“We’re voting union on November 4!”See pages 8 and 9

11#162 • OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2014O N T H E

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Illinois Council 31—American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees—AFL-CIO

2 On the Move October-November 2014

BY ROBERTA LYNC H

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT

Fighting against theflood

THINK ABOUT

WHAT YOUR

WORKING LIFE

WOULD BE LIKE

WITH NO UNION

CONTRACT…

On the MoveAFSCME Illinois On the Move ispublished 6 times annually by Illinois Public Employees Council31 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO. Send correspondence to:dmiller@afscme31.orgor: AFSCME, On the Move, 205 N. Michigan Ave., 21st Floor,Chicago, IL 60601

Roberta Lynch, Executive DirectorMike Newman, Deputy DirectorDavid Miller, EditorDolores Wilber, Designer

Council 31 Executive Board OfficersSTATE EXECUTIVE VICE-PRESIDENTLori Laidlaw, Dixon CCLocal 817CITY/COUNTY EXECUTIVE VICE-PRESIDENTCarmin Willis-Goodloe, Cook County Hospital, Local 1111PRIVATE SECTOR EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENTYolanda Woods, Hope InstituteLocal 2481UNIVERSITY EXECUTIVE VICE-PRESIDENTDorinda Miller, U of I Clericals, Local 3700SECRETARYPat Ousley, Department of Employment Security, Local 1006TREASURERRob Fanti, Sheridan CC, Local 472

Board MembersSTATE CONFERENCE BOARD CO-CHAIRSGloria Arseneau, (RC-14), Northeastern Illinois State Employees,Local 2794Kathy Lane, (RC-63), Northwestern Illinois State Employees,Local 448

REGION I VICE-PRESIDENTS(COOK AND LAKE COUNTIES)

Safiya Felters, Department of Health-care and Family Services, Local 2854Ellen Larrimore, Northeastern IllinoisUniversity, Local 1989Steve Mittons, Department of Childrenand Family Services, Local 2081John Rayburn, Chicago Public Library,Local 1215Kobie Robinson, Cook County Asses-sor’s Office, Local 3835Eva Spencer-Chatman, Chicago ReadMHC, Local 1610

REGION II VICE-PRESIDENTS(NOTHERN ILLINOIS)Garry Cacciapaglia, city of Rockford,Local 1058Gary Ciaccio, Shapiro DC, Local 29Dave Delrose, Will County, Local 1028Ralph Portwood, Stateville CC, Local 1866Ruby Robinson, Illinois State Employ-ees, Local 2833Yurvette Simmons, United CerebralPalsy of Will County, Local 3237

REGION III VICE- PRESIDENTS(CENTRAL ILLINOIS)Mark Kerr, McFarland Zone Center,Local 2767Gary Kroeschel, Sangamon CountyState Employees, Local 2224Matt Lukow, Springfield Area StateEmployees, Local 1964David Morris, Illinois State Employees,Local 805Steve Nordyke, Department of Health-care and Family Services, Local 2600Trudy Williams, Fulton County SheriffsDept. & Courthouse, Local 3433

REGION IV VICE-PRESIDENTS(SOUTHERN ILLINOIS)Chris Milton, Madison County, Local 799Duane Montgomery, Metro-East StateEmployees, Local 1805Cary Quick, Choate MH/DC, Local 141Mike Turner, Southern Illinois Depart-ment of Corrections, Local 415

TrusteesCarlene Erno, Illinois State Employees,Local 2615Tom Minick, Moline Board of Education, Local 672Miguel Vasquez, Aurora Sanitary District, Local 3297

Retiree Chapter 31 RepresentativeLarry Brown

IF YOU DON’T LIVE ON A FLOODPLAIN, MAYBE YOU’VE NEVERBEEN FACED WITH THAT DECI-sion. But the choice facingunion members in Illinois rightnow is just as stark – and aspotentially devastating.

As I write, there is exactlyone month remaining in thefevered contest for governor ofIllinois. Republican candidateBruce Rauner is a billionaireventure capitalist who’s run-ning on pure bile, spewing non-stop venom at public employeesand the unions that representthem.

Rauner boasts that he’ll“take on” AFSCME, SEIU andthe teachers’ unions. He sayspublic sector unions have“bribed” politicians to gain“stunningly generous” wagesand benefits for public employ-ees and he’s vowed to slash payand eliminate pensions.

He’s a big fan of privatiza-tion – citing former Indianagovernor and big-time privatiz-er, Mitch Daniels, as his rolemodel – and making some ofhis own big bucks as the ownerof a company that operates pri-vate probation services.

More fundamentally,Rauner’s made it clear as crystalhe doesn’t believe unions likeours should be allowed to exist,calling them “corrupt” and“immoral”, “by their nature.”

For some folks – like thosewho are always so sure the riverwon’t really overflow its banks –that’s just campaign rhetoric,nothing to worry about. ButRauner’s record tells a differentstory. Here’s a guy who made hisvast fortune by the most cut-throat kind of business practices,resulting in wrongful death law-suits, federal investigations andcriminal charges against variousbusiness associates.

He’s been involved inmore shady deals than our bestresearchers have been able tocount, shipped thousands ofjobs overseas, and studied upon governing with Wisconsin’sunion-busting Scott Walker.

He’s on tape vowing that he’ll force state employeesout on strike – and keep themout until he gets his way. Heeven claimed he’d follow Rea-gan’s example of firing 12,000of the nation’s air traffic con-trollers when they went onstrike and hiring replacementworkers.

If there’s anyone who’s still sitting back and thinkingthose waters won’t wash overyou, I hope you’ll think again.Think about what your workinglife would be like with no unioncontract, basically with nounion. That’s where BruceRauner wants to go, beyond any doubt. And not just when itcomes to state employees, butfor every public employee – incities, counties, universities andschool districts across Illinois.

Life without a union? Ifyou’ve seen the video on ourwebsite about what’s alreadyhappened to our union broth-ers and sisters in Wisconsin, youhave some idea of what willcome in the door with BruceRauner: “Seniority… meansnothing anymore,” they told us.“We haven’t been able to bar-gain for wages.” “We have nosay in working conditions.”“Immediately lost about $5,000per year.”

That’s not just Wisconsinstate employees; it’s city sanita-tion workers in Milwaukee,teachers in Green Bay, universi-ty clerical employees in Madi-son, and hundreds of thou-sands more.

Without a union contract,

management sets wages wherev-er they want them to be, stepplans can be wiped out with thestroke of a pen, health carecosts can soar almost overnight.Without a union contract, man-agement can discipline, evenfire, at will and fear rules in theworkplace. Without a union,there are few rules manage-ment must abide by – and manyarbitrary rules that employeescan’t contest.

Without a union, there’sno way for workers to cometogether to have a voice on leg-islation that affects their work,their families and their future.And there’s no way to counterthe outsized influence of theuber-wealthy who have succeed-ed in blowing the lid off restric-tions on campaign contribu-tions and are prepared tospend millions to blow workingpeople out of the politicalwaters altogether.

Perhaps most importantly,without a union, there’s no wayto demand the respect and dig-nity that ought to be the rightof every worker – but are toooften trampled on by those inpower.

We in AFSCME have hadmore than our share of battleswith Governor Pat Quinn overthe past four years. But we stillhave our union – strong andproud as ever. We still have ourunion contracts, in state govern-ment and every other level ofgovernment – with our rightsintact, even enhanced.

The reality is as plain as afast-rising river: Every AFSCMEmember who wants to preserveand defend the right to have aunion must help re-elect PatQuinn. That’s the only way todefeat the dangerous currentthat is Bruce Rauner. If we suc-ceed in that, we’ll undoubtedlycontinue to cross swords withGovernor Quinn. But we’ll also– without any doubt – continueto have our union contract, ourunion rights. And we’ll havedemonstrated – beyond anydoubt – our resolve, our unity,and our determination to pre-vail in whatever battles are tocome.

When the waters start to rise, do youjoin the sandbag crews workingnonstop to hold them back? Or do

you just go on about your business, thenstruggle desperately to save home and familywhen the deluge comes?

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Bruce Rauner wants to swamp public employee unions –let’s make sure he doesn’t get the chance

On the Move October-November 2014 3

Of all the questionssurrounding

negotiations for the next state mastercontract, one out-weighs all others:Who will the unionbe negotiating with?

IF IT’S GOV. PAT QUINN’SADMINISTRATION, STATE EMPLOY-EES CAN EXPECT A LONG, SOME-times difficult process – at leastif the last contract fight is anyguide. Strike preparations wereunderway across the state whenthe governor’s negotiators final-ly moved to settle.

But if Bruce Rauner iselected, the fight may takeplace out on the street insteadof at the bargaining table.

On more than one occasion,Rauner has said he will force a strike in order to compel stateemployees to accept reducedpay and benefits.

“We know we’ll have toughnegotiations with the Quinnadministration,” Council 31Executive Director RobertaLynch said. “But if Rauner’selected governor, there’s a realchance he won’t even bothernegotiating at all. We’ve seennothing to indicate he hasrespect for the collective bar-gaining process.”

The wide range of possibili-ties makes it more importantthan ever that state bargainingteam members are prepared.

Gathering ideas

OVER THE SUMMER MONTHS,members of state local unionselected the delegates who willrepresent them on the bargain-

ing committee – more than 200 in all. Throughout Septem-ber, Council 31 held orienta-tion sessions for these bargain-ing committee members at sitesthroughout the state. The ses-sions served as a chance to letbargaining team membersknow what to expect and, per-haps just as importantly, how tokeep their members informedthroughout the negotiatingprocess.

The orientation sessionsmade clear that the mostimportant element of achievinga fair contract will be not whathappens at the bargainingtable, but the ongoing involve-ment of members back in thelocals.

“We learned in the lastround of negotiations thatmembers have to be activethroughout the bargainingprocess, including being pre-pared to strike if it comes to

that,” Lynch told the bargainingcommittee members at the orientation session in Car-bondale.

That communicationprocess is a two-way street: Nowis the time for state employeesto talk to their bargaining rep-resentatives about what changesthey’d like to see in the nextcontract.

“We take pride in the factthat the demands we take into negotiations have comefrom members of locals acrossthe state,” Lynch said. “It’s the beginning of a constantprocess of back-and-forth com-munication to ensure talksreflect the collective will of stateemployees.”

All ideas for the next contract will be considered bythe state bargaining committeewhen it meets in November.Committee members will voteon which ideas should form

the union’s initial proposal tothe state.

