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* Gov. Pritzker…
Today Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) announced plans to dedicate capital funds to rebuild Logan Correctional Center in Lincoln and Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill, addressing critical infrastructure needs at both facilities. The funding is included in the capital proposal the governor presented the General Assembly as part of his FY25 budget proposal.
The capital investments will begin to address years of disinvestment in facilities built almost a century ago, saving the state hundreds of millions in deferred maintenance and annual upkeep costs. The capital investment plan will initially focus on rebuilding two facilities that have been identified as having the most significant deferred maintenance costs as the administration continues to assess the IDOC infrastructure and where additional investments might be needed.
“The capital funds dedicated to Stateville and Logan further demonstrate our commitment to continuing to rebuild and strengthen our state’s infrastructure,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “These investments will allow staff to work in modern and safe facilities, ensure those who are incarcerated can safely serve out their sentences, and save taxpayers hundreds of millions in deferred maintenance costs from years of neglect.”
IDOC will work with the Capital Development Board and stakeholders on a timeline and next steps, with work to begin pending capital appropriations in the FY25 budget. Based on assessments of each facility and land availability, it is anticipated that Stateville will be temporarily closed and demolished with a new facility to be built on its grounds. The status of Logan in the interim is still to be worked through with various stakeholders, and the location of the new facility is still being finalized.
The plan estimates construction costs will total between $805 to $935 million. Governor Pritzker’s proposed FY25 capital budget included $900 million in new funds to demolish and rebuild these facilities. Long-term, the projects are expected to save the state an average of $34 million in annual operations savings, over the long term, by lowering overtime, maintenance, and utility costs on the facilities. Rebuilding these facilities will also save the state hundreds of millions in deferred maintenance costs that have accrued after decades of neglect. These facilities were selected based on a 2023 CGL report the state contracted to identify and prioritize IDOC facility needs.
In accordance with the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA) process, construction will not commence until all requirements of the State Facilities Closure Act are met. The design and buildout of the new facilities is anticipated to be completed over the next three to five years. IDOC will coordinate closely with staff at these facilities, organized labor, individuals in custody, and other stakeholders to ensure a smooth the rebuilding process and the department is continuing its work to hire for a number of open positions.
“This plan marks a pivotal moment in IDOC’s ongoing efforts to ensure the safety and well-being of our staff and the individuals in our care,” said Latoya Hughes, Acting Director of IDOC. “These investments underscore Illinois’ unwavering commitment to implementing modernized and secure correctional environments while taking a fiscally responsible approach to address aging infrastructure.”
“The Illinois Justice Project has an essential goal to reduce the number of people in prison. We also support the elimination of any and all conditions that are unsafe and unhealthy or put those housed in the Illinois Department of Corrections at risk,” said Illinois Justice Project Director Ahmadou Dramé. “We will continue to work with advocates and policymakers alike to reduce incarceration and create humane conditions for those who are incarcerated.”
* AFSCME Council 31…
Our union was only notified late Thursday of the Department of Corrections plan to demolish Stateville and Logan prisons and build new facilities in their place. The department did not seek or consider the input of frontline employees or the union in the development of this plan.
“We have grave concerns,” said Roberta Lynch, executive director of AFSCME Council 31, the state employee union whose members include some 10,000 corrections employees.
“Closing facilities even temporarily would disrupt and potentially destabilize the prison system, while bringing upheaval to the lives of affected employees and individuals in custody.”
While there is no question that state prisons are in dire need of tens of millions of dollars of deferred maintenance, the information released so far raises many more questions than it answers. For example:
• If both facilities are closed for reconstruction, where will offenders be relocated in a way that does not destabilize other facilities? Stateville primarily houses maximum-security offenders. Logan is one of only two facilities that house women and the only facility for medium- and maximum-security female offenders; placing this population at other facilities that currently house male offenders—or overcrowding the only other women’s facility—poses logistical and safety concerns.
• The plan would result in the layoff of all employees at both facilities. Although the department claims that positions would be available for these employees at other facilities, how far away would these positions be? IDOC is already finding it extremely difficult to hire and retain employees in the current environment. This plan could all too easily drive staffing levels so low that the entire system would be destabilized.
