession in negotiation. How it actually plays out is irrelevant, since if it turns out to be unfair you just use it to whack the opposition later. - Bigtwich - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 12:15 pm: The Governor’s spokesperson say that imposing the contract would save 3 billion over four years. The SJR said this affects 38,000 employees. I think that averages out to a savings of just under $20,000 per employee per year. Quite a trick box. - Jackal52 - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 12:20 pm: Virtually nobody will get the $1000 Bonus. Roughly 250 work days. 5% is 12.5 days. However, sick leave and vacation are not considered work days. This is the Faustian component of the deal. You take 14 days vacation and no sick leave. No bonus. If You forego vacation days, but take more than 13 days sick leave, then no bonus. A five year employee gets 12 sick days and 15 vacation days. THAT IS 25 DAYS. 12 days over the 13 day rule. If you put a monetary value on vacation days, You take a pay cut to get the bonus. A deal with Rauner and his minion “JT” is is deal with the devil. - Small Town Girl - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 12:20 pm: With no Strike Fund, I am not sure AFSCME had any hand at all with this Governor. It was clear when he allowed social services to be decimated that he wasn’t going to be worried about a strike that would stop people from receiving vital services. He knows that regular folks cannot go very long without a paycheck and going without health insurance is a risk most people are not willing to take at any cost. Those facts hand the power to the Governor. I wish to God it was different. I wish someone who knows a lot more than I do (and there are many very wise and savvy people on this bog) would have some sort of resolution. - Downstate43 - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 12:20 pm: Up North: “Merit Pay: If merit pay can be understood in a contract as a bonus, not part of your wage or salary, than the next step is to declare it non-pensionable income.” Bingo. If/when these bonuses are expanded, and they become a bigger part of overall compensation in future negotiations, rather than automatic, pensionable raises, there could be real long-term savings on pension costs (granted, it will have to be applied to TRS, SURS, et al.). - Skeptical - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 12:21 pm: My additional cost for one dependent is now $266 per month. That amount will be doubled. It is my understanding that the other policy thresholds will also be doubled, such as the deductible. Norine Hammond did not support arbitration. The mayor and local business community supported Hammond - and they want me to spend my paycheck in Macomb? - Backwards Bruce - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 12:21 pm: 25 years ago, the state paid workers overtime, only if they took no vacation during the week. The workers asked to be paid after an 8 hour day (some state facilities MANDATE a double shift. This was an advancement for working families. Bruce doesn’t think someone who pulls a double shift should be paid overtime. Is Going Backwards good for Illinois? Only to the rich and powerful. - Low Level State Worker - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 12:27 pm: I started work for the State of Illinois almost 3 years ago. I came in at the lowest level, step 1C, which falls under the starting pay rate for my position. I’ve work for the State for 3 years with no raises or increases of any kind, which I’ve not complained out given the benefits I receive and the financial situation the state is in. However, now I’m being told that I will not only get no raises in the future, which I completely understand given the financial situation, but I am also going to be losing more out of my already lower salary due to pay increases. So all in all my salary that I started at 3 years ago, will be almost $2000 less 4 years later. I live pretty much paycheck to paycheck, while also trying to pay for my Graduate School and taking student loans to cover the rest. If they start taking out double my current insurance costs, as well as back-premiums, I won’t be able to remain at my job, especially once I begin paying back my student loans. I started on my Master’s Degree with the hope that I would be able to put it to good use in public service; however this situation has made me start to look outside of the State for employment in the private sector where I can make a larger salary and I don’t have to spend months in fear over how my “big boss” wants to destroy me and my job. It’s sad that myself and other hard workers like me who love the work we do are going to have to find a new line of work in order to support ourselves and our families. - Small Town Girl - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 12:28 pm: The way that merit pay has been handled in the state workforce in the past is a big reason why employees unionized to begin with. I would have been willing to take no increase (with an increase on insurance premiums and the current subcontracting language remaining), rather than have to deal with the unrest that unfair merit increases causes in my workplace. - Grandson of Man - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 12:33 pm: People have to look at the totality of the contract, the more than doubling of healthcare costs, the merit pay system that doesn’t yet fully exist and in large part may not actually be given to workers who produce because it would go