The first meeting with state negotiators will take place on Dec. 10. While thismeeting consists largely of anexchange of proposals and littlenegotiation, it will set the toneand form the basis for futuretalks.

That’s why the run-up tothat first meeting – and theinvolvement of state employees– is critical.

“No matter who is gover-nor, it’s important that we gointo talks with a clear plan forwhat we want and a clear strate-gy,” Lynch said. “It’s going to beone of the toughest – if not thetoughest – bargaining climateswe’ve ever faced. It’s absolutelyvital that the entire bargainingteam is united and shares acommon purpose – and thatthe members are prepared toback them up.”

Uncertainty looms over upcomingstate contract talks

THE BARGAINING COMMITTEE

REPRESENTING 15 AFSCMELOCALS HAS REPEATEDLY TURNED

down proposals from CountyBoard President Toni Preck-winkle’s administration thatwould see employees suffer acut in take-home pay – includ-ing a pay freeze for the twoyears since the old agreementexpired.

While management hasmade some movement recent-ly – particularly after informa-tional pickets in June – theystill have yet to put a credibleeconomic package on thetable, insisting the bargainingcommittee agree to increasedhealth insurance costs whilerefusing to offer fair wageincreases.

“Before we can talk aboutraising medical costs, we needto talk about wages,” said LizProwell, who represents Local3696 on the bargaining team.“If we’re going to pay all this

money into our insurance butnot see a cost of livingincrease, we’re going to beput into the hole. That’s notacceptable.”

As On the Move went topress, the bargaining commit-tee was preparing for anothermeeting with county negotia-tors on Oct. 1. Previous meet-ings, however, have oftenseen a lack of commitmentfrom management on movingtoward a settlement.

“The county is draggingits feet in negotiations,” saidbargaining team memberSteve Ramsey, an investigatorin the public defender’s officeand president of Local 1767.“Our committee is puttingout what really matters tomembers – proposals onwages and health care. Butmanagement’s not makingany moves that would bring uscloser to settling this con-tract.”

Making the call

IN AUGUST, COUNTY EMPLOYEES

continued to put pressure onPreckwinkle by calling heroffice to deliver a clear mes-sage: It’s not fair to ask us togo two years without a raiseand to demand massiveincreases in health care costswithout putting a fair wageproposal on the table.

Preckwinkle definitelyheard the message, Council31 Regional Director NefertitiSmith said.

“We received a directrequest to make it stop,” shesaid. “We didn’t agree to that,of course, but it shows that itmade an impact. Every action

we take has an impact on thecounty.”

AFSCME members havealso become a regular pres-ence at county board meet-ings as part of an attempt toget board members to urgePreckwinkle to come to anagreement with county work-ers.

“She’s tired of us comingto her board meetings, butwe’re not going to stop,”Smith said.

More action needed

BARGAINING TEAM MEMBERS SAY

continued action from countyemployees will be necessary toshow the Preckwinkle adminis-

tration that they need to put acredible proposal on the table.

Generating that action wasthe key goal of informationalmeetings held recently at work-sites throughout the county.

“We are telling people theyneed to be vocal with the presi-dent’s office,” said Local 3315President Presita West, an attor-ney in the public defender’soffice. “We don’t have strengthif it’s just the bargaining teaminvolved. The members need tobe engaged and aware of what’sgoing on. We’re going to relyon them to back the bargainingcommittee.”

Cook County employeesdon’t need to look far back forevidence they can make a dif-ference. This summer, theiraction played a key role in pre-venting Preckwinkle’s plan tocut pensions for county employ-ees from making progress inthe General Assembly.

“We showed them what theunion can do,” Ramsey said.“The whole committee was call-ing Member Action Teams andstewards and we stopped them.We have to keep remindingpeople that when that AFSCMEtrain is rolling down the tracks,you either have to get on orget out the way.”

Cook County employees keep uppressure as contract talks continue

Even after two years of frustrating negotiations, Cook County employeesremain determined that they will not

let management balance the county’s budget on their backs.

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Cook County employees attended informationalmeetings to learn more about contract negotiations.

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4 On the Move October-November 2014

Fight to save Rock Island Co. nursing home enters home stretch

Ayear-longeffort to pre-vent the priva-

tization of a nursinghome in Rock IslandCounty is entering itsfinal days with analliance of AFSCMEmembers and countyresidents workinghard to keep thefacility in the handsof the public.

SINCE LAST OCTOBER, EMPLOY-EES OF HOPE CREEK NURSING

HOME, FAMILIES OF RESIDENTS

and concerned citizens haverallied against a plan by somecounty board members to out-source the home to a privatevendor.

After persuading boardmembers to vote against aninitial proposal last year, thechallenge is now to persuadevoters to back a referendumthat would implement a smalltax increase that would gotoward the costs of operatingHope Creek.

“It amounts to 13 centsper person a day,” Council 31staff representative MiguelMorga said. “If it passes, thenthat should put the issue torest. That’d be interpreted asa message from the communi-

ty that they want to protectthe nursing home and sup-port it.”

Putting people overprofits

CHRIS BAKER’S FATHER IS A RESI-dent at Hope Creek. Like many,she fears that putting a for-prof-it company in charge of thehome would result in the bot-tom line taking priority overcaring for elderly people, manyof whom have serious healthissues and have their costs cov-ered by Medicaid.

“In my opinion, when youprivatize the facility, the caredeteriorates,” she said. “I feelprivately-run homes have aworse staff-to-patient ratio,which decreases the quality ofcare. Any day they could saythey’re choosing to no longerhave Medicaid patients attheir facility, and then youhave to leave.”

Baker is the president ofthe KISS – Keep It Supportedfor Seniors – committee thatis working with AFSCMELocal 2371 to ensure the ref-erendum passes. The organi-zation has been aggressive,holding bake sales, pokernights and trivia contests toraise money for an effort thatincludes billboards, doorhangers, phone banks anddoor-to-door outreach.

Local 2371 PresidentShelley Close said Hope

Creek’s employees have alevel of experience that isn’toften seen at privately-runfacilities.

“We have a lot of long-term employees who havebeen doing this for many,many years,” Close said. “Pri-vatization is about money.Under a private company,eventually they’d cut back tothe minimum on staffing.”

No time to be complacent

THERE ARE REASONS TO BE OPTI-

mistic that the referendumwill pass. While dozens of peo-ple are working in support ofit, no organized oppositionhas emerged. Plus, history ison the side of those fightingto keep Hope Creek underpublic control.

However, no one is acting as though victory isassured.

“Rock Island County haspassed referendums in thepast for the nursing homeand we’ve gotten around 60percent,” Close said. “Butwe’re not taking anything for

granted. We’re walking everySaturday door to door and making phone calls Monday through Thursdaynight.”

With so much on the line– quality of care for the elder-ly, good jobs and a source ofpride for the community – theeffort to keep Hope Creek inthe public’s hands will contin-ue into the evening of Novem-ber 4.

“I’ll work up until thepolls close,” Baker said. “Los-ing isn’t an option at thispoint.”

A volunteer places a lawn sign urging Rock Island County voters to support a referendum that would provide funding for the Hope Creek Nursing Home.

THE RULING BRINGS EMPLOYEES

IN FIVE DEPARTMENTS – HUMAN

SERVICES, CORRECTIONS, JUVE-nile Justice, NaturalResources and Public Health– one crucial step closer tobeing made whole three yearsafter the Quinn administra-tion first announced that it

would not implement wageincreases called for in fiscal2011 and 2012 by the previ-ous contract.

“This decision is a win forworking men and women whoserve all the people of Illinois,caring for the disabled, keep-ing prisons secure, maintain-

ing our state parks and muchmore,” Council 31 ExecutiveDirector Roberta Lynch said.“Moreover it’s a victory for aprinciple of simple fairnessfor all workers: A contract is acontract, it means what it says,and no employer – not stategovernment or anyone else –can unilaterally withholdwages owed.”

In the courts and the Capitol

SINCE 2011, THE UNION HAS

pursued a two-prongedapproach to ensure thatwages were paid: fighting inthe courts and determinedlobbying in the General

Assembly. Both approacheshave paid off.

AFSCME first took thematter to an arbitrator, whoagreed that the wages must bepaid. The state appealed thatdecision to circuit court.While the court agreed with

the union’s position that themoney was owed pursuant tothe union contract, it leftopen the question of whetherpayment required an appro-priation.

Last year the Quinnadministration agreed to sup-port payment of back wages asa condition of the currentstate contract and employeesin a number of agencies werepaid monies owed out of thelapsed funds in their agency’sbudget. However, DOC, DPH,DJJ, DNR and DHS lacked suffi-cient lapsed funds and requireda special appropriation by theGeneral Assembly.

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Appellate court upholds arbitrator:Back wages for state workersmust be paid

Continued on page 15

In a sweet victory for AFSCME members, apanel of Illinois Appellate Court judgesruled Sept. 30 that thousands of frontline

state employees must be paid wages owedfrom the previous union contract – even ifthe General Assembly fails to make anappropriation.

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“It’s a victory for aprinciple of simplefairness for all

workers: A contractis a contract.”

— Roberta Lynch

On the Move October-November 2014 5

Department ofCorrectionsemployees

are keeping a closeeye on staffing andprocedural changesthat are beginning to ripple throughoutthe state’s prison system.

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CHANGE

IS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE

SO-CALLED RASHO SETTLEMENT,which requires IDOC facilitiesto boost staffing levels andchange procedures for dealingwith inmates who have a mentalillness. The requirements, man-dated by the federal govern-ment, stem from a class actionlawsuit the department settledout of court.

The changes required byRasho – still being formulatedas On the Move went to press –will fall largely on three correc-tional centers: Pontiac, Dixonand Logan. The union is ensur-ing that employees there have asay in implementation.

“The department is estab-lishing policies and proceduresand we are asserting a place at

the table to determine whatthose changes are,” Council 31regional director Eddie Caumi-ant said. “No one really knowswhat the final outcome will be.They haven’t finished the plan-ning.”

One change that is all butcertain is a need for more staff,including correctional officers,as well as mental health coun-selors who would be employedby Wexford, a vendor that pro-vides mental health servicesthroughout IDOC.

While the increasedstaffing is generally welcome,there are serious concernsabout how quickly thoseemployees will be hired, howthey’ll be allocated and, in thecase of Wexford employees,how much office space they’llneed.

