Illinois state workers picket for better contract from Gov. Blagojevich

With contract negotiations between the governor’s office and Illinois’ largest public-service union now at stalemate, workers and organizers took to the streets statewide Thursday, picketing at 40 locations.

The union contract is set to expire June 30, frustrating state employees looking for a better deal.

In Chicago, members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees circled in front of the James R. Thompson Center, held picket signs and answered bullhorn-calls that asked what kind of power they had, to which the large group responded, "AFSCME power."

But while AFSCME is asking, unless Gov. Rod Blagojevich relents, about 35,000 state workers will not receive.

The two sides came to the negotiating table in December, but the governor’s offer, which includes increased health care premiums and employee pension contributions, sits poorly with AFSCME.

According to AFSCME spokesman Anders Lindall, the governor’s wage proposals won’t cover the increased pension and health care demands. Lindall said the bottom line is that the offer would force workers to take a pay cut.

The governor’s office declined to comment.

“[We] cannot discuss negotiations; it’s very inappropriate to discuss in public,” said Kelly Quinn, communications director for the Office of Management and Budget.

Legislators, who ultimately vote on the package only in approving the overall state budget, are staying out of the conflict for the time being. The state budget expires June 30.

At the rally, Peter Schmalz, a regional director with AFSCME, said hundreds attended the lunch-hour rally and many were outspoken about what cuts would mean to them.

“We’re always cheated out of something,” said Gwendolyn Jackson, 56, from the periphery of the picket line. “The pension is shot.”

Jackson, who works for the Illinois Department of Employee Security, said she has been with the state for 29 years. She said if she retired today she’d receive $2,400 per month – not enough for her to live on.

Jackson joins correctional officers, nurses and numerous other professionals that Lindall described as the state’s “front line” employees.

Lindall said the state has cut that front line by 20 percent over the last seven years, and rather than hiring new employees to juggle what he said are unmanageable caseloads for many state workers, an “epidemic of forced overtime” has developed.

Lindall said some are working 60 to 80 hour work weeks.

Schmalz said many of those employees work at prisons.

Commenting on the contract dispute, Schmalz said that while the governor promotes his health care plan, the current contract would make health care unaffordable for some state employees.

Health care costs are a big concern for Joyce Park, 25, a trainee with the Illinois Department of Revenue who protested Thursday. Park has carpal tunnel syndrome and said the current system is already a struggle. Park, who said she’d like to attend graduate school, said the wage structure makes it harder as well.

Megda Segoviano, 27, also works at Revenue, and claimed that state employees in her situation are the lowest paid but require a college degree to work there. Segoviano said she has $12,000 in student loans to pay and claimed that she is living paycheck to paycheck.

Without an agreement coming together soon, Lindall speculated that the two sides could work past the June 30 deadline to work toward an agreement.