ckaihatsu
12th July 2011, 00:00
http://www.progressillinois.com/quick-hits/content/2011/07/11/afscme-plans-statewide-pickets-defense-collective-bargaining
Aricka Flowers Monday July 11th, 2011, 3:42pm
AFSCME Plans Statewide Pickets "In Defense Of Collective Bargaining"
In response to Gov. Pat Quinn's decision to freeze state worker pay, the American Federation of State and City Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 31 will be setting up statewide picket lines tomorrow at more than 75 locations "in defense of collective bargaining."
In an attempt to ease the state's budget woes, Quinn sent notices to 14 state agencies and employee unions stating that the 2 percent raises outlined in public worker contracts would not be honored because lawmakers failed to allocate enough money for the pay increases in the FY 2012 budget.
"If the state paid these increases, the impacted agencies would not be able to make payroll for the entire fiscal year, preventing them from continuing operations and providing core services to the people of Illinois," Quinn's spokeswoman Mica Matsoff said in a statement at the beginning of the month.
But officials for AFSCME, the union representing thousands of state employees, say public workers have already done their fair share to help ease the budget crisis.
"AFSCME members have already renegotiated their contract with Gov. Quinn to help balance the state budget," reads a press release announcing tomorrow's informational picket lines. "They have agreed to defer parts of three negotiated wage increases, made changes to their health plan resulting in tens of millions of dollars in savings to the state, and taken thousands of unpaid furlough days."
AFSCME has filed a federal lawsuit against Quinn and the state of Illinois as a result of the pay freeze affecting some 30,000 workers. The union has also begun arbitration proceedings to get the contractual pay raises paid out. Briefs for the proceedings are due to the arbitrator on July 18.
AFSCME members do the real work of state government, such as caring for the disabled, preventing child abuse, guarding state prisons and much more, AFSCME Council 31 executive director Henry Bayer said. These hard-working men and women deserve to know that their employer, the governor, will keep his word and honor his commitments under the law.
The informational picket lines are scheduled to be set up at the following locations at the times designated below:
Chicago
Bilandic Building, 160 N La Salle St. 12:15 p.m.
Children and Family Services office, 1026 S Damen Noon
Illinois Youth Center, 100 N. Western 1 p.m.
Read Mental Health Center, 4200 N Oak Park Ave. 2:30 p.m.
Springfield
Willard Ice Building, 101 West Jefferson Noon
Bloom Building, 201 South Grand Ave Noon
Alton
Alton Mental Health Center, 4500 College Avenue 12:15 p.m.
Anna
Illinois Veterans' Home, 792 N Main St 11:30 a.m.
Aurora
Lake St. and Indian Trail Rd. (Route 31 N.) 12:30 p.m.
Canton
Illinois River Correctional Center, State Road 97 2:15 p.m.
Centralia
Murray Center, 1535 West McCord 3 p.m.
Champaign
Employment Security office, 1307 N Mattis Ave Noon
Chester
Menard Correctional Center on Lehmen Drive 3:00 p.m.
Danville
Danville Correctional Center, 3820 East Main Street 3:15 p.m.
Decatur
Decatur Correctional Center, 2310 East Mound Road 3 p.m.
Dixon
Dixon Arch, 309 S. Galena Ave 3:30 p.m.
Dwight
Fox Developmental Center on Route 17 2:30 p.m.
East Moline
East Moline Correctional Center, 100 Hillcrest Rd 3:30 p.m.
East St. Louis
East St. Louis Regional Office Bldg., #10 Collinsville Ave. 5:30 p.m.
Elgin
Elgin Mental Health Center, South Gate, 750 South State Street Noon
Galesburg
Hill Correctional Center, 600 Linwood Rd. 3 p.m.
Harrisburg
IYC-Harrisburg, 1201 W. Poplar (Rt. 13) 4:00 p.m.
Hines (Maywood)
Madden Mental Health Center, Roosevelt Rd & 1st Ave. 1 p.m.
Ina
Big Muddy Correctional Center, 251 N. IL Hwy. 37 2 p.m.
Jacksonville
South Main Street and Morton Avenue 3:30 p.m.
Joliet
Illinois State Police building, 260 N Chicago Street 12:15 p.m.
Stateville Correctional Center, 16830 S. Rt. 53 3 p.m.
Illinois Youth Center, 2848 W. McDonough 2 p.m.
Kankakee
Shapiro Developmental Center, 100 E. Jeffrey 11:30 a.m.
Kewanee
Illinois Youth Center, 2021 Kentville Road 2:30 p.m.
Lincoln
Lincoln and Logan Correctional Centers, 1096 1350th St. 3:15 p.m.
Marion
Department of Human Services, 1107 W. DeYoung 12:30 p.m.
Mt. Sterling
Western Illinois Correctional Center, 2500 Rt. 99 South 3 p.m.
Murphysboro
Illinois Youth Center, Route 13 at Elza Brantley Dr. 2 p.m.
Park Forest
Ludeman Developmental Center, North and Orchard 1 p.m.
Pinckneyville
Pinckneyville Correctional Center, 5835 State Rt. 154 3 p.m.
Pontiac
Pontiac Correctional Center, 700 W Lincoln St. 3 p.m.
Robinson
Robinson Correctional Center, 13423 East 1150th Avenue 3:15 p.m.
Sheridan
Sheridan Correctional Center, 4017 E. 2603 Rd. 3 p.m.
St. Charles
Illinois Youth Center, 445 Lincoln Hwy. 1 p.m.
Sumner
Lawrence Correctional Center, Route 50 3:15 p.m.