• Are there truly no other alternatives to razing these facilities and rebuilding on the exact same site? Stateville grounds encompass some 2,200 acres, Logan 150 acres. Why not build new facilities elsewhere on the grounds while utilizing the existing facilities in the interim? Could rebuilding on the exact location require remediating environmental hazards caused by demolition?
• Stateville is valued for its proximity to the Chicago area, allowing individuals in custody to more easily stay connected to their family members in the state’s largest population center. Logan’s central location offers efficient access to transport offenders to legal, medical and other mandatory appointment in any part of the state.
“We cannot support this plan unless and until the department provides satisfactory answers to these compelling questions,” Council 31 director Lynch said.
*** UPDATE *** Jordan Abudayyeh with the governor’s office…
The union’s grave concerns are unusual given their continued demands to increase the safety and security of the work environment of their members. This plan fully addresses those concerns at the two facilities facing the most serious and expensive maintenance issues. It will ensure that AFSCME members can do their jobs in modern, safe facilities. It is not fiscally responsible or feasible to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in a continuing effort to shore up facilities that have been neglected for decades and used for over a century. As we have assured the union, all of their members will continue to be employed at all times as we transition to safer facilities. As we move forward, transfers of incarcerated individuals will only take place with appropriate timing, in a way that minimizes disruptions to the greatest extent possible, and while ensuring the safety and security of all involved.
* From Logan County…
State Senator Sally Turner (R-Beason), State Representative Bill Hauter (R-Morton), Logan County Board Chairman Emily Davenport, and Lincoln Mayor Tracy Welch released the following joint statement in response to the Pritzker Administration’s announced decision to close the Logan Correctional Center:
“The decision by the Governor’s Administration to close the Logan Correctional Center without any assurance of its reopening within Logan County is both devastating and infuriating. While we recognize that Logan Correctional is in need of repairs, it is only in its current state of disrepair because of neglect and the misplaced priorities of this Administration.
“Logan Correctional is an instrumental part of Lincoln and its surrounding communities. It provides more than 500 direct jobs, hundreds more indirect jobs, and immeasurable local economic benefits. We will continue to fight for each and every one of these jobs and ensure our communities get the answers they deserve from the Governor’s Administration.”
* Sen. Ventura…
— State Senator Rachel Ventura (D-Joliet) released the following statement after the governor announced a plan for transformative capital investments in Illinois Department of Corrections facilities:
“There is no reason incarcerated individuals should be subjected to a facility that lacks basic human necessities — from clean water to outdoor recreational space. The quality of life at the Stateville prison is beyond repair. It’s imperative we build a new facility — but we must do so in a way that takes into account the needs of its residents, their loved ones and workers.
“Employees of Stateville have made Will County their home. A just transition must be put forward to ensure not a single job is lost. Further, conversations must be had to ensure families of incarcerated individuals have a feasible way to see their loved ones — be that an option to zoom or transportation services. It’s imperative we keep people as close to their families as possible.
“I will be monitoring the situation closely and working with state officials to ensure a fair and just transition plan is implemented. All stakeholders — from employees to families — should have a seat at the table to put forth tangible solutions to safeguard jobs and the humanity of incarcerated individuals.”
* John Howard Association…
Today’s announcement by Governor Pritzker to shutter Logan and Stateville Correctional Centers in order to rebuild them recognizes that these prisons are decrepit, unsafe, and inhumane. Acknowledging that both Logan and Stateville are not fit for human habitation represents an important step towards respecting the dignity and rights of people who are incarcerated, and there is benefit to rethinking our carceral environments in order to move towards smaller, more rehabilitative, modernized spaces that are adequately equipped and staffed to provide people with individualized help and treatment and reduce the suffering and trauma so often experienced in our current prisons. However, this announcement does not address the fact that the Illinois prisons are currently well under capacity, with close to 12,000 excess prison beds throughout the system; we can and should also permanently close some of our worst prisons. This makes good sense financially and morally.