“It’s basically going to turnus upside down. They’re callingfor 200 correctional officersand another 200 mental healthstaff,” said Rick Ruthart, presi-dent of Local 817 and a correc-tional officer at Dixon CC.“We’re bringing in officers, butwe’re not bringing them in fastenough. The court’s given usuntil January 1, but there’s noway in three months we canhire that many staff.”

Frank Turner, president of

Local 494 (Pontiac CC), saidhe’s concerned current CO’swill suffer long hours if IDOCisn’t quick enough in hiringmore employees.

“It’s a struggle for them tokeep up now and the levels aregoing to be even higher,” hesaid. “It’s going to be a chal-lenge getting the staff in here toalleviate the mandatory over-time and complete everythingthat’s going to be required.”

Impact on safety

PONTIAC, DIXON AND LOGAN

will all become the primary des-tination for inmates designatedas “Significantly Mentally Ill”(SMI). Ensuring the safety ofpersonnel assigned to theseinmates is a top priority for theunion.

Adequate staffing is onlyone element of ensuring a safework environment, however.The Rasho settlement alsochanges the procedure for howSMI inmates are handled if theyviolate rules. Previously, inmatescommitting violations would beticketed and disciplined by acommittee. SMI inmates, how-ever, will be required to under-go a mental health screeningbefore any discipline is metedout.

The overriding concern isthat dangerous inmates mayreceive a lesser punishment,leaving staff more exposed.

“Basically now, anytime aninmate offends in the system, ifthey’re an SMI inmate, a ticketwill be written but it’ll bereviewed by a mental healthofficial,” Caumiant said. “Whatour folks want and have alwayswanted is if someone acts up,they get written up and they dosome time.”

Under the terms of the set-tlement, inmates with mentalillnesses will also be guaranteedmore time out of their holdingcell, adding another element ofrisk for correctional officers.

However, the union hastaken action to ensure assaultson staff members will not be tol-erated.

“One thing we’ve alreadyinsisted upon is that no matterwhat, if an inmate assaults anofficer, that inmate should becharged,” Caumiant said.“We’ve received assurance fromDOC on this.”

New committee shaking things up

THE RASHO SETTLEMENT IS

being implemented at a criticaltime for the correctional sys-

tem, which continues to strug-gle with severe overcrowdingand many outdated or irra-tional polices.

These system-wide con-cerns – along with issues at spe-cific facilities – are the focus ofthe Joint Safety and SecurityCommittee, a group comprisedof union representatives andmanagement that is in theprocess of visiting every DOCfacility in the state.

The process has beengoing on for nearly a year andhas already resulted in improve-ments at several prisons.

“In each place we’ve been,we’ve done pretty well in termsof improving the physical plantand people being hired,” Cau-miant said. “In Vandalia we gotseveral new sergeants. At Cen-tralia, they got several new posi-tions. They’re hiring 47 newstaff at Logan. There’s beensome real tangible numbers onthe staffing front.”

The committee’s work isonly halfway done, but thechanges made so far areencouraging going forward,Caumiant said.

“We wanted to dig in andmake some tangible changes,”he said. “The reaction we’vegotten from members has beenoverwhelmingly positive so far.”

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Staffing, safety concerns continueat state prisons

6 On the Move October-November 2014

THE OPTIONS WERE TO SUPPORT

NO CANDIDATE OR TO BACK GOV.PAT QUINN, WITH WHOM

AFSCME members had sparredmultiple times during the previ-ous three years.

In the end, the threat pre-sented by Republican nomineeBruce Rauner – who, unlikeQuinn, opposes the right ofpublic employees to collectivelybargain and rejects the idea ofraising revenue to fund publicservices – convinced a largemajority of the delegates of theneed to support the incumbent.

After hearing argumentson both sides of the issue, con-ference delegates adopted a res-olution outlining the dangersthat Rauner poses to workingfamilies in Illinois and recom-mending support for Quinn inorder to defeat the billionaireRepublican candidate.

“The serious differencesthat AFSCME has had with Gov-ernor Quinn over the past fouryears cannot stand as a barrier

to taking the necessary actionsto defeat Bruce Rauner,” theresolution declared.

Speakers against the resolu-tion agreed that Rauner poseda dire threat, but said theythought the union should try towork against him without rec-ommending a vote for Quinn.

Delegates in support of theresolution acknowledged thestrong disagreements the unionhas had with Quinn, but notedthat with Rauner, the union’svery existence would be put atrisk – meaning AFSCME mem-bers could not afford to stayhome on Nov. 4 or skip the gov-ernor’s race when voting.

“You can’t beat someonewith no one,” said Local 943President Randy Hellman.“Whatever you may think aboutthe strengths and weaknesses ofPat Quinn, Bruce Rauner is thebiggest threat we’ve ever faced.”

Countering Rauner’s cam-paign – one fueled by multimil-lion-dollar donations from the

wealthy elite and more than $12million of Rauner’s own for-tune – will require more thanjust casting a ballot, though.Council 31 Executive DirectorRoberta Lynch stressed that alldelegates should be hitting thestreets every Saturday until Elec-tion Day and should recruittheir fellow union members tojoin them.

“This is going to be a phenomenally close election,”Lynch said. “The difference willbe getting boots on the ground and getting theword out to our friends and

neighbors. We are going toneed every possible vote at thepolls to defeat Bruce Rauner.”

Illinois AFL-CIO PresidentMichael Carrigan told delegatesthat defeating Rauner wouldinvolve the entire Illinois labormovement and acknowledgedAFSCME’s leading role.

“If we get our people outto vote, we’ll win. No amountof money could beat us,” hesaid. “We don’t want to belike Wisconsin, Indiana orMichigan. We want to be aproud example of what hap-pens when organized labor

works together.”

Up and down the ballot

THE PRESIDENTS AND PEOPLEchairs of each local were eligi-ble to serve as delegates at theconference, held on Sept. 13 inPeoria. Delegates voted on rec-ommendations made by thePEOPLE Executive Committeein races for the state’s constitu-tional offices, as well as contestsfor U.S. Senate and House ofRepresentatives.

Endorsements in state leg-islative races were approved sep-arately by the PEOPLE Execu-tive Committee, based onrecommendations made bycommittees in the 11 differentregions that evaluate candidatesthrough interviews or question-naires.

In other races, conferencedelegates recommended sup-port for U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin,Secretary of State Jesse White,Comptroller Judy Baar Topinkaand Mike Frerichs, a state sena-tor running for Treasurer. Dele-gates also recommended sup-port for several U.S. Housecandidates, including Ann Cal-lis, who is challenging incum-bent Rep. Rodney Davis in the13th Congressional District.

While the decisions madeat the conference are impor-tant, they are only the begin-ning of a longer process thatwill unfold in communitiesacross Illinois, Council 31Deputy Director Mike Newmantold delegates.

“We can’t leave feeling likewe’ve taken care of business,”he said. “The test will be howwell we get our message out toour fellow members, theirfriends, their families andother voters.”

Governor/Lt. GovernorPat Quinn/Paul Vallas (D)Secretary of StateJesse White (D)ComptrollerJudy Baar Topinka (R)TreasurerMike Frerichs (D)

U.S. CONGRESS

Senate Dick Durbin (D)

CD 1 Bobby Rush (D)

CD 2 Robin Kelly (D)

CD 3 Daniel Lipinski (D)

CD 4 Luis Gutierrez (D)

CD 5 Mike Quigley (D)

CD 7 Danny Davis (D)

CD 8 Tammy Duckworth (D)

CD 9 Jan Schakowsky (D)

CD 10 Brad Schneider (D)

CD 11 Bill Foster (D)

CD 12 Bill Enyart (D)

CD 13 Ann Callis (D)

CD 17 Cheri Bustos (D)

ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Senate 6 John Cullerton (D)

Senate 18Bill Cunningham (D)

Senate 30 Terry Link (D)

Senate 48 Andy Manar (D)

Senate 57 James Clayborne (D)

House 5 Ken Dunkin (D)

House 10 Pamela Reaves�Harris (D)

House 14 Kelly Cassidy (D)

House 34 Elgie Sims (D)

House 38 Al Riley (D)

House 43 Anna Moeller (D)

House 60 Rita Mayfield (D)

House 61 Loren Karner (D)

House 71 Mike Smiddy (D)

House 76 Frank Mautino (D)

House 79 Kate Cloonen (D)

House 91 Michael Unes (R)

House 96 Sue Scherer (D)

House 97 Moira Dunn (D)

House 100 CD Davidsmeyer (R)

House 102 Adam Brown (R)

House 103 Carol Ammons (D)

House 107 John Cavaletto (R)

House 112 Cullen Cullen (D)

House 113 Jay Hoffman (D)

House 115 Bill Kilquist (D)

House 118 Brandon Phelps (D)

STATEWIDE BALLOT QUESTIONS

Advisory referendum: Raise theminimum wage to $10/hour –YES

Advisory referendum: Tax mil-lionaires to fund education –YES

Constitutional amendment:Expand rights of crime victims– YES

Constitutional amendment:Strengthen voting rights – YES

Advisory referendum: Requireinsurance to cover birth con-trol – YES

COUNTY AND LOCAL RACES

Champaign County BoardDistrict 4 – Jim McGuire (R)

District 6 – Pattsi Petrie (D)

District 7 – Pius Weibel (D)

District 9 – Shana Jo Harrison(D)

Champaign County ClerkGordy Hulten (R)

Cook County BoardDistrict 9 – Peter Silvestri (R)

Grundy County SheriffKen Briley (R)

Joliet School BoardDon Dickinson (D)

Kane County BoardDistrict 3 – Don Ishmael (D)

Kankakee County BoardDistrict 4 – Sam Payton (D)

District 8 – Ray Chamberlain(D)

Lake County SheriffJason Patt (D)

LaSalle County SheriffTom Templeton (R)

Madison County TreasurerMarleen Suarez (D)

Madison County ClerkDebbie Ming Mendoza (D)

Monroe County SheriffKevin Hirsch (I)

Rock Island County BoardDistrict 12 – David Adams (D)

District 18 – Brian Flaherty (D)

District 23 – Ken “Moose”Maranda (D)

Will County SheriffMike Kelley (D)

Will County BoardDistrict 5 – Reed Bible (D)

District 9 – Lauren Staley-Ferry(D)

Winnebago County SheriffRobert “Bob” Springer (D)

Winnebago County ClerkMargie Mullins (D)

Winnebago County BoardDistrict 8 – Eli Nicolosi (R)

District 3 – John Gedney (D)

District 15 – Bert Gerl (D)

Joliet Park District referendum– YES

Rock Island County nursinghome referendum – FOR

2014 AFSCME General Election recommendations

Local 448 PresidentKathy Lane speaks insupport of the reso-lution recommendingAFSCME memberssupport Pat Quinn todefeat Bruce Rauner.

