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Jimenez wants Sangamon County to get priority for most new state jobs

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Illinois

Seeking to address longstanding fears of state jobs being poached from Springfield, a local lawmaker has proposed legislation that would require most new and vacant positions to be located in Sangamon County.

The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Sara Wojcicki Jimenez, R-Leland Grove, said the legislation, House Bill 4295, would make Springfield and the county the default location for employees of most state agencies and the governor’s office. It would require the director of Central Management Services to give a reason why a job needs to be based elsewhere.

“It’s my opinion that if those folks are providing a direct service or need to be in a different part of the state, they should be,” Jimenez said. “But for all jobs that don’t need to be in a specific geographic location, I believe and many of my constituents I think would agree that those jobs should be located in the capital city because we are the seat of state government.”

A 2016 study conducted by CMS found that nearly 400 state jobs, both filled and vacant, could be moved back to Springfield.

A total of 267 of the jobs were filled, and Jimenez had said she had no desire to uproot families by relocating them to Springfield. However, the survey said the other 119 jobs were vacant at that time.

Discuss.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 11:26 am

Comments

The Bill Cellini/Springfield Full Employment Act of 2018.

Making Sangamon Great Again.

Comment by 47th Ward Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 11:31 am
Don’t Springfield area lawmakers introduce a bill like that every year?

If not, they sure missed a trick. That’s the steak tartare of red meat for the locals.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 11:31 am
Does it not dawn on Jimenz that jobs these days don’t — literally — need to be *anywhere*, let alone Springfield.

Most IT jobs, for example, could be wherever the workers *happen to be* — Chicago, Cairo, Quincy, Springfield — and then when folks need to be brought together, use Gitter or Slack or Skype.

The fact that DoIT isn’t pressing more for telecommuting solutions for jobs is mind-boggling to me. People still travel three hours between Chicago and Springfield? What, for a meeting and then a 4pm drink?

Yeah, that’s smart. (And that’s the issue — meetings or presentations that aren’t linked via video and require an actual physical presence.)

Comment by Macbeth Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 11:32 am
Just relocate the capital.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 11:33 am
Most jobs are already located in Sangamon county. Wasteful bill.

Comment by Real Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 11:34 am
Blago did more to devastate the economy in Sangamon county than any recession.

Comment by Piece of Work Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 11:35 am
@macbeth

Rep. Sara Wojcicki Jimenez, R-*happen to be* might introduce something like that.

Now my recipe for beer can chicken…

Comment by LizPhairTax Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 11:36 am
Spoken like a true fiscal conservative.

Comment by Blue dog dem Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 11:37 am
Seems like a pretty straight forward bill. If a position isn’t tied to a facility or location based service, it should be in the Capital.

Comment by SuburbanRepublican Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 11:42 am
We can’t pick up our own bootstraps so we need government to do it for us.

Comment by Almost the Weekend Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 11:43 am
Ah, I mentioned this the other day

Geographical transfer

It’s in the contract. AFSCME really can’t stop it.
Basically, “Your job is now located in Springfield”

Again a way to attack AFSCME
And reduce the state workforce.
Perfidy in action

Comment by Honeybear Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 11:43 am
She floated this during her ‘16 campaign. I doubt she’s going to get very far with it on her way out the door.

Comment by Arsenal Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 11:48 am
Honeybear, time to take off the Perfidy!-colored glasses for a bit; not everything is about destroying AFSCME. The attempt to return jobs to Springfield has been an issue for the better part of two decades now, and is all about 1) pro-Downstate/anti-Chicago sentiment, 2) lower cost of operations, 3) centralized government, 4) jobs for Sangamon county and the surrounding area. AFSCME hasn’t (and shouldn’t) really care about this issue, especially since it typically (as here) notes that it would not be used to uproot existing positions but only re-centralize new positions or vacant ones.

Don’t get me wrong — there are a LOT of folks out to get AFSCME, but this isn’t one of those nefarious plots. It is what it says on the label, in this case.

