DSP Lobby Day 2024: We spoke, lawmakers listened
DSPs from across the state converged on the Capitol on May 8 to push for higher wages, the latest lobbying action in our decades-long battle to increase funding for their important work.
We held a news conference at the Capitol that got our message out statewide. It was attended by key legislators including Rep. Maurice West, Sen. Ram Villivalam, Rep. Yolonda Morris and Sen. Rachel Ventura.
The lobbying action came after we spent months laying the groundwork by calling our lawmakers, testifying before House and Senate committees and organizing our workplaces to bring as many members into the fight as possible.
Nearly 70 DSPs had conversations with 22 lawmakers—Democrats and Republicans—from both the House and Senate. We told our stories in personal and powerful terms—so powerful that nine lawmakers subsequently agreed to sign on as co-sponsors of the wage bills.
At our press conference, Christine Rivera, a DSP at Ray Graham Association and a member of AFSCME Local 3492, told reporters, “I have stayed in my job for 20 years despite the low pay and ever-increasing demands because I care deeply for the individuals in my house. I know the same is true for many of my colleagues.”
But we’re not stopping now. Governor Pritzker’s proposed FY 2025 budget did not include any additional funding for these agencies, which would make it very difficult for employees to achieve wage gains at the bargaining table. So AFSCME’s lobbyists are working around the clock in the final days of the legislative session to bring the bills that would raise our wages across the finish line.
Right now, lawmakers are still debating those bills while our stories are still fresh in their minds. Keep on the lookout for another update from Council 31 after the end of the legislative session.