to a minimum of 25% of the workforce. Then there’s the loss of job protections such as layoff bumping rights and of course, subcontracting, in which efficiency and economy would be removed, and employees would have to bid for their jobs. To top it off, Rauner made $188 million last year, in perhaps large part from unionized government workers. He’s not willing to pay more in taxes and paid under the marginal state income tax of 3.75% last year. No matter what happens, people should see the bigger picture. It shows thousands of middle class workers being pushed to make big sacrifices while Rauner and other multimillionaires and billionaires fight to not pay a penny more in taxes than people of lesser wealth. - Union thug - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 12:36 pm: As a member the big thing is outsourcing. This is also an area that the union can get the pr battle. Why does rauner not want to show it saves money? The old wording didn’t stop it. You just had to show your math. As a citizen i have to wonder why, with 50% of governor’s in jail since i have lived here. Why is he sooooo eager to remove any checks? - Work in progress - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 12:36 pm: - ComeTogether - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:21 am: Myself and some co-workers are willing to cut some holidays, work 40-45 hour work weeks and I’ll even work to adjust my tier 1 entitlements in order to get our step increases. Heck, I’ll even pay more toward insurance. I’m sure there’s a lot of others out there that feel the same way. Smells like a troll post. If your tier 1 you are either stepped out or you hired in right before tier 2 took effect and would have maybe one step left. What you offer to give up makes zero sense. - Steve Schnorf - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 12:37 pm: Hey, small town girl, give me a quick couple of examples of those pay to play contracts you’re talking about - Keyser Soze - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 12:38 pm: IDOT has a merit pay program with its Teamster Union members. It has proven to be a disaster as a result of poor execution. - Scooteriffic - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 12:39 pm: While the media has been focused on making the Union look like a bunch of selfish brats asking for more money and abbreviated work schedule, the biggest issue has been ignored. Currently, the Governments last, best, and final offer includes language about the ability to privatize state jobs, while the displaced workers have no option to move into other state jobs unless there is an existing opening. I have 25 years of service to the State, and could be unemployed while a worker who obtained their employment 2 weeks ago could stay. How’s that for respect and appreciation? - Politix - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 12:41 pm: The gov’s messaging here has been both infuriating and impeccable. This is what happens when the working class vote Republican. Illinois has the proud distinction of being two years ahead of that game. - Anonymous - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 12:43 pm: @ Work in Progress I’m completely serious! I’m tier 1, step 2, at a pretty decent title. Reached the current title 12/2013. So I got one step increase, then nothing.. I have LARGE student loans. These missed increases over four years could be used to pay those off. I started in 2008. - State Worker THX 1138 - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 12:44 pm: @low level. Exactly. When people started saying “go ahead, freeze my pay,” that doesn’t hurt as much when you are making $80K rather than $40. Yes, Rauner has no problem throwing the most vulnerable citizen’s under the bus by decimating social services. He certainly doesn’t care about $38K state workers and their families. At the same time, this could have been better handled by ACSFME and they need to be held at least partially accountable rather than viewed as a victim of a ruthless dictator. If we strike, I’m there. At the same time, I am looking elsewhere for employment because I can’t afford my job in the long term under these conditions. It stinks. - Union proud - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 12:46 pm: ” AFSCME could signal that on the specific issue of merit pay they’d be willing to accept that item, or a modified version of it, and indeed to use that as a concession in negotiation.” Did you miss the part where the labor board said bargaining is over? - facts are stubborn things - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 12:47 pm: I said a long time ago, that when pension reform is ruled unconstitutional, the only game left for Rauner would be contract negotiations and primarily health care. He has to go where the money is and the courts stopped him in Pensions. The courts may slow him considerably in the contracts and health care, but time will be needed to tell. There is also the issue of health care changes for those already retired. Kanerva made it clear that the state can not renege on its promise to keep retirees with 20 plus year of service at a premium free health care rate. The huge reduction in coverage or increase in premiums to keep the same coverage may find itself back in front of the ISC. Those kind of huge changes may be seen as a “back-door” way of illegaly changing premiums. - cdog - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 12:52 pm: As posted by Joe @ 11:37 “$2,402,400 that will be taken out of the already depressed Macomb area economy annually because of doubled ins premiums.” Two things. This is what is happening nationally to our economy. 