HEADLINES

Forced-overtime epidemic exposed
in new Council 31 report

A newly released report from Council 31 has alerted the press and the public to the misuse of mandatory overtime in prisons, veterans homes and centers for individuals with severe mental illnesses or developmental disabilities. The report reveals in detail the skyrocketing cost to taxpayers and tremendous strain on employees that results from this practice. The report was released at a May 8 news conference by Council 31 Executive Director Henry Bayer, who was joined by a number of AFSCME members and several of the 32 Senate co-sponsors of HB 5661, legislation to ban forced overtime in state government.  | more

Make the Call Against Mandatory Overtime

AFSCME members in state agencies plagued by excessive amounts of mandatory overtime are making sure that their state senators get an earful about the severity of the problems they’re facing. State workers in DOC, DJJ, DHS and DVA facilities are participating in a Call-In Week (May 5-9) to urge senators to work for passage of HB 5661. This legislation, which would ban mandatory overtime at state facilities, passed the House by an overwhelming margin, but is now stalled in Senate Rules Committee. Working excessive amounts of overtime can take a harsh toll on employees’ health and family life. If mandatory overtime is a problem in your agency, make sure you call your state senator this week to say “Pass HB 5661 Now”.

Pontiac CC now in jeopardy

The Department of Corrections has now put Pontiac CC in its closure sights, after giving in to the fierce fight against its plan to close Stateville. AFSCME has vowed to fight that decision just as fiercely, because it would cause irreparable harm to prison staff and their families and undermine security in every facility and every prison community across the state. DOC has notified the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability about its new closure plan, as required under Facility Closure Act. That will trigger legislative hearings on the closure proposal. AFSCME is still getting details on the plan, with no formal notification from DOC at this time. There are more than 600 employees and 1,600 inmates at the facility. “We’re gearing up for a battle,” Council 31 Executive Director Henry Bayer said. “This is a bad idea and we will expose it as such. The prison system is already dangerously overcrowded. We need Pontiac, Stateville, Thomson and every other prison to operate a system that is safe for staff and inmates.”

University Extension service funded
for remainder of fiscal year

After a firestorm of protests from AFSCME and affected groups from around the state, the state has reversed direction on the threatened cuts to the University of Illinois Extension. Funds were expected to be released May 9 for the full amount appropriated by the General Assembly for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. The threat of layoffs for 450 Extension employees and the consequent contraction of the service’s popular programs, purportedly was intended to help fill the budget hole that has opened in the current state budget. Most of the program’s funding comes from the federal government, so it was not clear how much help the cuts would have been in soaking up the state’s red ink.  | more

Stateville closure blocked

After vehemently arguing the wisdom of shutting down the maximum security unit of Stateville Correctional Center, the Illinois Department of Corrections has decided that might not be such a good idea after all. On Monday area politicians announced at a press conference that the governor had agreed not to close Stateville. Council 31 Executive Director Henry Bayer and Local 1866 President Ralph Portwood, hailed the decision as a victory for union members, who waged a vigorous campaign against the ill-advised closure plan.  | more

Capitol Update: Key bills stall in Senate

Several bills of importance to AFSCME members have won approval from the state House of Representatives in recent action. Most important is HB 5661, the union's measure to ban mandatory overtime in state facilities, which passed the House 108-2. In addition, legislation to strengthen MRSA prevention in state facilities and to provide for fairer, more accurate mileage reimbursements for state employees both passed unanimously. All these measures now move to the Senate, where AFSCME-supported bills have been bottled up. Union members should call their senators in support of the mandatory overtime ban and the MRSA and mileage bills.  | more

State employees turn offices,
facilities into sea of green

Green Day swept the state with green apparel, stickers, signs, posters and even hats and jewelry as state employees demonstrated solidarity with their negotiating committee. With contract talks moving slowly, the AFSCME bargaining team wanted to show management that they had backing where it counts most: in workplaces across the state. Their co-workers came through with an overwhelming show of support. “We had non-security staff wearing green and security staff wearing stickers,” said Sara Johnson, vice president of Local 2856 at Graham CC. “A lot of people had the green posters in their cars. We had a good time letting everybody know we’re united.”  | more

Delegates will head to San Francisco
for AFSCME International Convention

Council 31 locals will begin choosing delegates this spring for AFSCME’s 38th International Convention in San Francisco. Delegates will focus on election-year politics as the nation weighs its choice for a president to follow George W. Bush, a man some consider the worst U.S. president ever. AFSCME and other unions plan on playing a key role in electing a president who will set a pro-union, pro-working family agenda for the nation that includes health-care reform, measures to roll back privatization, expansion of collective bargaining rights, retirement security, proper funding for public services and an end to the Iraq war. Delegates to the July 27-Aug. 1 biennial convention will also choose the AFSCME International president, seccretary-treasurer and 32 vice presidents for four-year terms. Delegates vote on policy resolutions and amendments to the union constitution.

Budget agreement averts layoffs,
keeps Cook County running

A compromise agreement reached in the final hours before a budget deadline will raise sales and parking taxes by enough to keep Cook County running and generate sufficient revenue to avert all layoffs and fully fund collective bargaining agreements. The crucial ninth vote needed to attain a majority was provided by Commissioner Larry Sufferdin, who withheld his support for the budget agreement until the Board agreed to place the Cook County Health Bureau, an agency mired in inefficiency and cronyism, under a temporary administratorship.  | more

The strike began in July, but Heartland Human Services workers are still fighting for respect and dignity.

Heartland strike in tenth month

Now in the tenth month since their strike began, members of AFSCME Local 3494 are still standing strong in their fight to win union rights and a fair contract despite the fierce anti-union efforts of their employer, Heartland Human Services in Effingham.  | more

Barack Obama has always stood with AFSCME members, and in the Feb. 5 Illinois primary, AFSCME members stood up for him. Obama won Illinois handily and gained a strong head of steam.

Barack Obama carries Illinois!

Illinois AFSCME's endorsed presidential candidate and favorite son Barack Obama handily won the state's primary on Feb. 5. In other races, AFSCME successfully defended every incumbent it endorsed with just one exception. Members who canvassed, called and helped get out the vote played key roles in the hard-fought re-election campaigns of state representatives Al Riley, Paul Froehlich, Monique Davis and Art Turner, as well as state senator Mike Jacobs--all incumbents who stood with the union in the fight for frontline staff desperately needed to relieve understaffing and improve services. "Win or lose, we have to keep speaking up, standing up and taking part in politics," Council 31 director Henry Bayer said. "That's how we make it known that AFSCME members will fight for those elected officials who respond to our concerns, and hold accountable those who do us harm."  | more

Safeguard against spread of MRSA

AFSCME members who work in congregate settings, like prisons, mental health and developmental centers, hospitals, veterans homes and private-sector developmental disability facilities face a rising risk of infection from a drug-resistant bacteria that is spreading among facility populations and employees around the state and across the nation. MRSA, the commonly used acronym for methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, is a dangerous infection responsible for many serious skin and soft tissue infections and a serious type of pneumonia. When not treated properly, MRSA can be fatal.  | more

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