Comment by Chambananon Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 12:06 pm
- Honeybear

Page 2 paragraph D says this bill will not preempt collective bargaining agreements.

Comment by Yup! Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 12:07 pm
Businesses are relocating to large US cities for a reason; namely to recruit and keep young talent. While its fine with me that most of the jobs are in Springfield, I don’t agree that we should exclude some jobs being located in Chicago where many people would prefer to live.

Comment by Lucky Charms Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 12:24 pm
Once again the party of smaller government and doing more with less, AKA, the Sangamon County GOP their love for all things big government.

Comment by Give Me A Break Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 12:32 pm
We should also add cost of living adjustment in that bill for state employees that live in Cook County. The feds do it why not us… Just saying

Comment by Mando Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 12:43 pm
Mando. Just what we need. Increase the cost of state govt.

Comment by Blue dog dem Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 12:49 pm
There are so many state workers in Cook County namely Chicago who are looking to be promoted. There are people here who are qualified and looking for work. N The job board is flooded with open positions in Sangamon County and I’m guessing they don’t have people to fill those positions. Why not put the jobs where the people are who can fill those positions. What is this really about??

Comment by Why though??!! Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 12:52 pm
Weak sauce. Must thinking about a countywide run next cycle.

Comment by Pick a Name Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 12:55 pm
ahh yes the same Rep that voted against the union contract going to an arbiter …..

Comment by theq Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 1:01 pm
They’re already doing this. There are more state job openings for Sangamon County then any other county.

Comment by Yep Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 1:02 pm
Are they trying to force state workers to move to Sangamon County?

Comment by Really Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 1:03 pm
Trying to create a job seekers’ market for her upcoming search?

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 1:05 pm
Springfield is not going to attract young, hungry talent. You don’t fix the car by taking out one of the pistons.

Comment by Mr.Black Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 1:12 pm
This just screams Free Market Capitalist

Comment by Signal and Noise Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 1:13 pm
At least compensation should be cheaper in Springfield than in the Chicago metro. Should save a little money.

Comment by Ron Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 2:53 pm
Yup,
Geographical Transfer - Article XXII of the collective bargaining agreement. (Contract)

Look it’s already been used in several agencies to eliminate positions. geographical transfer is allowed in the contract.
I know this tactic is being used already.

Chambananon- it is being used to uproot existing positions. I know of a whole agency office that was moved. This is the play they were going to use when they thought they could sell the Thompson center. Now that Rauner has been wrestled to the ground legally with AFSCME I’m certain these other tactics will be employed.

Here’s the clue. If filling positions was important they would been filled. Whole agencies are mere husks.
No, floating a bill now indicates that there is going to be a lot of openings coming down the pike.

Look, I’m like this because there is only one thing Rauner cates about. Destroying labor
His toady Jimenez is just doing as told.

Comment by Honeybear Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 3:02 pm
The state needs to cut spending, so be it if state workers jobs are cut. We have massive pensions to pay.

Comment by Ron Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 5:13 pm
H Bear so let me understand, moving an agency to the seat of government where there is ample space and cheap rent vs the opposite in chitown is somehow anti union? Those that are in said jobs can relocate. Cost of livin in the patch whole lot cheaper than the rents in Chicago. Its called good management of limited resources (which happen to be the peoples tax dollars). If I were king the JRTC would be imploded and turned into green space or sold at market value, what ever that is for that rat hole.

Comment by NorthsideNoMore Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 5:39 pm
===Again a way to attack AFSCME
And reduce the state workforce.
Perfidy in action===

Blago transferred some jobs to Chg such as people who managed state office buildings in Spfld like the Willard Ice (Dept of Revenue) Building that made no sense whatsoever. That person needed to be in Spfld to oversee that building. I see where Sara is coming from.

Comment by justacitizen Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 8:01 pm
===so be it if state workers jobs are cut. We have massive pensions to pay===
Vested employees get paid pensions no matter if they are on the payroll or not. And less employees on the payroll means less employing making contributions.

Comment by Da Big Bad Wolf Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 9:25 am