3rd party insurers are raking in $billions, nearly unchecked, from the insured/employer and the actual health provider. Thank goodness there is a change in the wind. Secondly, I strongly believe, in this unchecked ObamaCare world, that labor insisting on preserving a $143/mo premium average, was extremely shaky ground for afscme to build part of their contract platform. Not smart folks. Too late now. I am pro-labor, until I am not, and I am definitely not on most of these common sense adjustments to the realities facing the taxpayer. - Almost the Weekend - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 1:02 pm: McDonough County 2014 election results Rauner 61.21% Quinn 33.19% It’s what the voters wanted Joe - Truthteller - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 1:06 pm: I think that anyone who thinks that Governor Rauner or any of his immediate predecessors- Quinn, Blagojevich, or Ryan- would be objective and not let political or personal considerations enter into the determination of merit pay should raise their hands now. - striketoo - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 1:11 pm: ” If you can stall it in the courts for two years you are in the clear if you can get your candidate elected.” Meaning, of course, that the taxpayer is going to take it in the ear. I have never understood why public employee unions are allowed to contribute to politicians and then turn around and negotiate with those same officials for pay and benefits. No one in that negotiation is representing the taxpayer. - Small Town Girl - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 1:12 pm: Steve Schnorf, have I been misinformed that there were many people on trial for this during the Blago fiasco? I am not accusing the current Governor of doing this but I am all for safeguards to ensure that it cannot happen again. - Team Sleep - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 1:13 pm: In my mind the issue at hand is that a lot of the angst is contained into specific areas. Yes, there are state workers all over the state. But the clusters are well-defined and contained. Are people in the suburbs worried about AFSCME’s state workforce and how a contract imposition will impact the AFSCME members? Are people in areas with no major state-sponsored universities or no DOC facilities concerned? How does an AFSCME employee having his or her health insurance jacked up affect a non-union voter or non-AFSCME member? It is not inconceivable for someone in DuPage or Lake County to wonder why AFSCME needs legislation to protect it from a man who was elected to govern our state. Is that harsh? Probably. But that is a question that needs to be asked. We pay close attention to police, firefighter and teacher pay, insurance and retirement issues because those professions are in every community. AFSCME’s state workforce is a different animal. - Team Sleep - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 1:15 pm: Another question/point: have there been any other Governors in our state’s history who were this anti-AFSCME or, to a point, at the level at which Rauner finds himself? I know Blago and AFSCME were often at odds but they at least and eventually found labor peace. Rauner and his people are such a different entity than anything else we have had, which means that AFSCME’s messaging and posturing may not translate the same as it has in the past. - StateWorker - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 1:19 pm: In regards to 37.5 hour work week I get paid twice a month so that means I have 2 pay periods.in a 31 day month some of my pay periods are 90 hours at 40 hours a week that woul be 96.if he wants us to work 40 we should get paid every 2 weeks like the private sector - Honeybear - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 1:21 pm: Guys, this is were Rauner wanted to put us a year ago. He has never wanted to negotiate a contract. It was frankly through the maneuvering of Council that we got a year reprieve. Those folks who are “shoulding” all over the place (we should have done this. We should have done that. ) need to understand that every play was made well as far as I can tell and that we had a week hand from the start. If anything individual members need to realize that many if not most did not do their individual part for the union. How many member meetings did you go to? Did you phone bank? Walk a district? Did you do anything? Look I’m not an officer or board member but I bust my butt helping out. Metro East had an awesome rally. I helped make that happen. No, I have said this before that I look forward to Abood being overturned. I welcome right to work because it’s going to separate the wheat from the chaff. I don’t want to be forced to stand next to someone who doesn’t want to stand with me. Sure the public will not understand, the privileged never will. But workers easily understand when they see a well trained steward eviscerate a manager using Rule of equality and grievance who is on their side and who isn’t. The union is built from the bottom up. Stewards are going to be stepping up into the major combat role. Let Council do its job. Look to your Stewards to lead. Right now this steward is yelling at you to “Get your head down! And get your mask on! And shut your cheese pipe until you can name the officers and executive board members of your local and have talked with them about what is going on”. People in my