Gov. Rauner vetoes back pay, social services funding

Gov. Rauner acted June 10 to veto Senate Bill 2046, legislation that would have provided funding for back pay owed to thousands of state employees, as well as for critical social services, public health and higher education.

His veto shows once again that Rauner is determined to hold the state hostage to his extreme personal agenda, contrary to his claims that he supports funding public services and paying state employees what they're owed.

“This is yet another example of our governor’s obsession with weakening the rights of working families and supports for the most vulnerable,” AFSCME Council 31 Executive Director Roberta Lynch said.

The General Assembly had passed SB 2046 in April to address an array of critical needs, including funding for state employee back pay.

The back pay issue arose in July 2011 when then-Governor Pat Quinn refused to pay wage increases that the union had previously agreed to temporarily defer in light of the state’s fiscal challenges at the time.

"Some 24,000 public-service workers in state government are owed an average of $2,500 each dating back to 2011," Lynch said. "These are by far state government's oldest unpaid bills, owed to working families that face medical bills, school costs, rent or mortgage and car payments or other expenses.”

While employees in some agencies have been paid in full and all employees have received half of what is owed, five state agencies—the Illinois Department of Corrections, Department of Human Services, Department of Juvenile Justice, Department of Natural Resources and Department of Public Health—still have not been paid the full wages due per their collective bargaining agreement.

After the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that the back wages owed to state employees are not due without a legislative appropriation, AFSCME focused on securing back pay for state employees in the General Assembly.