The Facility Master Plan Report, commissioned by the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC), authored by an independent consultant, and published in 2023 laid bare the unsafe and inhumane conditions that exist at Logan and Stateville Correctional Centers – as well as at many other Illinois prisons – as JHA has been documenting and reporting on for years. According to the report, billions of dollars are required to address the ravages of excessive deferred maintenance at many of the prisons, many of which – including Logan and Stateville – have infrastructure beyond fixing and could never be made to be appropriate spaces to treat, rehabilitate, or house people in custody. Most of Illinois’ prisons were built before the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Prison Rape Elimination Act became law, making them out of compliance with legal safeguards that should be provided to every person and in violation of the civil rights of people who suffer because of this. Wheelchairs and assistive devices cannot be accommodated, and establishing sight lines and protections to stop or deter sexual victimization is not possible. Beyond these issues are the lack of technological infrastructure (making improved and increased communications, information access, and programming impossible) and the horrible conditions people incarcerated in these prisons contend with every day: mold; poor ventilation; discolored, odorous, and particle filled water in cells and showers; water damage that leads to ceilings and floors collapsing; roofs caving in; infestations of rodents and vermin; extreme temperatures; and sewage and sanitation system failures, all of which impact the safety, health, and well-being of the people who live and work inside the prisons.
It is long past time that Logan and Stateville be depopulated and demolished. In 2023, women at Logan who responded to a JHA survey commented that, “our water has legionella, our showers, have leeches, our housing units have black mold & asbestos, The housing units are falling in on us” and that, “Every day, all day, we breathe BLACK MOLD, ASBESTOS, AND COAL DUST”. According to the Facility Master Plan Report, “[o]ur review found the existing Logan Correctional Center to be inefficient, ineffective, and unsuitable for any population. The aging coal-fired power system, molding housing units, and facility layout all work in opposition to the mission and goals of the facility. IDOC should find a more suitable location for housing its incarcerated women” (pg. 44).
Conditions at Stateville are similarly horrible; in assessing this prison as part of the Facility Master Plan Report, it was found that, “[i]n addition to the extremely poor conditions throughout the facility (peeling paint, leaking roofs) the facility’s 100 year old design is reflective of 1800’s prison philosophy, with multitiered housing units. These units are poor for a maximum custody population, but even worse for a multi-custody re-entry mission. The units lack dayroom space or any adjacent program space. Cells are small and there is limited electrical connections resulting in extension cords ran from cell to cell. Due to limited line-of-sight, an intensive level of staffing is necessary to adequately supervise these units. Maintaining a constant ambient temperature is nearly impossible from the lower tier to the upper tier. Shower facilities are poor and create PREA issues. Overall, the facility can’t comply with ADA requirements” (pg. 46). In response to JHA surveys at Stateville in 2023, people incarcerated there wrote that, “Stateville should be overhauled or closed. No hot water for the past two months, legionella bacteria in our drinking water supply, also lead was found… infestation of roaches and spiders. I sleep with roaches crawling all in my bed and I keep myself and my cell clean” and that, “The drinking water is contaminated; people are developing cancer here at an alarming rate; the air circulation is very poor and we are developing upper respiratory problems from breathing in entirely too much dust/other unknown air pollutants on a daily basis for years on end; Black mold inside cells; very bad roach and mouse infestation…”
Removing people from immediate harm by taking them out of Illinois’ most decrepit and unsafe prisons is critical. Closing outdated, uninhabitable, redundant prisons is also critical in order to respect the human rights of all citizens and invest in strategies that will benefit everyone. We can reduce our reliance on incarceration and close the most inhumane prisons, while also considering new ways to house people who must remain that are safe, rehabilitative, and recognize and respect those who live and work inside our prisons. Investing in communities and social safety networks, increasing and improving educational and employment opportunities, and utilizing deflection and diversion more often will improve outcomes. Illinois cannot continue to house and employ people in prisons that pose a danger to everyone inside of them due to degraded and hazardous conditions; the costs are too high when measured in dollars, morality, and our humanity.
…Adding… Rep. Harry Benton…
A full rebuild of Stateville will cause transfer of inmates and staff. There may be some challenges with this, but I am here to work with folks and be a voice through the transition. I am glad they are finally updating the outdated facility for safety and efficiency purposes, which will be good jobs for building trades, but feel terrible for staff that is temporarily transferred. Some staff has already been transferred there from permanent closures in the past.
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 10:54 am
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This administration doesn’t use the bathroom without asking the union. Pretty unbelievable that a project that has this kind of effect on AFSCME would be dropped on them the day before.
