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The meeting with AFSCME apparently went well.
(P)otential third-party gubernatorial candidate and state Sen. James Meeks (D-Chicago) embraced a call from AFSCME Council 31 for $50 million in the 2007 state budget to hire 2,000 workers in the departments of Children and Family Services, Human Services and Corrections.Meeks called it a “travesty” that those agencies are understaffed, as the union alleges, and said existing state employees are being “put in harm’s way.”
AFSCME, which represents most state workers, has clashed with the governor, didn’t endorse him in last month’s primary and represents a key political constituency if Meeks moves ahead with his candidacy.
Jones, however, questioned the wisdom of ballooning the state work force in tight economic times.
“I don’t know whether it’s viable or not. Everyone has great ideas, but you have to come up with the revenue to do it,” Jones said.
More here.
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Apr 6, 06 @ 6:58 am
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Why do we need more workers at HFS? 50% of the people have been moved off of MEDICAID and onto MEDICARE PART D programs. You shouldn’t need 2,000 more you should need 2,000 less hacks.
Comment by BIG R.PH Thursday, Apr 6, 06 @ 7:51 am
For Meeks to get AFSCME’s support, it will only take $50 million of the taxpayers’ money?
That is a pretty good deal. He’d be crazy not to do it.
Comment by Johnson Thursday, Apr 6, 06 @ 8:38 am
If Meeks is throwing in with the unions, it’s all over for my support. You would think he would advocate a faith-based approach. And the teachers’ unions are wrecking the schools,which he claims to care about:
http://backyardconservative.blogspot.com/
2006/04/let-our-children-go.html
Comment by Backyard Conservative Thursday, Apr 6, 06 @ 9:29 am
First of all, AFSCME doesn’t respresent the teachers, and while his support for education funding reform might get the IFT or IEA, or at least the Chicago Teachers Union leaning Meeks’ way, I imagine he’d have to pass the litmus test on public funding for private education, prayer in schools, and intelligent design first. I’m not sure how well he fares on these questions.
AFSCME does make an excellent case about the lack of frontline workers, especially in DCFS and DHS.
Something also needs to be done about the Dept. of Corrections. However, I think lawmakers should also consider alternatives to incarceration for non-violent criminals that would reduce prison populations, rather than increasing the number of guards. Well-managed job training and employment programs would also be a smarter investment than more prisons, as well as summer recreational programs for kids.
We were all kids once, and we know that when the summer days grow loing and kids find nothing to occupy their time, they find ways of getting into trouble. Kids are begging for something to do. We should give them a positive alternative.
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Thursday, Apr 6, 06 @ 10:42 am
AFSCME won’t be happy until everybody of working age in Illinois has a state job with current or better lush pension and health care benefits and, of course, represented by AFSCME, and paying those mandatory union dues.
The Rev is clearly enjoying playing If I Were King, one of the pleasures of being a maybe-candidate.
I don’t know what DHS does or why they need more workers but it is clear that the problem with the prisons is that they are overflowing with first time drug offenders who shouldn’t be there. The Rev should read Steve Bogira’s book Courtroom 302 about a Chicago courtroom that is practically in his backyard. We don’t need more prisons we need a reform of sentencing laws and practices in Illinois.
As to DCFS, the Tribune editorial today says that 70% of DCFS kids are in private agency care (they want more money too) and the Blago admin has been touting the fact that the foster care population has dropped by about 3000 kids since 2003 (it dropped by 30,000 under the Repubs, but that’s another story). Not a strong case for needing more workers.
As to the supposed need for “child abuse investigators” perhaps we should wait to see
what happens to Rep David Leitch’s HB 5559
which has made it to the Rules Committee. The bill would require the DCFS hotline to forward all child maltreatment reports to the local police across the state. DCFS apparently seriously botched a case in Leitch’s Peoria area, leading to HB 5559.
If the local police are going to be looking into all Illinois’ child maltreatment reports, what are DCFS’ child abuse investigators going to be doing. Do we really need more of them (in addition to the rise in our property taxes which will no doubt result from the additional police
duties). If yes, maybe the agency could find them among the foster care workers no doubt idled by the (laudable) drop in the number of foster kids.
Comment by Cassandra Thursday, Apr 6, 06 @ 10:58 am
Further proof there’s no need to listen to Cassandra ever again. You say legislation “made it to the Rules Committee,” as if that’s a sign of progress? Honey, anyone who knows anything about the ILGA knows that’s where bills go to die.