office had a fit when I told them that they would have had to go to the rally to get our new t shirts with the strike cobra on the back. Sorry but it’s like a gym membership you have to go and participate to get the benefit. Rant over - Consideration - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 1:27 pm: Striketoo - - So, that goes for all people/businesses that provide services, are vendors, have dealings with the state and also donate to politicians, I assume? AFSCME does the same thing. It’s called freedom of speech. - Tier1Gal - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 1:28 pm: I really wish all of my union brothers and sisters would stop commenting on what they are WILLING TO GIVE UP. Let your bargaining committee negotiate for you. Thanks. - Homeybear - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 1:35 pm: Team Sleep - exactly so and it’s why AFscme’s should stop being codependent on public love and admiration. But it’s also why every community should be livid that Rauner is using similar maneuvers to detach Healthcare from collective bargaining from police and fire departments. The state workforce can collapse and the public will go meh. Police and fire collapse because of Rauner perfidy and we’ve got problems. - Stonerider - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 1:42 pm: What ever happened to IDOC backpay from the Quinn era contract? Clear violation of contract law occurred. That issue seems to have disappeared from the AFSCME talking points in the last year or two. Seems like a signed contract w/ the State of Illinois really means very little. - JohnsDaughter - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 1:45 pm: Work in progress and others who don’t understand government salaries. Many employees can be Tier 1 and not stepped out. There are different levels to jobs such as Specialist I, II, III etc. When you move to a new level you don’t go up a step on that ladder, you just move to a different ladder so the pay is increased slightly but you remain on the same step. I have worked for the state for 13 years and am only on Step 6 of my current level. - AC - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 1:46 pm: ==How many member meetings did you go to? Did you phone bank? Walk a district?== I’ve done all of the above, but failed miserably at convincing anyone else. Most seem to think the union is some kind of separate entity that fights their fights for them. Most folks need to look in the mirror and realise they are their union. Also, what’s with the Monday morning quarterbacks? Don’t they know they could’ve gotten involved and actually been a part of some of the decisions they criticize? Unions are democracies, for those who can be bothered to show up. - Honeybear - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 1:47 pm: Besides Rauner has committed the Death Star error. “They don’t consider a small fighter a threat”. The imposed contract leaves grieving rights pretty much unchanged. There’s our ventilation shaft right there sisters and brothers. How did CTU get so strong? Grieve to Lead. Stewards start your run. - Anonymous - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 1:48 pm: ==I really wish all of my union brothers and sisters would stop commenting on what they are WILLING TO GIVE UP. Let your bargaining committee negotiate for you. Thanks.== Because they’ve clearly done a bang-up great job with this so far, huh. Some employees disagree that “their” union should be asking to go to the moon when the State can’t even afford a bus pass to get to the launchpad. But keep ignoring them/trying to silence them. It’s no wonder people are shocked when union members don’t vote the way their union leadership wants them to. - Honeybear not Homeybear - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 1:49 pm: I hate this old cell phone. Sorry - Team Sleep - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 1:51 pm: 1:48 - that analogy planted a humorous picture in my head. Thanks for the chuckle. - Anonymous - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 1:51 pm: ==The imposed contract leaves grieving rights pretty much unchanged. There’s our ventilation shaft right there sisters and brothers.== Yes, keep grieving over stupid issues. That will win over the public. Brilliant. /s - Honeybear - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 1:54 pm: AC- thank you sister/brother for being active! Man do I love hearing that! - AC - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 1:57 pm: ==Some employees disagree that “their” union should be asking to go to the moon when the State can’t even afford a bus pass to get to the launchpad.== You do know the same tired faces are always the ones on the bargaining committee, don’t you? Many locals struggle to fill all those positions, and in others, folks step up hoping they won’t have to be the ones that work on yet another contract. So, if you aren’t happy with the direction your union is taking, get involved. Unless of course you think the union is so powerful that they can read your mind, then carry on sending your thoughts telepathically in their direction. - Team Sleep - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 1:58 pm: AC - very well stated and one reason why I can easily give Honeybear and others on the other side of the political coin props for being active. The world is run by those who show up. - Anonymous - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 2:00 pm: Am a state worker and the union knew going in that they shouldn’t