Comment by I love Decatur Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 11:05 am
Are they gonna save the gates from the blues brothers? Or can me buy stone blocks and other items?
Comment by Todd Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 11:10 am
The John Howard Association has it right: “It is long past time that Logan and Stateville be depopulated and demolished.” In my view, this is the worst decision that an administration has made regarding Illinois’ prison system since, at least, the construction of Tamms Supermax. This is not only an enormous step backward for the state. At best, it will also take away funds that could be used to make Illinois’ communities safer as it locks the state into the boondoggle of mass incarceration.
Comment by John Maki Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 11:13 am
” these prisons are decrepit, unsafe, and inhumane.” that’s enough for me. All the other things can and will be worked out. Incarceration doesn’t have to equal dehumanization.
Comment by loyal virus Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 11:14 am
SHPO might have a word to two about tearing down a historic site. It will be years before anything happens.
Comment by Huh? Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 11:22 am
I hate to break the news to folks in Logan County but it costs taxpayers throughout the entire state a fortune to incarcerate people. Upward of $30,000.00 a year or more per person. So because of Tax Fairness something needs to be done.
Comment by Jerry Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 11:25 am
Also, Todd- great idea, with proceeds going to a good cause. I would def get in on that.
Comment by loyal virus Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 11:28 am
Blues Brothers was Joliet not Stateville. The Logan economic impact could be tremendous not just on Logan county. Springfield, Sherman, Williamsville and Riverton have high numbers of employees living in these towns. Curious if Forus Turner made comment or if I missed it.
Comment by I Love Decatur Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 11:32 am
AFSCME is likely concerned that modernized facilities could make it harder for members to get over on all the ginned up repetitive trauma claims that reached a level of such absurdity that it got arbitrators of the IL Workers’ Comp Commission embroiled in a federal investigation.
As far as I could tell from those cases, every AFSCME worker turns around 800 decrepit, rusty locks per shift. Wrists and elbows just getting ground into dust by all the lock turning downstate.
Comment by Larry Bowa Jr. Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 11:35 am
“it is only in its current state of disrepair because of neglect and the misplaced priorities of this Administration”
because it only started going down hill since this Governor took office.
Comment by 62629 Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 11:39 am
- it is only in its current state of disrepair because of neglect and the misplaced priorities of this Administration. -
Laughable
Comment by Excitable Boy Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 11:42 am
===…while bringing upheaval to the lives of affected employees and individuals in custody.”===
The next time AFSCME cares about the people in custody will be the first.
Comment by Google Is Your Friend Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 11:45 am
“This administration doesn’t use the bathroom without asking the union”
Ah, for a return to the good old days when administrations picked unwinnable fights solely because of ideology that ultimately led to lawsuits that cost the state millions.
Comment by Flyin'Elvis'-Utah Chapter Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 11:49 am
Demolishing Stateville has always been the only option. That was made abundantly clear when the prison report was released last year(or the year before).
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 12:17 pm
===Are there truly no other alternatives to razing these facilities and rebuilding on the exact same site?===
With buildings of this age, buildings full of that “word” (asbestos), it is far cheaper to “raze & rebuild” … .
Comment by Anyone Remember Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 12:17 pm
=With buildings of this age, buildings full of that “word” (asbestos), it is far cheaper to “raze & rebuild” … .=
You still have to pay the full cost of asbestos abatement even if demolishing a building.
Comment by JS Mill Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 12:55 pm
JS Mill -
Former coworker was a school board member in Sangamon County rural district. Partly because of asbestos, partly other things, they built a new school building, as it was MUCH cheaper than renovation.
Comment by Anyone Remember Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 1:08 pm
==it is only in its current state of disrepair because of neglect and the misplaced priorities of this Administration==
Lol. What turnip truck did these Representatives just fall off of? Prisons have been neglected for years. I can’t take people like that seriously if they are going to lie about something that is so easily disproven.
Comment by Demoralized Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 1:12 pm
- You still have to pay the full cost of asbestos abatement even if demolishing a building. -
Much cheaper on a tear down than a renovation.