As to your last paragraph - proposing DCFS “find” the cild abuse investigators it needs “among the foster care workers” - apparently you are unfamiliar with foster parents as you are with the legislative process. Foster parents are private citizens who receive a meager state reimbursement to take in foster kids - they are not state employees.
Compared to that, your admission that you “don’t know what DHS does or why it needs more workers” is awfully refreshing.
Finally to YDD - alternative sentencing is a great idea. Until it passes and is effectuated, though, we have to reckon with the inmates we have: 44,000 and growing.
Comment by Reality Check Thursday, Apr 6, 06 @ 11:11 am
Where did the 50 million dollars come from.That seems like an awful low figure or holidays,insurance,pension,etc. was not added.
Comment by DOWNSTATE Thursday, Apr 6, 06 @ 11:42 am
Hire ‘em all, and pay for it with Funny Money. No new taxes, after all.
Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Thursday, Apr 6, 06 @ 12:02 pm
Reality Check
I know the difference between foster parents and foster care workers. Foster kids have both. So if there are 3000 fewer foster kids, there must be some number of foster care caseworkers whose services are no longer needed. Even if it is state government.
Actually, I’m sorry that Leitch’s bill has died, if such is the case. Generally, the police do a much better job investigating child abuse and neglect than DCFS. My point…we shouldn’t have to pay for both. I certainly hope the bill hasn’t died, as you put it, so the legislators can save some jobs at DCFS. But I wouldn’t be surprised.
Comment by Cassandra Thursday, Apr 6, 06 @ 3:35 pm
DCFS can’t win. If Mary Flowers is not introducing bills to make it all but impossible to take a child away, Leitch is introducing another type. Child welfare in every state is a problem. State agencies which are pro-active get attacked by the Flowers and right wingers of the world for taking away parent’s rights. But let the agency fail to keep a kid from dying or getting hurt, eveyone jumps down the throats of the state child welfare agency.
Illinois DCFS operates under at least 3 federal consent decrees. And before you go off on an anti-Rod attack, those were issued under Saint Edgar and Saint Jess McDonald. So come on Rod bashers, lets hear you explain that.
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 6, 06 @ 4:18 pm
I suggest that the 60,000+ state employees each pick-up $75.00-$100.00 more towards their insurance. That would easily take care of the $50-million needed for the vacant positions. That’s not a whole lot considering the average Joe spends a lot more. Those $50,000 dollar a year prison guards can handle that.
Like Meeks said… It’s only $100.00!
Comment by B Hicks Thursday, Apr 6, 06 @ 6:05 pm
I know I’m asking to be bashed here, and it’s one reason I don’t post here very much anymore, but I am a frontline DHS employee. I work in a state center, not in a DHS office somewhere. Wwith the amount of money we pay out each month for overtime, we’d be better off with more staff. It’s outrageous what we spend paying people to work double shifts and place themselves in dangerous positions, getting overtired and /or worksing short staffed because they don’t want to hire the staff that are truly needed to do the job correctly.
The people who read the paper and don’t work our jobs don’t have any idea, so the media and the people in power can say whwtever they want and make AFSCME and the workers out to be the bad guys. It’s not true. The truth sucks. They never put staff back in when people took early retirement into the truly needed positions back in 2002-2003 and we’re still paying the price today. Rod can say we’re working more efficiently, but it’s one big lie.
Now, bash away everyone who thinks it’s just hunky dory in DHS and DCFS and DOC, because it’s not as great as you think it is. And even nuclear safety is one you should think about, because if something happens in that area, we’re not covered either.
This was not a paid advertisement. I’m not a Meeks supporter and I have no clue what I’m gonna due come November. Just an honest opinion from someone who is in the trenches of this sucky state employment every day, in a job (because of who I work with) I still love very much.
Comment by Tessa Thursday, Apr 6, 06 @ 7:16 pm
Tessa -
How does that make your job different from anyone elses? if you haven’t noticed, things are tough all over. EVERYONE is overworked and understaffed. Don’t you read the newspapers? Hospitals, police departments, fire departments, prisons, schools, department of motor vehicles, etc. EVERYONE.
No one will ever have the resources they think they need.
Comment by Hector S Friday, Apr 7, 06 @ 5:52 am
The jest of all the comments might well be that you all generally agree with me that James Meeks run for governor is the best news for Illinois in the last 100 years. The bottom line is, we’re in a mess here in Illinois. We need someone with some kind of value system that at least half-way works to bring consistency to government. If the person is wise and caring - why, that would be unheard of in Illinois government. Let’s beg, yes beg James Meeks to run. This is going to be great fun, and very important to our grandchildren.
Comment by Chuck Tinker Monday, Apr 10, 06 @ 7:56 pm