When some 500 delegates and guests to the AFSCME PEOPLEPolitical Conference met in

September, one issue loomed above all others: the union’s position on the race forgovernor. w

PEOPLE delegates: Support Quinn to defeat Rauner

On the Move October-November 2014 7

This August, thecity of Harveybecame the

site of a hostagedrama that saw sixchildren and twowomen held captiveinside a house.

THROUGHOUT 21 TENSE HOURS,MEMBERS OF THE COOK COUNTY

SHERIFF’S POLICE WERE ON

hand, maintaining calm onthe outside, negotiating therelease of four children and,in the end, storming thehome in a raid that saw allremaining hostages broughtto safety – and the two menholding them captive putunder arrest.

The sheriff’s police offi-cers and sergeants on thescene that day are allAFSCME members. So, too,are the correctional sergeantsand lieutenants now keepingthe accused hostage-takers incustody until justice can beserved.

Dominic Boja, a 26-yearveteran of the sheriff’s police,was one of the negotiators onsite during the Harvey inci-dent. He said the primarygoals in negotiating a hostagecrisis are to ensure the safetyof all involved and to keep thesituation from spiraling out ofcontrol.

“We try to get everyoneout safely and try to see ifthere’s anything we can do tomove the situation along,” he said. “In Harvey, we wereable to get four of the chil-dren out by negotiation andwe were able to keep everyonein a certain part of the houseuntil we came in. We want tomake sure our officers aresafe, the hostages are safe andeven the offenders so they canface justice.”

Hostage negotiation is

only one part of Boja’s job.Most of the time, he’s aninvestigator with the specialoperations unit, which focuseson a variety of crimes rangingfrom counterfeit goods tohuman trafficking.

“You’re doing many dif-ferent things,” said Boja, amember of AFSCME Local2264. “You have to figure outhow to work a lot of differentcases.”

A big responsibility

THE COOK COUNTY SHERIFF’Spolice is often the primary lawenforcement agency for the2.5 million county residentswho live outside the city ofChicago. Some suburbancities and villages have nopolice force, and those thatdo often lack specializedinvestigative and tactical unitsthat the sheriff’s police canprovide. The county’s unin-

corporated areas also fallunder the jurisdiction of thesheriff’s office.

“We’re the third largestpolice department in Illinoisafter Chicago and the statepolice. We’re the secondlargest sheriff’s office inAmerica,” said police Sgt.Andy Douvris, president ofLocal 3958. “Our detectiveswork all seven days and wehave people on all shifts. On adaily basis, we deploy 69 beatcars that patrol everythingfrom the Lake County borderdown to Indiana.”

While police sergeants inCook County oversee someunits, they’re also expected tobe out on patrol, Douvris said.

“The sergeants here havea lot more responsibility thanthose in other agencies,” hesaid. “The sergeants are outthere on the streets with theirguys on patrol.”

Those patrols can oftenbring surprises,said WilliamDelafuente, amember of Local2264 who worksas an investigatorin the gang nar-cotics unit.

“You couldbe interfering ina drug deal, oryou could be in asituation wheregangs are feud-ing. There arefoot-chases,” hesaid. “I’m stillsurprised bysome of the

things that I see in my every-day line of work. You’ll neverknow enough – I’m alwayslearning from other officers.”

On guard

WHERE THE WORK OF THE SHER-iff’s police ends, the county’scorrectional sergeants andlieutenants take over.

The county jail sees a constant stream of inmatesgoing in and out, includingthose who have been recentlyarrested, are on trial or arebeing transferred to a stateprison after being convicted.While some detainees arecalm, others have behavioralissues or mental illnesses thatcan spark dangerous situa-tions.

Correctional LieutenantAngela Lewis, a member ofLocal 2226, has seen a jailcafeteria go from calm tochaotic within moments. Sheonce saw a woman eat glass toforce a move to another hous-ing unit.

“You always have to beconscious of your space andwhat you’re doing and howyou’re dealing with people,”she said.

Correctional SergeantAnthony Rushing, a memberof Local 3692, said that whilehis job may not put him incontact with the general pub-lic, he and other county cor-rectional employees are stillperforming a vital public ser-vice by ensuring the jail oper-ates smoothly.

“I think the public is

counting on us working in thejail just as much as they counton the police riding in thesquad cars,” he said. “We havean important role to play inkeeping the public safe.”

Union pride

SHERIFF’S POLICE AND CORREC-tional employees are coveredunder the same collective bar-gaining agreement as otherCook County employees rep-resented by AFSCME. And,like many of their unionbrothers and sisters, they feelthe county hasn’t given themthe respect they’re due.

“I don’t feel like theyvalue our department andwhat we have to offer,” Dela-fuente said. “It does so muchfor the county’s image, butit’s overlooked by the countygovernment.”

Being part of theAFSCME family, however, hasensured that their work allowsthem to support themselvesand their families. Eventhough patrolling streets andjail corridors can be danger-ous, many sheriff’s police andcorrectional workers haveheld their jobs for decades.

“My initial plan when Istarted was to do five years,”said Lewis, who has two chil-dren – one serving in the Navyand the other attending col-lege. “The five years turnedinto eight and then 10. Youfind out how good this job canbe for you. If it wasn’t for thejob here I wouldn’t have thelife I have now.”

Cook County law enforcement:AFSCME members to the rescue

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Sgt. Anthony Rushing (left) and Lt. Angela Lewis helpmaintain order at the Cook County Jail.

Dominic Boja, an investigator with the Cook County’sSheriff’s police, also works as a hostage negotiator.

Bruce Rauner has millions of dollars t AFSCME members are fighting back the b Rauner’s disastrous agenda for Illinois.

8 On the Move October-November 2014

On nearly every Saturday since Labor Day, the union has organizedwalks in critical areas throughout the state: Springfield, Chicago, theQuad Cities, Rockford, Peoria, Marion, Metro East and more.

“Bruce Rauner represents an unprecedented threat to publicemployees in Illinois, and that demanded an unprecedented response,”Council 31 Executive Director Roberta Lynch said. “AFSCME membersacross the state have answered the call to reach out in their communityand tell the truth about Rauner’s record.”

The Republican nominee’s anti-union crusade has given AFSCMEmembers plenty of reason to spread the word.

“He wants to take away all our rights so we couldn’t even bargain onwages or health care,” Local 1805 member Tad Hawk said. “We’vecommitted our lives to these jobs and benefits promised. He wants totake that away from us and it’s not right.”

Rauner’s history as a “vulture capitalist” is also a powerful motivator.“Rauner was a businessman who bought companies, tore them up,

sold off pieces and ran them as cheaply as possible,” said Ryan Eads, amember of Local 501 and a correctional officer at Lincoln CC. “That isn’tgoing to help Illinois. It’s not going to bring money to Illinois.”

For Local 2600’s Sara Pickett, concerns about Rauner are deeplypersonal.

“I’m fearful of the election if he were to win and the negative impactupon me and my family,” she said. “I can’t take a pay reduction. I can’thave my benefits reduced. I want a union looking out for me.”

Several AFSCME members told On the Move that Rauner’s admira-tion of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker – and a desire to prevent Illinois

from going down that same pa “He’d act just like Scott Wa

member Lorraine Swanigan, a he’d sit with us at the bargainin let us go out on strike during th negotiate.”

Others look at Rauner and of working families.

“I think that a billionaire is to voters and anyone who has to Delaney, a member of Local 35 sonville CC. “He’d be a govern

A new experience

The threat of Rauner has motiv previously participated in neig While knocking on the doors

intimidating, first-timers are sayin were expecting – and rewarding

“I’m not a very outgoing pers fits reduced than I am going and

Eads said there was too muc “There’s a bit of apprehensio

families so you’ve got to shake e At each canvassing location,

UNION DEFENSE TE

STOP R

to spend blanketing the state’s airwaves with ads, but best way they can – telling voters face-to-face about

On the Move October-November 2014 9

ath – was a primary motivation. alker did in Wisconsin,” said Local 2081 DCFS office specialist. “I don’t even think

ng table. He said Gov. Quinn should have he last state contract talks. He wouldn’t

see a man unable to relate to the needs otally out of touch with all of the needs of o work to make ends meet,” said Jennifer 549 and a correctional officer at Jack- nor for more people like him.”

vated many AFSCME members who hadn’t ghborhood walks.

s of strangers to discuss politics can sound ng the work was more enjoyable than they

. son, but I’m more fearful of having my bene-

d knocking on people’s doors,” Pickett said. ch on the line to let nerves get in the way. n but the bottom line is it comes down to our

everything off and just do it,” he said. AFSCME staff work to pair first-timers with

people who have walked before. Oftentimes, pairs will begin knocking doorstogether until both feel comfortable talking to voters by themselves.

“I’ve gone out with someone who hadn’t done it before. I took thelead and showed them how it’s done,” said Local 997’s Kurt Engle-brecht, a tax auditor in the Department of Revenue. “Don’t be afraid.You’re not going to be by yourself and you’ll be shown how to do it. Thepeople we’re talking to have been fairly receptive and positive towardour message.”

Still time to make a difference

The union will be holding walks every Saturday in October, as well ason November 1. Volunteers will also be needed for Election Day itself

to get out the vote and make sure those who need assistance getting tothe polls receive the help they need.

“We almost beat Rauner in the primary because we got our voters tocross over at the last moment,” said Dean Moulopoulos, a DCFS case-worker in Local 2854. “We can get this guy. We’ve just got to turn outthe vote.”

And, as voters become numb to a growing number of TV ads, per-sonal contact can make a lasting difference.

“We have come across people who are undecided and skeptical ofthe TV commercials from both sides,” Englebrecht said. “That one-on-one contact can really make a difference. You’re putting a human faceon the campaign. You can answer questions and give them a new per-spective they haven’t had before.”

EAM HITS STREETS TO

RAUNER

10 On the Move October-November 2014

When billion-aire BruceRauner

began his run for Illinois governor, itwas obvious he poseda grave threat to pub-lic employees andtheir unions.

NOW, AFTER MONTHS OF SCRUTI-NY FROM VOTERS, THE LABOR

MOVEMENT AND THE MEDIA, IT’Sclear that Rauner’s agendawould be disastrous for notonly public employees, but allof Illinois – particularly themiddle class.