Comment by Excitable Boy Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 1:35 pm
I remember an old prison industries project where inmate volunteers got paid to learn asbestos removal techniques as their future post- incarceration careers, by gearing up in full hazmat gear and practicing asbestos removal skills in old cell blocks being remodeled or condemned. I don’t remember if they got paid for that or earned good time or both. Not saying this is the way to go now, but they did demonstrate that prison buildings could get remodeled while inmates were moved across the campus to other facilities at the prison. I think it’s possible to placate the union, they might take longer but keep things running while doing the job piecemeal. Fence off a quarter of the site at a time for the rehab. It still adds to overcrowding, but that’s been an issue since the eighties at least.
Comment by Give Us Barabbas Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 1:36 pm
” these prisons are decrepit, unsafe, and inhumane.” …and the greater majority of mistreated prisoners will return to our cities…one way or another.
Comment by Dotnonymous x Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 2:02 pm
Will there be cameras placed so that, if inmates get raped, there will be a video record?
In 1998, that would have cost aout $10 million system-wide.
Comment by cal skinner Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 2:06 pm
Between this, not alerting the union till the day before the closures are announced, and calling in all Human Services Casework Managers in to the office, cancelling all remote work for a whole class of worker ( supposedly because we are behind on medical redeterminations when a press statement said we were tied with Maine for doing the best on our redeterminations) to messing with the Teamsters.
Oh and CMS has not even posted the new AFSCME contract on the website despite signing it in July of last year making it hard for employees to file grievances.
Pritzker has changed his stance on unions.
Monopolies on power makes state officials take different positions.
But to the post, those CO’s are going to have to travel ungodly distances to keep employed with the state.
Geographical transfer is awful
Would you like to drive two hours to work one way?
Comment by Honeybear Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 2:18 pm
- Would you like to drive two hours to work one way? -
Our prison policy should not be based on where current correctional employees live. These facilities are unsafe and inhumane, they need to be torn down and replaced.
Comment by Excitable Boy Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 2:32 pm
A lot os Stateville staff should b able to go next door to the reception center. Last I heard that place was severely understaffed.
Comment by MrX Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 2:37 pm
“those CO’s are going to have to travel ungodly distances to keep employed with the state.”
Is this a prison or a jobs program you’re asking people to pay for?
Comment by Larry Bowa Jr. Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 2:37 pm
Excitable and Larry, I get your point.
And…
If you’d worked ten years for the state and without asking you or informing your union you were told that you were going to be laid off or have to drive two hours to remain working,
You’d be salty about it too.
Let’s think of what it means to real working folks.
Policy folks always discount what regular people have to go through. It’s just numbers and policy to them.
I’m pointing out that this is going to be disastrous for so many people.
Why do you need to be cold, callous, and inhumane about it?
It’s exactly the kind of stuff that turns rural folks against government and I can’t blame them.
The union would have fought this had they known.
That’s why I am starting to believe Pritzker is anti union.
But please, think of what this will do to the loyal IDOCs and their families. I imagine this will take years to rebuild.
That’s years of instability.
Comment by Honeybear Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 2:53 pm
Is Logan County Correctional Center a canary in the mine? Logan county was opened in 1978 and now ca fifty years later they are talking of tearing it down. Was is subminimum building practices, not enough investment by the state for upkeep, poor management or kick the can down the road mentality which lead to this outcome? The majority of the state’s correctional facilities were built after Logan County will they have the same fate as Logan county?
Comment by No relation Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 3:03 pm
Whoa honey bear…this ain’t exactly Rauner. Pritzker is about as union friendly as you are going to get out of a Governor. Stateville would still have the r&c, likely the farm and Joliet has the treatment center (it requires a 4 year degree but I’m sure something temoraty could be worked out)
Comment by Jimmy James Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 3:04 pm
Maybe we can wait and see what the full plan entails 😉
Comment by Jimmy james Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 3:06 pm
It seems like the prison grounds are big enough to build a new facility on-site and then tear down the old one. It’s difficult to understand why that is not the plan.
Comment by Pot calling kettle Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 3:09 pm
===Oh and CMS has not even posted the new AFSCME contract on the website despite signing it in July of last year making it hard for employees to file grievances.===
In the past, it wasn’t posted until all the required AFSCME locals have signed.
Comment by Anyone Remember Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 3:18 pm
==The union would have fought this had they known.==
There is no need to always play “mother may I” with the union. I’m not anti-union but I do get tired of this notion embraced by the union that everything should go through them first. The prisons are old. They need to be torn down and rebuilt. So exactly what would the union be fighting? To maintain the prisons as they are? It’s not anti-union just because the Governor doesn’t play “mother may I” with the union before he does anything.