of asked for raises. I hope they can do something in court, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up. And those stupid ask JT videos. It’s not the board, it’s the way Rauner conducts business. The legislature is no different, but is there any appointments that arnt bought and paid for already? - Southwest - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 2:00 pm: Honeybear at 1:21 - in your mind the public equals the privileged ? If so, that attitude might be part of the PR problem facing the union. - AC - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 2:07 pm: Thanks Honeybear and Team Sleep (Wow, never thought I’d say that in the same sentence)! - Team Sleep - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 2:11 pm: AC - credit is due where credit is due. I can respect anyone who gets out and does actual work. I noted before in posts about the 95th and 99th House races - and I think it applies here given what we are discussing - that a lot of the bluster was literally just bluster. The same people complained on social media over-and-over-and-over again, but I wonder if those same people got out and actually did what we have discussed (i.e. walk a precinct or phone bank). If not then their slacktivism was literally just preaching to the quiet and screaming in the echo chamber. - Frozen at Tier 2 Step 2 - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 2:13 pm: It’s great to see some other new to newish hires speaking up here. We are bearing the brunt of this. It’ll quickly become unsustainable with the higher insurance. The $1,000 bonus, after taxes, probably won’t even cover the four months of retro premiums. Meanwhile, a lot of the old guard at my job are gearing up for retirement. Attrition. - Union proud - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 2:14 pm: State workers need to decide for themselves how bad they do not want this contract. If you don’t want it, you’re probably going to have fight. I know many are fighting but there is a sizable group that doesn’t want it, but wants others to fight for them. Doesn’t work that way. Can’t expect a couple active members like honeybear and AC to do all the heavy lifting. - Cubs in '16 - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 2:18 pm: - Rich Miller - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 11:09 am: ===Does not seem like a very high bar for the reward=== “Yep. Looks to me like a cash inducement to vote against a strike.” Bingo. But what I don’t understand is why Rauner would want AFSCME members to vote against a strike. Isn’t a strike what he’s wanted all along? - Honeybear - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 2:21 pm: Thanks Southwest. I appreciate the accountability. No I didn’t mean the whole public. Only the privileged public. I think the majority of regular folks ,if they gave labor a fair listen ,would be more for us and respect that we fight hard for the worker. Thank you for holding me to account. - Thunder Fred - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 2:34 pm: HB- the people heard you loud and clear and they voted accordingly. #95, #99 told the whole story. - Leave it to BVR - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 2:35 pm: I think it’s just another wedge. JT said in his email blast that if we don’t get the $1,000 it’s because AFSCME appealed. I think Rauner wants to say, “I really wanted to give you that bonus but I couldn’t because of your union.” I doubt anyone will see that $1,000. - Robert the 1st - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 2:39 pm: Team Rauner has done a very good job with the narrative. My letter-carrier friend in Springfield said nearly every customer he talked to yesterday was hostel or mocking towards the demonstrations. The whole overtime issue is getting most of the attention. - Secret Square - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 2:42 pm: “If merit pay can be understood in a contract as a bonus, not part of your wage or salary, than the next step is to declare it non-pensionable income.” That’s already been done. 80 Ill. Adm. Code 310.560 states regarding merit bonuses: “The compensation for an individual employee, group or unit shall be considered a one-time bonus, not incorporated into a base salary, and offered only as non-pensionable. Any employee who accepts merit incentive program compensation pursuant to this Section does so voluntarily and with the knowledge and on the express condition that the merit incentive program compensation shall not be included in any pension calculations.” The same language can be found in other sections of 80 IAC 310 implementing the 18 collective bargaining agreements already signed. - Anonymous - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 2:45 pm: ‘If you’re explaining, you’re losing”. Terrific line, and so true. 3 or 4 sentences in, you can see you’re goose is cooked. - Leave it to BVR - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 2:48 pm: My comment at 2:35 was in response to Rich’s at 2:18. - Anonymous - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 2:49 pm: Cubs in ‘16 “Bingo. But what I don’t understand is why Rauner would want AFSCME members to vote against a strike. Isn’t a strike what he’s wanted all along?” If we accept the contract or strike and fail - same outcome - we lose as Rainer outsources us to death. - Rich Miller - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 2:50 pm: ===Isn’t a strike what he’s wanted all along?