State master contract extended, mediator called in

Following a bargaining session in East Peoria on Wednesday, June 27, the union announced that the terms of its existing contract with the state of Illinois will be temporarily extended while the sides continue to negotiate a successor agreement.

The current four-year contract covering 40,000 state employees was set to expire Saturday, June 30. Instead its terms will remain in place while bargaining continues.

"We are committed to settling a fair contract that values the important work AFSCME members do to serve the public in every Illinois community every day," Council 31 executive director Henry Bayer said. "State employees work hard in difficult and often dangerous conditions to care for the disabled, protect public safety, prevent child abuse and much more. In return they deserve decent wages, affordable health care, a secure retirement and respect on the job."

Only twice before in Illinois's nearly 40-year history of state employee collective bargaining has the expiration date passed without a successor agreement in place, but in each instance-in 1983-84 and 2008-the terms of the existing contract were extended while negotiations continued, and the contracts were resolved amicably and fairly.

The parties also agreed that they will identify an independent, third-party mediator to assist with negotiations going forward.