Comment by Demoralized Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 3:34 pm
Pot Calling Kettle
It is because rebuilding is not part of the plan, just the closure. It was pretty obvious when JB had the study done. The maintenance at these facilities was well known and well documented.
I’m not the biggest AFSCME fan in the world, but they should have been notified. Any decent human being in charge would notify staff their job may be relocated.
cal skinner
Privacy laws are pretty strict on where these cameras can be placed.
Comment by Southern Dude Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 3:37 pm
- Policy folks always discount what regular people have to go through. It’s just numbers and policy to them. -
- It’s exactly the kind of stuff that turns rural folks against government and I can’t blame them. -
I don’t work for the state and I don’t work in policy. I grew up in a very rural county in west central Illinois, part of Forgottonia.
Prison communities seem to think they’re entitled to these facilities until the end of time, and as a regular taxpayer I resent that entitlement.
I’ve had jobs change location and have had to change my location with them. It may not be the most enjoyable experience but it’s better than losing your job altogether.
Comment by Excitable Boy Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 3:39 pm
==calling in all Human Services Casework Managers in to the office, cancelling all remote work==
Oh the humanity. How dare they ask you to come into work.
Comment by Demoralized Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 3:43 pm
This is a step in the right direction for all involved. Believe me, ASFCME knew about this long before Thursday. Most prisons are outdated in every aspect. Take for instance the only prison left in the state that is mirrored after military housing where it’s open dorm. This facility is also on the John Howard Association website, check it out.
Comment by Food for thought... Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 3:56 pm
Jimmy James, I get it. One would think. But I’m speaking frankly as a frontline worker. He’s changed. The problems are coming to my knowledge from Rauner appointees (at least at DHS) who are actively sticking it to the union. Mock and dismiss me all you want. I started talking about Perfidy with Rauner before most others. That and sticking up for the frontline worker was what got me the Golden Horseshoe.
I’m seeing a change folks.
I’m seeing it
Comment by Honeybear Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 4:02 pm
Demoralized, the union fought so hard for a remote work agreement. It’s what’s really keeping the workers from leaving the states employ. We’re still down by 7k. We have totally lost function in my office. The HSCMs were sometimes in the office and half out depending on the job. Hybrid
Management gave a corrective action plan and brought them all back in regardless of whether they were involved in medical redeterminations or not.
Now I know you’re not union so you wouldn’t understand how a union fights for the worker. But doing what they did has caused so many grievances it’s now in arbitration.
Again, you can mock me.
But I rather be known for fighting for workers than exploiting them.
Comment by Honeybear Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 4:15 pm
==I’m not anti-union but I do get tired of this notion embraced by the union that everything should go through them first. The prisons are old. They need to be torn down and rebuilt. So exactly what would the union be fighting? To maintain the prisons as they are?==
These are all great questions. It’s also great questions one could ask the union before declaring a plan that seemingly isn’t flushed out yet. The unknown scares people. You know, the employees and their families who rely on a paycheck to do their job.
To your point about this “notion,” if you aren’t of the opinion that the workers who do the work shouldn’t have a say with what happens at the workplace, then you are not pro-union. Some people on this website are of the opinion the only purpose of a union is to raise the wages and improve the retirement of the workers and the rest goes to the boss. A union is about democratizing the workplace. To give everyone equal say. Both boss and employee. So it’s not a “notion” unions have bought into…it is the union’s mission statement.
==this ain’t exactly Rauner. Pritzker is about as union friendly as you are going to get out of a Governor.==
Just because someone isn’t the worst Governor in history doesn’t make them the best Governor in history. Partners of labor don’t behave this way. They don’t spring large plans like this at 5 am in the morning. Labor partners don’t chastise labor unions when they bring up legitimate questions to your woefully unfinished plan. Partners don’t certainly use snark and indignation to respond to the unions very real and serious concerns. They sit down and work with labor beforehand and work to a place of consensus. Pritzker isn’t the most labor friendly governor to ever exist or will exist. So let’s stop with that nonsense right now.
Comment by MG85 Friday, Mar 15, 24 @ 4:21 pm