“Whether you’re lookingat his attacks on publicemployees and their unions,his long history of shady busi-

ness deals or the campaignhe’s run, it’s easy to see howterrible Bruce Rauner wouldbe for Illinois,” Council 31Political Director JohnCameron said.

What is Bruce Rauner’splan for Illinois? Based on hisrecord, words and proposals,it would include:• Greatly weakening the col-lective bargaining power ofpublic employee unions;• Lower pay and benefits forpublic employees;• Gutting the political powerof public employees and theirunions;• Elimination of defined-ben-efit pensions for publicemployees;• A cut in the minimum wage;• Enormous cuts to public ser-vices and greatly expandedprivatization; and• Reduced funding for public schools while favoring corporate-run charter schools.

“Rauner’s campaign hasbeen bankrolled by millionsfrom his own pocket and mil-lions more from his richfriends,” Cameron said. “Thiswould be government of thewealthy, for the wealthy, bythe wealthy.”

An enemy of collective bargaining

RAUNER’S HOSTILITY TOWARDAFSCME and other publicemployee unions is on therecord time and again. He’s ontape comparing them to cancer.

“We have a financial tumorgrowing in the United Statescreated by the public sectorunions… for excessive compen-sation, both current pay andretirement pay,” Rauner said in2011.

He’s boasted that he wouldliterally shut down the state inorder to extract concessions onpay and benefits from stateworkers, comparing his plan toPresident Reagan, who fired12,000 striking air traffic con-trollers in the 1980s to breaktheir union.

“We may have to do whatRonald Reagan did with the airtraffic controllers,” Rauner saidin March. “Sort of have to do ado-over and shut things downfor a little while. That’s whatwe’re gonna do.”

Weakening economic security

A MAJOR PLANK OF RAUNER’S

agenda is to end defined-ben-efit pensions for publicemployees, replacing themwith 401(k)-style plans.

His plan would worsen thepension debt the state alreadyfaces and it would also be theheight of hypocrisy: Raunermade a large chunk of his for-tune managing the assets ofpublic employee pension funds.

Rauner constantly repeatsthe canard that pension bene-fits are “stunningly generous”– part of his efforts to fomenthostility toward publicemployees.

“Why should governmentworkers get a pension thatmakes them millionaireswhen they retire?” Raunersaid in June 2013. “Someone’sgotta take ‘em on.”

Rauner also wants tomake life worse for thosealready struggling to get by.He’s called for lowering theminimum wage in Illinois by$1 an hour – only backtrack-ing after his remarks receivedattention from the media.Early this year, he even admitted he’d support elimi-nating the minimum wageentirely.

“I have said, on a numberof occasions, that we could

have a lower minimum wageor no minimum wage as partof increasing Illinois’ compet-itiveness,” he said in a January2014 radio interview.

Corrupt crony capitalism

RAUNER’S PRIVATE EQUITY FIRM,through its control of TransHealthcare (THI), ownedmore than 200 nursinghomes. As it tried to squeezeevery dollar out of them bycutting staff and operatingcosts, elderly nursing homeresidents paid with their lives.Courts have held THI liable,awarding the relatives of those who died more than $1billion.

Rauner has been repeat-edly questioned by the mediaabout his role in running THIand he refuses to provide astraight answer every time thetopic comes up.

“Bruce Rauner doesn’tbelieve he’s accountable toanyone, and he won’t believehe’s accountable to the peo-ple of Illinois,” Cameron said. “He believes that he and people like him can dowhatever they want and have

Bruce Rauner: Bad for public employees,bad for unions, bad for Illinois

While the racefor governoris clearly the

top priority forAFSCME members onNov. 4, other contestsfurther down the ballot are also worthmembers’ attention.

SEVERAL LAWMAKERS WHO HAVE

BEEN STRONG DEFENDERS OF PUB-LIC EMPLOYEES – PARTICULARLYtheir pensions – face stiff chal-lenges this fall and will needthe help of union members tocross the finish line.

“We don’t have many reli-able allies in the legislature, soit’s vitally important that wework on behalf of the ones

who have stood with usthrough so many battles,” saidJoanna Webb-Gauvin, Council31’s legislative director.

One of the lawmakers whowill need the union’s help towin is an AFSCME memberhimself. Democratic Rep.Mike Smiddy is fighting tohold on to his seat in the 71stDistrict around Moline.

Smiddy, who worked atEast Moline CC before beingelected to the General Assem-bly, has a 100-percent votingrecord on issues important toAFSCME members. His oppo-nent is Republican Jim Wozni-ak, who has called for movingstate employees off definedbenefit pensions and into a401(k)-style plan.

In Kankakee, DemocraticState Rep. Kate Cloonen islocked in a close race with her

opponent from 2012, Republi-can Glenn Nixon.

“Kate Cloonen took apolitical risk by refusing tovote for pension cuts for stateemployees,” Webb-Gauvinsaid. “We need to respond bystanding with her on ElectionDay.”

There are also two com-petitive open-seat races withcandidates backed byAFSCME.

Democrat Carol Ammons

is running for the open seat inthe 103rd District basedaround Champaign-Urbana. Amember of the Urbana CityCouncil, Ammons is on therecord supporting efforts tohave pension cuts overturnedand is also a defender of col-lective bargaining rights forpublic employees.

Bill Kilquist, a Democrat,is running for the open seat insouthern Illinois’ sprawling115th District, which includes

most of Carbondale. A formerwarden at the now-closed IYC-Murphysboro, Kilquist hasstrongly defended public facil-ities.

“On the rare occasionsthat seats open up, it’s impor-tant that we work to have pro-union candidates fill them,”Webb-Gauvin said.

Key questions

TWO STATEWIDE BALLOT QUES-tions should be of interest toAFSCME members.

The first is an advisory ref-erendum that asks whetherthe state should raise the mini-mum wage to $10 an hour.The second, another advisoryreferendum, asks if million-aires should be required topay an additional 3 percenttax on their income, with therevenue going toward schools.

While both measures arenon-binding, a strong show ofsupport could give both issuesmomentum in the GeneralAssembly, Webb-Gauvin said.

“If large majorities of vot-ers show they’re in favor of ahigher minimum wage andmaking the wealthy pay theirfair share, politicians will seethey have little to fear in mak-ing those ideas a reality,” shesaid.

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November ballot holds key legislative contests, ballot questions

Carol Ammons Mike Smiddy

Continued on page 14

On the Move October-November 2014 11

The newestmembers ofAFSCME are

living proof thatworkers who want toorganize can prevailagainst any opposi-tion – even a Fortune500 corporation – ifthey have the will towin.

EMPLOYEES OF ROCK RIVER

ACADEMY, A RESIDENTIAL CARE

FACILITY AND SCHOOL FOR TROU-bled adolescent girls in Rock-ford, had been dealing with mul-tiple issues at the workplacebefore they decided to organizewith AFSCME.

Violent incidents andinjuries were common. Manage-ment had little regard for itsemployees, giving them no say inresident care and often making

unreasonable demands.Even when speaking up on

behalf of the girls they helped,employees found managementturning a deaf ear.

“We didn’t have a lot ofinteraction with manage-ment,” said Maurice Foreman,a behavioral health techni-cian. “We’d be trying to givethem some input on how tomake the place better andthey weren’t interested.”

Antoinette Moore, anotherbehavioral health technician,said favoritism was rampant andpolicies were changed withoutnotification.

“If you were friends with theright person it was easier for youto get promoted,” she said.“They’d rewrite parts of theemployee handbook justbecause that’s what they wantedto do.”

Organizing battle

EMPLOYEES WERE ALREADY FED UP

by the time they heard about

the successful organizing effortsat Milestone and Mosaic, twonearby community disabilityservices agencies.

It didn’t take long for theorganizing effort to take root.

“We got tired of seeinggood people fired and walkedout of the building for noth-ing,” Foreman said. “No onehad our backs. Managementwouldn’t listen to us and wewere losing good staff and wedecided to take a stand.”

The employer, however,had no interest in a union,launching one of the mostrelentless anti-union effortsAFSCME organizers had seen.Rock River’s parent company,Universal Health Services(UHS), is a Fortune 500 corpo-ration deeply opposed to itsemployees having a voice.

“UHS comes in and hirestwo super-shady union busterswho wouldn’t even give theirlast names to employees,”Council 31 Organizing DirectorDoug Woodson said. “They

took over two classrooms andturned it into their war room.”

Management took retribu-tion on those trying to organize,firing four union activists.Employees were forced into“captive audience” meetingsthat known union supportersweren’t allowed to attend. Theunion busters even posted flyersreferring to some pro-unionemployees as “The ThreeStooges.”

“It was a nasty, even person-al at times, anti-union cam-paign,” Woodson said. “Onenew employee spoke up in sup-port of the union and was fireda week later. She was one offour pro-union employees to befired during the organizingcampaign.”

While cracking down onthe organizing effort, manage-ment also attempted to per-suade employees that positivechanges would be made if theyrejected the union.

“This has been going onfor years,” said April Baker, a

behavioral health technician.“If they wanted to make achange they would have done italready.”

On the day of the election,management made one lastattempt to rig the election bytelling every known “yes” votenot to report to work. But thatwasn’t enough to prevent pro-union employees from winninga narrow victory.

“The group was remarkablycohesive,” Woodson said. “Theyheld each other up really well.”

Rock River’s managementis still trying to deny the unionby filing legal challenges.Employees are confident,though, that they’ll prevail andfinally have a chance to makeneeded changes.

“They’re still firing peoplethat are union but we’re goingto fight to get them back,” Fore-man said. “I think it’s going tobe a better work environment.We’ll come to work with asmile after frowning for sixyears.”

Rock River Academy employeesovercome fierce anti-union campaign

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In only a fewmonths, Chicagocabdrivers have

gone from a dis-parate group with novoice in dealing withthe city to an ener-gized movement thatis standing togetherand winning majorchanges.

DRIVERS ARE ADDRESSING YEARS

OF MOUNTING FRUSTRATION

WITH THE CITY THROUGH CAB

Drivers United, an organizationbacked by AFSCME that alreadyhas signed up 3,000 drivers.

In September, drivers rep-resenting the group held ameeting with the head of thecity’s Department of ConsumerAffairs & Business Protection.They were able to walk awayfrom the meeting with promisesof upcoming changes, includ-ing a cut in the transaction feedrivers must pay when cus-

tomers use a creditcard, as well as areduction of leasingfees most driverspay to cab associa-tions.

Those costs areamong several thathave risen signifi-cantly in the last fewyears, making it dif-ficult for drivers toearn a living.