=== Nope. He wants to bust or weaken the union. - Robert the 1st - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 2:52 pm: The best way to bust or weaken the union is a strike. Watch as more and more members are financially forced cross the picket line. - cdog - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 2:52 pm: Without taking direct aim, it is amazing that there is a complete lack of any perception, or empathy, for the taxpayer point of view. To completely denigrate those that are going to have to pay these outstanding bills to social services, higher Ed, and pension funds, all the while insisting that it is honorable to live in a labor-first-and-only-bubble, is foolish. - justdoingtime - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 2:54 pm: You can keep the merit pay. Financially what most state workers want is their step raises.A lot of new hires quit their jobs in the private sector to come work for the state on the deal that, why yes you might be working for less than your previous salery at first, over then next several years you will get increases from step 1 to step 8.This also is true for people that take promotions, yes you now have more responsibility but you will be financially compensated for it as you go up the steps. Nobody in their right mind would accept a postion at the lowend of the payscale for years on end when they were contractually promised raises. In my opinion this is fraud on the states part. I know a lot of tier 2 people that have their resumes out there looking for new employment. - Team Sleep - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 2:55 pm: Leave It - not sure what to tell you. The Teamsters - who negotiated the merit bonuses - had employees get bonuses in late August. Granted - that was more than a year later. But the bonus checks were issued. - Jon - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 2:58 pm: One more aspect of the trick box, if this goes to court the administration is going to base their arguments on financials for the impasse, suggesting that because AFSCME won’t concede on all of their financial demands, impasse is the only outcome. The administration can go point by point on how much the last AFSCME demands would have cost the state. To counter this, AFSCME would have to argue that the administration/GA could raise taxes or cut spending. I can’t see any other counter argument to the financial argument. While this is an appropriate legal strategy, the public perception would be absolutely horrible. - BK Bro - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 2:59 pm: Almost seems like AFSCME is just better off accepting terms, staying low key for a few years, then pushing hard for a new governor. The public does not care about AFSCME. - Mr.Black - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 3:04 pm: Yes, the vast majority of young tier 2 employees I’ve talked to said they’d start the job hunt. Hardly any young worker would be complacent at step 1C for 4-8 years without even cola. Many of those young tier 2 workers have no kids and no mortgage, they are in a prime position to take career risks. - Team Sleep - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 3:05 pm: Jon - an excellent observation! Unlike pensions and retiree healthcare benefits - which must be provided and are as iron-clad as possible - pay and benefits for current public sector union employees are not covered by the state constitution. As unpalatable as a tax increase to cover the pension system and shortfall may be the requirements are set in stone. The same cannot be said for current employee benefits. - Union Local Leader - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 3:10 pm: In furtherance of my earlier comments, it is time for AFSCME to direct attention to the things that will hit us fastest and hardest. In my estimation: (1) increased healthcare costs that will take $hundreds-a-month from all of us immediately (including Merit Comp workers); (2) for many, the prospect of privatization and layoffs; (3) the prospect of frozen wages for three-and-a-half years more, with no prospect of keeping up with inflation–even if you can get a walks-on-water bonus; (4) the prospect of overtime without pay when you use a sick day, personal time, or vacation day in the week; etc. And as to trading Step pay for insurance premiums, my premium increase is nearly two pay Steps. After 20+ years of sevice in my job, I got into the union. I was the highest paid of staff, and I got bumped to Step 1. I will never make Step 8, even though I have nearly 30 years on service. Why the union? Because Merit Comp only works for those who have an “angel.” Rauner’s merit pay sounds good on paper, but it is not a pay oncrease, and we have all seen that the only “merit” that counts is political. Can you imagine a Blagojevich with the power that Rauner is grabbing? - Leave it to BVR - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 3:14 pm: Team Sleep, true about the Teamsters but I just don’t see Bruce paying out $37,999,999 even if he comes out ahead on the deal. But I could be wrong. - Honeybear - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 3:18 pm: Thunder Fred. Nope incorrect. Those aren’t my districts. 