Taylorville
Taylorville Correctional Center, Route 29 S 2 p.m.
Aricka Flowers Monday July 11th, 2011, 3:42pm
AFSCME Plans Statewide Pickets "In Defense Of Collective Bargaining"
In response to Gov. Pat Quinn's decision to freeze state worker pay, the American Federation of State and City Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 31 will be setting up statewide picket lines tomorrow at more than 75 locations "in defense of collective bargaining."
In an attempt to ease the state's budget woes, Quinn sent notices to 14 state agencies and employee unions stating that the 2 percent raises outlined in public worker contracts would not be honored because lawmakers failed to allocate enough money for the pay increases in the FY 2012 budget.
"If the state paid these increases, the impacted agencies would not be able to make payroll for the entire fiscal year, preventing them from continuing operations and providing core services to the people of Illinois," Quinn's spokeswoman Mica Matsoff said in a statement at the beginning of the month.
But officials for AFSCME, the union representing thousands of state employees, say public workers have already done their fair share to help ease the budget crisis.
"AFSCME members have already renegotiated their contract with Gov. Quinn to help balance the state budget," reads a press release announcing tomorrow's informational picket lines. "They have agreed to defer parts of three negotiated wage increases, made changes to their health plan resulting in tens of millions of dollars in savings to the state, and taken thousands of unpaid furlough days."
AFSCME has filed a federal lawsuit against Quinn and the state of Illinois as a result of the pay freeze affecting some 30,000 workers. The union has also begun arbitration proceedings to get the contractual pay raises paid out. Briefs for the proceedings are due to the arbitrator on July 18.
AFSCME members do the real work of state government, such as caring for the disabled, preventing child abuse, guarding state prisons and much more, AFSCME Council 31 executive director Henry Bayer said. These hard-working men and women deserve to know that their employer, the governor, will keep his word and honor his commitments under the law.
The informational picket lines are scheduled to be set up at the following locations at the times designated below:
Chicago
Bilandic Building, 160 N La Salle St. 12:15 p.m.
Children and Family Services office, 1026 S Damen Noon
Illinois Youth Center, 100 N. Western 1 p.m.
Read Mental Health Center, 4200 N Oak Park Ave. 2:30 p.m.
Springfield
Willard Ice Building, 101 West Jefferson Noon
Bloom Building, 201 South Grand Ave Noon
Alton
Alton Mental Health Center, 4500 College Avenue 12:15 p.m.
Anna
Illinois Veterans' Home, 792 N Main St 11:30 a.m.
Aurora
Lake St. and Indian Trail Rd. (Route 31 N.) 12:30 p.m.
Canton
Illinois River Correctional Center, State Road 97 2:15 p.m.
Centralia
Murray Center, 1535 West McCord 3 p.m.
Champaign
Employment Security office, 1307 N Mattis Ave Noon
Chester
Menard Correctional Center on Lehmen Drive 3:00 p.m.
Danville
Danville Correctional Center, 3820 East Main Street 3:15 p.m.
Decatur
Decatur Correctional Center, 2310 East Mound Road 3 p.m.
Dixon
Dixon Arch, 309 S. Galena Ave 3:30 p.m.
Dwight
Fox Developmental Center on Route 17 2:30 p.m.
East Moline
East Moline Correctional Center, 100 Hillcrest Rd 3:30 p.m.
East St. Louis
East St. Louis Regional Office Bldg., #10 Collinsville Ave. 5:30 p.m.
Elgin
Elgin Mental Health Center, South Gate, 750 South State Street Noon
Galesburg
Hill Correctional Center, 600 Linwood Rd. 3 p.m.
Harrisburg
IYC-Harrisburg, 1201 W. Poplar (Rt. 13) 4:00 p.m.
Hines (Maywood)
Madden Mental Health Center, Roosevelt Rd & 1st Ave. 1 p.m.
Ina
Big Muddy Correctional Center, 251 N. IL Hwy. 37 2 p.m.
Jacksonville
South Main Street and Morton Avenue 3:30 p.m.
Joliet
Illinois State Police building, 260 N Chicago Street 12:15 p.m.
Stateville Correctional Center, 16830 S. Rt. 53 3 p.m.
Illinois Youth Center, 2848 W. McDonough 2 p.m.
Kankakee
Shapiro Developmental Center, 100 E. Jeffrey 11:30 a.m.
Kewanee
Illinois Youth Center, 2021 Kentville Road 2:30 p.m.
Lincoln
Lincoln and Logan Correctional Centers, 1096 1350th St. 3:15 p.m.
Marion
Department of Human Services, 1107 W. DeYoung 12:30 p.m.
Mt. Sterling
Western Illinois Correctional Center, 2500 Rt. 99 South 3 p.m.
Murphysboro
Illinois Youth Center, Route 13 at Elza Brantley Dr. 2 p.m.
Park Forest
Ludeman Developmental Center, North and Orchard 1 p.m.
Pinckneyville
Pinckneyville Correctional Center, 5835 State Rt. 154 3 p.m.
Pontiac
Pontiac Correctional Center, 700 W Lincoln St. 3 p.m.
Robinson
Robinson Correctional Center, 13423 East 1150th Avenue 3:15 p.m.
Sheridan
Sheridan Correctional Center, 4017 E. 2603 Rd. 3 p.m.
St. Charles
Illinois Youth Center, 445 Lincoln Hwy. 1 p.m.
Sumner
Lawrence Correctional Center, Route 50 3:15 p.m.
Taylorville
Taylorville Correctional Center, Route 29 S 2 p.m.