“For the firsttime in the historyof Chicago cab dri-vers, we have a united voice andthe effect is the changes we areseeing now,” said DavidAdenekan. “We are well-orga-nized, professional and able toarticulate our concerns in a waywhere the city has to listen tous.”

The meeting also resultedin a pledge to set up a standingcommittee focused on the con-cerns of cabdrivers and theguarantee of a follow-up meet-ing to ensure promises alreadymade are kept.

Making such dramaticprogress less than a year after

forming their organizing com-mittee has been a big moraleboost for union activists. Butthere’s still much more to bedone. Drivers also want a shareof the revenues brought in bydisplay ads that are on top oftheir cabs. Currently, driversessentially work as mobile bill-board drivers yet receive nocompensation.

Drivers are also seekingstricter regulation of ridesharecompanies like Uber and Lyft.A city ordinance regulatingsuch companies does little toaddress an uneven playing field

in which cab-drivers have tocomply withnumerouscostly regula-tions thatdon’t apply toridesharecompaniesand drivers.

Cab Dri-vers United isup for thechallenge.

“We’vebeen talking

to the aldermen,” Adenekansaid. “With Cab Drivers United,we’re part of the process now.”

Stopping the “kangaroo court”

ANOTHER TOP CONCERN FOR

drivers is the city’s unfair systemfor ticketing and discipliningdrivers. Hearings held at 400 W.Superior don’t give drivers thechance to face their accuserwhen they’re the target of aconsumer complaint.

“I know one driver whohad a complaint filed against

him that described him as anold, fat, bald man with a beardand he’s none of those things,”said Cheryl Miller, who has dri-ven a cab in the city for 15years.

The collective outrageabout this process – one manydrivers characterize as a kanga-roo court – caused 400 driversto gather for a picket at 400 W.Superior in early September.Joining them were dozens ofdrivers who circled the block,honking their horns.

Dimeji Oladapo, one of thedrivers who attended theprotest, said that if drivers don’tquickly pay a fine, the city willtry to wear them down by delay-ing and rescheduling hearings,forcing drivers to give up timethey could spend collectingfares.

“When you go there, theyjust want to make a deal,” hesaid. “One time I decided tonot make a deal and said Iwanted to go before the judge.They kept postponing and post-poning. Eventually I said I did-n’t want to keep coming thereanymore and I took the deal.The more time I spend there ismoney out of my pocket.”

But Oladapo – and otherdrivers – now feel like thosedays are about to end, thanks toCab Drivers United.

“I believe that if we have aunion, it’s going to be like mak-ing a u-turn,” he said. “Theyknow if I have the backing of aunion, they won’t be able toforce these bad deals on us any-more.”

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Chicago cab driver Cheryl Miller speaksat a rally for drivers in September.

Chicago cabdrivers buildingpower and getting results

12 On the Move October-November 2014

Maryville employees build unionamid contract talks, sale of hospital

The past yearhas been aneventful one

for the employees ofMaryville Academy, aresidential programfor troubled youth.

AFTER VOTING TO ORGANIZE

WITH AFSCME, EMPLOYEES

ELECTED A BARGAINING COMMIT-tee, which got to work onnegotiating an inaugural con-tract. Away from the table, thebargaining team worked toeducate employees and man-agement about the new realityof having a union.

As if that wasn’t enoughof a challenge, Maryvilleannounced in March that itwould be closing its behav-ioral health hospital. Not longafter, a private firm, USHealthVest, announced it wasinterested in purchasing the150-bed facility in Des Plaines.

The looming sale hasadded a bit of unpredictabilityto a bargaining process thathas been making slow but

steady progress, particularlybecause Maryville is expectedto get about $23 million forthe hospital.

“Before, management wasclaiming it didn’t have a lot ofmoney, but we’re not surethey can get away with sayingthat anymore,” said FredMontag, a member of the bar-gaining team.

Another issue is protect-ing the jobs and union rightsof the employees who work atthe hospital. “They’re happywith the union because wewere able to address a lot ofproblems there,” Montag said.

The sale has also preoccu-pied management, leading tosome slowdowns in negotia-tions.

“We’re kind of in limboright now,” said bargainingteam member Mike McNutt.

Building a strong union

MARYVILLE ACADEMY EMPLOYEES

care for children andteenagers with behavioralissues. Many of the youth haveanger management issues thatcan put employees at risk for

verbal and physical attacks.Before organizing with

AFSCME, employees felt man-agement wasn’t adequatelyconcerned about their welfareand wasn’t giving themenough input in developingprograms to help residents.Erratic scheduling, inconsis-tent policies, a lack of sickleave time and stagnant wageswere also concerns.

With a union now inplace – even without a con-tract – some of those thingsare starting to change.

“Supervisors used to writepeople up just because they’dget emotional,” Montag said.“But now we can look into itand we’ve learned they didn’treally have good reasons a lotof the time. We’ve won a lot.”

Even managementappears to be coming around,said Martha Stroger, anotherbargaining team member.

“Management’s beenworking with employees, let-ting them know that if there’sany kind of confusion or alter-cations, we can talk to ourunion rep,” she said. “Anyquestions they have, we try to

answer as best as we possiblycan.”

There have been chal-lenges though. Turnover atMaryville remains high andsome early leaders of theorganizing effort have left.Other employees are still get-ting used to the idea of step-ping up to lead.

“Getting people to takethat plunge without a contractin place can be hard,” Coun-cil 31 staff representativeKathy Steichen said. “Peoplearen’t familiar with having aunion. It’s a new experiencefor folks. You have to workthrough anxieties and con-cerns.”

Progress at the tableand away

The bargaining team andmanagement have graduallyworked through elements of afirst contract, though manykey matters remain unre-solved.

Management could movefaster, bargaining committeemembers said, but appearsgenuinely interested in reach-

ing an agreement.“I really believe they’re

become much more accept-ing of the fact that the unionis here and I hope they’ll con-tinue,” McNutt said. “They’vebeen forthright in bargain-ing.”

Meanwhile, the bargain-ing team has kept up commu-nication with employees atworksites and off-site meet-ings. The committee has alsoreleased several editions of anewsletter that provides bar-gaining updates and other rel-evant information.

“Everyone’s prettyhappy,” Montag said. “Peopleknow they’re represented.They know the union willstick up for them.”

Avictory foremployees atMilestone – a

care provider forchildren and adultswith developmentaldisabilities – showsthe difference aunion can make.

SINCE VOTING FOR AFSCMEREPRESENTATION LAST OCTO-BER, EMPLOYEES AT THE ROCK-ford agency have formed abargaining team tasked with negotiating a first con-tract. Many important work-place concerns were put onthe bargaining table, butthere was one issue that theteam felt couldn’t wait fornegotiations.

For years, Milestone man-agement had required

employeeswho were call-ing in sick tofind their ownreplacementfor their shift,no matter howseriously illthey might be.

“It used tobe really bad,”Council 31staff represen-tative SaraDorner said.“One employ-ee was havinga miscarriageand had to goto the hospi-tal. She calledin and theywere demand-ing she find her own cover-age. There were some reallyextreme situations where peo-ple were really sick and had togo through the call list and

find someone. Quite a fewemployees would get disci-plined if they called in sickand didn’t find their own cov-erage.”

Tressa Wilson, a teamleader and member of thebargaining team, said the pol-icy also applied to parentswith sick children.

“I’d have tochoose betweenstaying homewith my sick kidand going towork,” she said.“I shouldn’thave to make achoice likethat.”

The policywas simply tooextreme to waitfor a contract,which can takemonths tonegotiate. Thebargainingteam insistedon quickeraction.

“At one ofthe early bar-

gaining sessions, we put man-agement on notice and said thatemployees would not be callingto find their own coverage

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Milestone employees win majorchange to sick leave policy

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Continued on page 15

“People know they’rerepresented. They knowthe union will stick up

for them.” — Fred Montag

On the Move October-November 2014 13

Belonging to aunion is aboutmore than

having a membershipcard – it’s about having an effectivevoice at the workplace.

LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSES

(LPNS) WORKING FOR COOKCOUNTY FINALLY HAVE BOTH

after voting in August tochange their union affiliationto AFSCME. The nurses, whowork at county hospitals, clin-ics and other facilities, votedfor change after becomingfrustrated with their previousunion, the Licensed PracticalNurses Association of Illinois(LPNAI).

The LPNs felt that theLPNAI wasn’t looking out forthem when it came to day-to-day matters at work or on alarger level – their unionwasn’t engaged in lobbyingagainst cuts to their pensionsthat were being pushed byCounty Board President ToniPreckwinkle.

“They weren’t strongenough,” said Vicki ElzySmith, an LPN at Stroger Hos-pital. “If you’re going to have

a union, you need a unionthat’s available. You shouldn’thave to look for the union.The union should be lookingout for you.”

The LPNs felt that thecounty hardly saw them asunionized employees at all,treating them in ways thatwouldn’t be possible if astrong union had been inplace.

Debra Meyer, an LPNwith 24 years of experiencewho works at the county jail,recalled how differently LPNswere treated compared to reg-istered nurses when the coun-ty opened a new facility.

“They opened a newbuilding and we were talkingabout the move – who wasgoing to move, how manypeople were going to go,” shesaid. “I heard one of theadministrators asking who theRNs were because they had tobe moved according to thecontract, but with the LPNsthey could do whatever theywanted.”

The LPNs had littlepower at the bargaining table,too. Their research foundtheir wages had fallen out ofstep with other county healthworkers, including those withless experience and qualifica-

tions.“We’ve got

emergency roomtechs who makemore than thenurses,” Smithsaid. “If theemployer doesn’trespect the union,you’re going tohave to take what-ever they give you.We would havegotten morethings done if wehad a more credi-ble union.”

Voting forchange

THE LPNS WERE

looking for better representa-tion when they beganresearching AFSCME. Onebig draw was seeing thousandsof other county employeesrepresented by Council 31.

“AFSCME represents thelargest portion of countyemployees,” Meyer said. “Thebigger the umbrella we’re apart of, the safer and moresecure our jobs and our con-tracts are.”

Enough LPNs expressedinterest in joining AFSCME totrigger an election. TheLPNAI made attempts at per-suading the nurses to stay

with them, but it was too little,too late. When the votes weretallied, AFSCME won handily.

Leaving one union foranother wasn’t an easy deci-sion, Smith said, but it was theright one.

“I said my prayers on itand I asked God to help memake the right decision,” shesaid. “I was elated when welearned AFSCME won.”

