Legislature passes wage increase for DSPs

On May 28, the Illinois General Assembly passed a budget that includes a $1 per hour wage increase for Direct Support Professionals.

As you may know, the budget the governor initially proposed did not include any increase at all for DSPs in community disability agencies. Without the grassroots efforts of AFSCME DSPs everywhere, this $1 per hour increase would not have been possible. 

At Lobby Day on May 8, it was our voices that got nine lawmakers to sign up as co-sponsors of the bills to raise our wages. It was our voices that made an impact at legislative hearings. It was our voices that got our message out across the state at our press conference. It was our voices that made sure funding for a wage increase was in the final budget.

Of the $1 per hour increase that passed last evening, $0.75 is required to go directly to base wages for DSPs and other frontline staff. The other $0.25 must also go to base wages, but there will be more flexibility in how it is distributed.

Now it’s back to the bargaining table for your AFSCME local union to ensure that workers like you who give your all every day are treated fairly.

Although AFSCME pushed for a higher increase, this $1 is something we should all be proud of: Faced with no increase at all in the original budget, we carried this effort together from the beginning to the end.

We won when they said there was no money for us. We can’t quit now. We need to keep organizing. We need to keep fighting for ourselves and the individuals we care for.