When Marci Smith started working part-time in Illinois prisons in 1997, the dental hygienist had a second job working in private practice. She says that she found the private practice work a little boring, whereas working in a prison brought new challenges every day.
Our local elected officials directly influence our ability to bargain for better wages and working conditions. That’s why we need to get organized, stand united, and vote in the April 1 elections.
Health Alliance insurance plan to cease operating at end of 2025
Earlier this week, Carle Health announced the discontinuation of its health plan offering, Health Alliance, at the end of the year with no forewarning and no real justification.
The Trump administration’s heedless slashing of federal funding that supports vital public services at the local level has been temporarily paused by the courts, but the administration appears to be pushing ahead with its planning to impose these cuts which c
AFSCME, along with the Alliance for Retired Americans and the American Federation of Teachers, filed a lawsuit on Friday to halt DOGE’s unprecedented, unlawful seizure of personal, confidential and sensitive data from the Social Security Administration.
Winter reminds us of the dedication of public works employees
With the snowfall and frigid temperatures Illinois has experienced this winter, it’s important to remember those who charge towards weather when their communities need them most: public works employees.
22 States, including Illinois, sue to stop cuts to research grants
As part of billionaire Elon Musk’s efforts to slash funding of public institutions, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a major, catastrophic overhaul in its research grant
Billionaire Elon Musk has painted a target on the backs of the federal employees, launching mass layoffs on Feb. 14 which affected tens of thousands of federal employees. But unionized federal employees are standing up and fighting back.
Mail scanning program will pilot at two facilities soon
Over the past several years, as the use of drugs among the IDOC prison population has steadily increased, so have the negative consequences for employees—with many being overcome by the substances released into the air when ind
Amidst all the tumult of recent weeks regarding the inauguration of a new president of the United States, I realized that this month was also the 10th anniversary of another inauguration—the installation of Bruce Rauner as governor of Illinois. And I couldn’t help but fasten on the similarities of these two transitional moments.
The Illinois Department of Corrections has entered into an agreement with John A. Logan College in Carterville to make the college its Southern Region Training Academy, which will accommodate an additional 100 trainees per cadet class.
AFSCME and our allies in the We Are One Illinois coalition are vowing to carry the fight for pension fairness forward into the spring legislative session, but it’s going to take the involvement of every AFSCME member to get it over the finish line.
Threat of federal cuts to state budget looms large
The Trump administration created widespread confusion and chaos last week, launching an all-out effort to vastly reduce federal funding to state and local governments.
Shaleah Blackshear has lived in Lake County most of her life. The people who work for the Lake County Health Department are her neighbors. They’re the friendly faces she sees at the grocery store. Some are longtime family friends.