With the full power ofAFSCME behind them, LPNsnow have effective representa-tion in a job that has its shareof difficulties.

“We’ve had quite a fewnew directors come in andevery time it changes, there’sa whole new set of rules,”Meyer said. “They’re sup-posed to allow us the chanceto go to school but they don’tgive us the chance. They’ll saythey have staffing needs.”

But now, no matter theproblem, LPNs feel they canwalk into a supervisor’s officeor to the bargaining tableconfident they’ll have a strongunion behind them.

“We’ll have more repre-sentation, a number to callwhen we need help and some-one who’s there 24 hours aday for all the shifts,” Smithsaid. “It’s not rocket science.We know that we’ve got some-one there to help us out.”

Cook County LPNs find effectiverepresentation with AFSCME

Aurora Sanitary District workers don’tback down

AFTER A DIFFICULT SET OF NEGO-tiations, Aurora Sanitary Districtemployees, members of Local3297, finally have a new con-tract that reflects the bargainingteam’s insistence on wages com-parable to those in nearby com-munities.

Bargaining took so longthat most of the wage increasesin the agreement will be award-ed retroactively. The four-yearcontract will expire in June2015.

Management initiallyrefused to accept the union’sresearch regarding compensa-tion comparables.

“We were very diligent with

our numbers and our compar-isons to other communities andeven with proof right in front ofthem they still told us our num-bers were overinflated,” Local3297 President Craig Solingsaid. “But as we compared ourpositions with those of othermunicipalities, we also com-pared upper management’ssalaries to those nearby. Theirsalaries were way overinflatedcompared to what their coun-terparts were making.”

Employees on the step planwill see their base wages rise by2 percent in each year of theagreement, along with a 2 per-cent step increase on theiranniversary date. Experiencedemployees who have reachedthe top of the step plan willreceive a 2.5 percent wage

increase each year, along with a2.5 percent wage increase ontheir anniversary.

The bargaining team wasled by Council 31 staff represen-tative Dick Crofter and includ-ed Soling, former local presi-dent Miguel Vazquez, DanHaick, Mike Ortiz, Mike Hor-ton and Drew Klotz.

Breakthrough onwages for MolineSchool District workers

AFTER TWO PRIOR AGREEMENTS

without wage increases, MolineSchool District employees arenow pleased to have a new con-tract that includes a 5.5 percentwage increase spread over threeyears.

Council 31 staff representa-

tive Miguel Morga said theLocal 672 bargaining commit-tee secured the wage increasesand other improvementsthrough their own hard work.

“The local gained a hugeadvantage because of how wellorganized they are,” he said.“We got around 10 of 19 of ourproposals through and manage-ment only got one.”

The improvements includeincreased leave time for custodi-ans, a boost to the benefit paidto retiring employees and moreclearly defined work shifts.

“Under the economic cir-cumstances, I thought the con-tract was excellent,” Local 672President Tom Minick said.“We got a raise in each of thethree years.

“We’ve developed a very

good relationship with theboard of education. We’reproactive. We get things accom-plished prior to coming to thetable,” he said. “Our AFSCMEprofessionalism shows through.We get down to business andnegotiate what’s good for ourmembership.”

Morga led the bargainingteam, which included Minick,Terry Boone, Greg Shelton,Chris Meuser, Dave Duax, BobBrathall and Scott VanBlari-come.

Wages rise for Champaign Countynursing home staff

THE BARGAINING TEAM REPRESENT-ing Champaign County nursing

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ON THE LOCAL LEVEL

Continued on page 15

14 On the Move October-November 2014

Rauner outsources hiscampaign whileAFSCME Retireesrespond with grass-roots activism

FROM HIS NON-STOP POLITICAL

commercials flooding the air-waves to endless campaign lit-erature filling mailboxes,Bruce Rauner has constantlydemonstrated his willingnessto buy the election, no matterthe price.

The latest example wasrevealed recently: Rauner isbuying “grassroots” supportby outsourcing his politicalphone-bank operation toanother state. Rauner haspaid $295,000 to VictoryPhone Lines, a Michigan-based telemarketing firm,with orders to call Illinois vot-ers on Rauner’s behalf.

AFSCME Retirees, on theother hand, are not relyingon out-of-state hired guns toget the word out about theelection. They’re taking mat-ters in to their own hands- theold fashioned way.

“I try to call local mem-bers from my sub-chapterthroughout the day,” said BeaStratton, vice president of theChampaign Sub-Chapter.“Sometimes it can be hard tomake it to the door-to-doorcanvassing operations, butthis election is so importantthat I need to make sure everyretiree in my area knows thetruth about what Raunerwould do to our retirementsecurity.”

AFSCME Retirees acrossthe state are reaching out totheir fellow union members,as well as their friends andfamily, and spreading theword about Rauner’s plan tofurther the attacks on theirretirement security.

“Everyone, everywherecan do something to help out.We may not be able to out-

spend Bruce Rauner, but wecan outwork him any day ofthe week,” said Stratton.

Effort to overturn Cityof Chicago pension cutsgets a boost

DESPITE VIGOROUS OPPOSITION

from AFSCME, last spring theGeneral Assembly passed SB1922, legislation whichreduces the pension benefitsof active and retired City ofChicago employees who par-ticipate in the Municipal andLaborers pension plans. Thatincludes all AFSCME mem-bers who have retired fromthe city.

AFSCME and otherunions are preparing to filesuit in circuit court to seek tooverturn this new law legisla-tion which is scheduled to gointo effect on January 1, 2015.The unions will ask the courtfor an injunction to stay theimplementation until thecourt makes a final ruling.

Efforts to block unfaircuts to retirement benefits gota big boost in July when theIllinois Supreme Courtreversed the dismissal ofanother suit that AFSCMEhad filed challenging SB1313, legislation that repealedthe state law that providedretiree health care benefits tostate of Illinois and state uni-versity employees. By a six-to-one bipartisan margin, theSupreme Court held thatunder the Illinois state consti-tution, retirement benefitscannot be diminished.

That decision bodes verywell for the suit that AFSCMEwill soon file to overturn SB1922, as well as for the ongo-ing AFSCME suit challengingSB 1, a similar pension-cuttingbill that targeted state anduniversity retirees.

Attorney General LisaMadigan’s office, which repre-

sents the state, has alreadymade it clear in the SB 1 casethat the government is relyingon the argument that thestate’s dire financial conditionjustifies overriding constitu-tional protections. However,the Supreme Court’s retireehealth benefits ruling (Kaner-va v. Weems) will make itmore difficult for the state topursue that line of argument.

Rauner’s plans for yourretirement security

BRUCE RAUNER HAS BEEN TRY-ING to distance himself fromcomments he made about SB1, the bill passed last Decem-ber that would cut pensionsfor state and universityretirees. When asked for acomment on the bill, Raunersaid that “it didn’t go farenough.”

While Rauner now tries tohide his true plans about pub-lic retiree pensions, his wordsand campaign literature speakvolumes.

According to Rauner’sown website, he believes themain problem with the pen-sion theft bill passed last yearwas that it also requires thestate to finally pay into thepension funds. Rauner does-n’t think this is a good use ofstate money – the same line ofthinking that caused the pen-sion mess in the first place.

Rauner has repeatedlycalled for switching currentworkers from a defined-bene-fit pension to a 401(k)-styledefined-contribution plan. Hefails to mention this impactthis would have on retirees:Under 401(k) plans employeeand state contributions do notgo to the pension fund, butrather to an account managedby Wall Street banks. Whatthat means is that the pensionfund that current retireesdraw from would becomeeven more underfunded, asthe revenues to the fundwould essentially cease overthe next couple of decades,further jeopardizing yourpension.

Medicare Advantageopen enrollment beginsOct. 15

MEDICARE-ELIGIBLE STATE AND

university retirees will enterinto open-enrollment fortheir Medicare Advantageplans on October 15.

Similar to enrollmentperiods in previous years, ifyou do not wish to makechanges to your health insur-ance then no action is

required on your part. Howev-er, for those who are newenrollees and those who wishto make changes, it is impor-tant that you begin checkingyour mailbox in early Octoberfor your benefit choice pack-age from CMS.

A significant developmentthis year is the addition of aHealth Alliance HMO planfor the 48 counties that cur-rently only have the UnitedHealth Care PPO as a planchoice. The Health AllianceHMO will be similar to theCoventry and Humana HMOplans currently offered in theremaining counties.

During the open enroll-ment period CMS will be host-ing seminars across the state,and you will be provided witha schedule of these seminarsin your open-enrollmentinformation. Also, AFSCMERetirees has detailed informa-tion about these plans as wellas answers to frequently askedquestions on our website athttp://www.afscme31.org/retirees/get-answers.

City of Chicago imposessteep health care costincreases on retirees

IN 2013 THE CITY OF CHICAGO

announced its intention tophase out health care subsi-dies to City of Chicagoretirees, claiming that suchbenefits were never promisedto retirees.

The plan needed theapproval of the Chicago CityCouncil and AFSCMElaunched a vigorous lobbyingeffort to convince aldermento veto the changes. Howev-er, few aldermen were willingto take up the fight in defenseof retirees and the changeswere enacted.

Chicago retirees havenow received notices detailingjust how much their healthplans would cost them. MayorRahm Emanuel’s administra-tion has increased the price ofthese plans by upwards of 66percent for retirees using oneof the city’s health care plans.

As a result, most City ofChicago retirees previously inAFSCME bargaining units willbe paying more than $600 permonth for their health carepremiums, and up to $1,500per month if they have depen-dents on their plan. Thisdoesn’t even take intoaccount out-of-pocket costs,which are seeing sharpincreases as well.

Compounding theseproblems is the fact that mostCity of Chicago municipal

workers are not eligible forSocial Security or Medicare.

The city initially only gaveretirees about three weeks toselect a plan, leaving littletime for retirees to researchtheir options. In a letter toEmanuel, Council 31 Execu-tive Director Roberta Lynchcalled on the city to extendthe deadline – the Cityresponded by moving thedeadline to Oct. 23.

The deadline extensionalso applied to those who hadalready selected a plan, givingthem three weeks to do moreresearch and, if desired,choose another option.

“AFSCME intends to con-tinue our efforts to ensureaffordable health care for allCity of Chicago retirees,”Lynch stated in the letter tothe Mayor. “For now, we wantto ensure that retirees areable to make an informeddecision as to which of thecurrent choices offered tothem is best for their specificsituation.”