112th and 114th did hear my voice. Katie Stuart and Latoya Greenwood were both at the 1805 rally to thank us in person and to pledge their support to us. - Anon1234 - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 3:24 pm: The merit incentive is meaningless. Only people who make less than 30,200/year will have a health insurance premium increase of under $1000 ($840). The next lowest tier has an insurance increase of $1080 per year and they keep going up from there all the way up to over $7000/year increases. - Honeybear - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 3:26 pm: Yep new hires will leave in droves and hasten the collapse of the workforce. Because then there will be no next generation of worker to backfill the retiring wave. But Rauner wants this because in his hubris he thinks private industry can do it better. But here’s my question. Will the private companies be ready to take over the entirety of state government in 6 months? That’s how soon I think state government will take to reduce to non functioning level. We may have a skeleton crew but the dysfunction will be so pervasive as to render function null. - Honeybear - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 3:30 pm: BK bro you’re right about the public not caring. The public does not care about the poor disabled or elderly. Why would they care about public workers? - Oswego Willy - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 3:31 pm: lol - Thunder Fred… Your comment would be so much stronger had the ILGOP not sent out a release saying a one seat win was a success. The surprise was the winner in this cycle. Your trolling is compelling, not honest, but compelling. - facts are stubborn things - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 3:41 pm: This thing has a long way to go. The courts will probably put things on hold and may very well provide a remedy. Keep in mind the law judge sided with AFSCME that there was not an impasse on wages and health care — after hours of testimony and evidence. Don’t assume AFSCME has failed just yet. I would bet against a strike and also against Rauner’s last best offer being the final deal. - Honeybear - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 3:44 pm: Robert the 1rst. That’s exactly why we did our rally in our own hall with St Louis channel 4 there to do a segment. 200 people screaming like banshees in our hall being supported by Stuart and Greenwood was impressive. Got great fair coverage on the 10 o’clock news. Not bad for little 1805. Plus we got our Cobra shirts that say “I will strike if provoked!” You Chicago folks may not think this big but it means something to us - facts are stubborn things - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 3:45 pm: Health care proposal also effects retirees. If Rauner goes to far on the health care side, he may find himself in court over the Kanerva case again. - facts are stubborn things - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 3:49 pm: The upside for AFSCME workers is the court case give everyone time and motivation to save money — everyone needs an emergency fund of 3 to 6 months of expenses regardless of the reason. - Pelonski - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 3:53 pm: AC, Been there, done that. When I tried to become involved, I was forced out by my Local leadership with the support of Council 31 because I didn’t completely toe the party line. I know of others who have had the same experience. When it comes down to it, AFSCME is weak because it doesn’t give all its members a voice. I also think they are leading the members down a path of real destruction. In my Local, they are telling people they only need to strike for 5 days. To think that Rauner would give up in 5 days is laughable. - Thunder Fred - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 3:53 pm: HB, First let me congratulate you on toppling the grim reaper of radio. I bet everyone was shocked by the outcome of that one. Now lets talk about the proxy races where two of the Governor’s appointees faced very real challengers with serious backing. They ran in a media market dominated with news concerning state workers. Plenty of state workers to spread the message around the district. The Union’s points were made loudly and clearly many times. My mailbox was full of the Union’s message. Your perfect scenario. The voters voted accordingly. But hey, nice job on Romanik. - RNUG - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 4:01 pm: == The upside for AFSCME workers is the court case give everyone time and motivation to save money — everyone needs an emergency fund of 3 to 6 months of expenses regardless of the reason. == AFSCME members are going to learn what a lot of union trade members have known for many years. My dad worked in a union trade and the family always had 3 - 6 months of canned food in the pantry, plus a bit of savings because there was usually a strike every 2 or 3 years; some were long and some were short. Plus being in a construction trade, the work was seasonal, so you to survive the winter. (Mom worked for State so there was always some income and health insurance.) You expected lean times and planned for it. Hopefully the AFSCME union members that read Rich’s site started saving up last year … - RNUG - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 4:04 pm: == In my Local, they are telling people they only need to strike for 5 days. == I’ve been telling my union friends to figure on a minimum of 3 months. - Robert the 1st - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 4:10 pm: More than half the strikers would be back at work after the first missed pay check. - Moby - Friday, Nov 18, 16 @ 4:25 pm: I wonder if the SJ-R is worried about thousands of state employees dropping their paper subscriptions once they fall off the priority list of monthly expenses. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.