Mae Coonradt (1922-2014)

RETIREE CHAPTER 31 IS MOURN-ing the loss of Mae Coonradt,the first president of sub-chapter 69 and an activeunion advocate. She was 91.

Mae was a former president of her AFSCMElocal and helped organizethe administrative profession-al employees at the RockfordFire Department, where she worked for more than 30 years. She remained anactive member of AFSCMERetiree Chapter 31 into her 80s.

whatever they want by virtueof their wealth.”

Just like Scott Walkerand Mitch Daniels

RAUNER HOLDS IN HIGH REGARD

two of the most anti-unionand anti-worker governors inrecent memory: Wisconsin’sScott Walker and formerIndiana Gov. Mitch Daniels.He’s called them both “rolemodels” and says they’reamong “the great governorsof America.”

“Rauner hates to givedetails on what he’d do ifelected, but his choice of role models makes it clear,”Cameron said. “Scott Walkerand Mitch Daniels made pub-lic employee unions theirnumber one target in office.We need to make sure BruceRauner never gets thatchance by defeating him onNovember 4.”

RETIREE NOTES

Rauner

Continued from page 10

On the Move October-November 2014 15

ON THE LOCAL LEVEL

home employees has negotiat-ed a pair of contracts that gosignificantly beyond what man-agement had proposed.

Both contracts – one forRNs and LPNs and the otherfor all other staff members –are three-year agreements thatinclude a 2 percent wageincrease in each year.

“I would characterize thenegotiations as difficult,” Coun-cil 31 staff representativeMichael Wilmore said. “Onwages, management initiallycame out with a half-percent ineach year, and that included abonus employees had alreadyreceived, so it would have beeneven less in reality.”

The bargaining committeemanaged to not only wingreater wage increases thanwhat management proposed,but also was able to hold offmajor increases in health insur-ance costs and other proposedconcessions.

“They wanted to add a ruleto give 72-hour notice for a per-sonal day and we were able toget that back down to 24hours,” Local 900 executiveboard member Evelyn Thomassaid. “Our main battle was thefinancial part. We haven’t reallygotten nice raises for eightyears.”

Wilmore led the bargain-ing team and was joined byThomas, Tea Jones, TracyRhone, Clara Bolton, AshleyGrady and Debbie Deremiah.

Sheridan CC drug treat-ment staff continuespush for step plan

EMPLOYEES OF WESTCAREFoundation, a private vendorthat handles drug treatmentat Sheridan CC, won a new contract in June thatincludes wage increases ineach year and contains otherimprovements.

However, the bargainingteam says the agreement ispart of a work in progress asthey continue to fight for afull-fledged step plan.

Since WestCare took overas the provider eight yearsago, it has only graduallybeen willing to considerchanges to a salary formulathat has resulted in someemployees being paid lessthan those with less experi-ence. The bargaining com-mittee has won equity adjust-ments to help make up forthis, but is still fighting for alasting solution.

“We made some goodsalary adjustments as far asinequities go, but they won’t

be taken care of fully until we get a good step plan,” saidLocal 472 President RobFanti.

The new contract increas-es wages by 3 percent a year in each of its three years. It also locks in somesick days for employees ifthere’s another change invendor.

“If you had 26 sick daysand a new vendor came in,you could lose all of them,”Council 31 staff representa-tive Joe Pluger said. “Nowyou’re guaranteed to keep 10even if a new vendor comesin.”

The bargaining team, ledby Pluger, included Fanti, Jes-sica Bateman, Kathy Parks,Larry Mitchell and ErinDeobler.

Arbitration needed forRock Island Countyhealth workers

AFTER A YEAR AND A HALF WITH-out a contract – and facing ahostile county board – arbitra-tion was necessary to bringabout an agreement betweenLocal 2025 and Rock IslandCounty.

Still, the bargaining team isgenerally satisfied with the final,five-year contract. Wages willrise by 8.9 percent over the lifeof the agreement.

Brooke Hendrickx, amember of the bargainingteam, said the solidarityamong health departmentemployees allowed the groupto stay united and head intoarbitration from a strongnegotiating position.

“We were very patientand persistent and we held onstrongly to what we believedshould come out of the con-tract negotiations,” she said.“Members wore buttons onnegotiating days and updateswere given as often as wecould, even if we didn’t havea lot of information. Thathelped to keep everyone inthe loop.”

The contract included abonus in the first year, whichHendrickx said gave employ-ees a boost coming out of adifficult process.

“They got that moneyimmediately,” she said. “Afterwaiting for a year and a half,employees were happy to getthat right away.”

The bargaining team wasled by Council 31 staff repre-sentative Miguel Morga andincluded Hendrickx, HelenCline, Joe Williams, Kelly Car-roll and Desi Bond.

Insurance is focus forCity of Joliet employees

WHEN CITY OF JOLIET EMPLOY-ees negotiated their previouscontract, they made significantgains on wages. Headed intotalks this year, they decided tomake insurance the focus.

While the new, three-year contract for Local 440includes only a 2 percentwage increase over threeyears, it also locks in healthinsurance costs until 2021,accomplishing the bargainingcommittee’s top goal.

There was some delay innegotiating the new contract.The old agreement expired in2012, but at that time, somecity officials, including thecity manager, were deter-mined to implement a two-tier wage structure in the suc-cessor agreement.

“They wanted a completetwo-tier system and were ask-ing for $75 million in wagesback from us,” Local 440 Pres-ident John Dillon said. “Weput pressure on them andthey dropped a lot of thosethings.”

Council 31 staff represen-tative Joe Pluger led the bargaining team, whichincluded Dillon, Ed Machak,Bill Davis, Kim Klein, JimAnderson, Terry Juricic andDarryl Hudgens.

City of Evanstonemployees keep insurance costs in check

CITY OF EVANSTON EMPLOYEESput a halt to rising healthinsurance prices in their latest agreement, one Local1891 President Dan Kwiecins-ki calls “one of our bettercontracts in many years.”

In fact, Kwiecinski said,some members will actuallysee their health costs godown.

“We changed our way ofdoing things with healthinsurance,” he said. “Weswitched to a percentage andmost of our premiums aregoing to go down.”

The bargaining team also negotiated wage increas-es of 2.6 percent, 2.5 percentand 2.4 percent in each ofthe agreement’s three years.

The contract negotiationswere led by Council 31 staffrepresentative Flo Estes (nowretired), along with Kwiecins-ki, Vonnie Moore, DaveMatusek, Shawn Pestka andSarah Jones.

Despite a request fromQuinn to drop the appeal of thejudge’s order to pay the out-standing wages, the AttorneyGeneral’s office pressed forwardin appellate court in its effort tooverturn the arbitrator’s ruling.

The decision by the Appel-late Court flatly rejects theAttorney General’s argumentand affirms the arbitrator’sstance.

“We hold that the arbitra-tor’s award comports with theoverriding public policy of per-mitting the State to negotiateenforceable multiyear collectivebargaining agreements withunions of state employees, andthe award furthers the expressconstitutional policy forbiddingthe General Assembly frompassing any acts, includinginsufficient appropriations bills,that impair the obligation ofcontracts,” the appellate judgeswrote.

As the legal case slowlyunfolded in favor of stateemployees, AFSCME memberspersistently lobbied

legislators, an effort that culminated in daily visits to theCapitol by Back Pay Brigades inthe last month of the GeneralAssembly’s spring session.

Their hard work paid off:The legislature passed, andQuinn signed, a special appro-priation that included fundingfor about 45 percent of thewages owed to employees of thefive departments. Those pay-ments were made in August.

As On the Move went to press, it was not clearwhether the attorney generalwould ask the state SupremeCourt to review the AppellateCourt’s decision.

“It is our hope that LisaMadigan, who had continuedher appeal over the objection ofthe governor, will not seek tofurther appeal this case whichnever should have been pur-sued,” Lynch said. “In anyevent there is no doubt thatthis decision will greatlystrengthen our hand in secur-ing all the back money owedto AFSCME members.”

Continued from page 13

unless they were being paid forthat time,” Dorner said.

The message was heard:Management entered into amemorandum of understand-ing with the union requiringemployees to be paid if theyneed to find their own replace-ment. The change in policy hashad the intended effect, withsupervisors now assuming thatresponsibility.

More changes coming

NEWS OF THE POLICY CHANGEspread quickly among the directsupport providers at Milestoneand provided a boost to the bar-gaining team, which is still hardat work on a full contract.

“People were excited aboutit and I think it’s helped ussome,” Wilson said. “We wantedto be able to bring somethingback to people here and it had been hard until now because ofmanagement’s delays.”

Wilson said employees are

gradually getting used to theidea of being in a union. Beforeorganizing, employees felt theyhad little voice and were eitherpunished or ignored when theyspoke up.

“Management made up therules as they went along,” shesaid. “But now we can actuallytalk and say what we need to sayinstead of hiding.”

Milestone employees havealready formed a memberaction team and have put out anewsletter to keep up commu-nication. Progress has beenslower than the bargainingteam would like, but theyremain determined to com-plete a contract.

“We’re trying to keep thestaff informed because theydon’t see what’s going on at thebargaining table,” Wilson said.“Sometimes it’s like we’repulling teeth to get just littlethings done with management,but we’re just going to keeppushing.”

Milestone

Back wages

Continued from page 12

Continued from page 4

16 On the Move October-November 2014

Throughout the fight for a fair contract,members of Local 673 stayed united andactive, holding informational pickets andbecoming a regular presence at countyboard meetings.

Members refused to be swayed byrumors designed to weaken their resolve.Now, they’ve ratified a new, four-year con-tract that represents real progress.

“This is the third contract I’ve negotiatedand this is the best one we have ever had,”said Darlene Gulbrantson, a deputy clerkand bargaining team member. “This onereally brought us up to where we are sup-posed to be.”

The bargaining team won a contractthat will raise wages by an average of 22.3percent over five years, including an 8 per-cent increase in the first year.

That’s a major improvement for thedeputy clerks, nearly half of whom had beentaking home less than $28,700 a year for full-time work. They had a solid argument fordemanding a significant raise: A job studycommissioned by the county found thatwages for deputy clerks were 17 percentbelow those for comparable positions inneighboring counties.

“We talked about the job study thecounty had done and AFSCME staff inter-preting that for us and coming up withsome wages we had used as our goal innegotiations,” said Paul Lanis, another bar-gaining team member. “We had that in mindgoing into negotiations. We wanted to getto where some of the comparable countieswere and I think we were successful in that.”

The waiting game

The contract covering the deputy clerksexpired in September 2013. The bar-

gaining team was ready to get to work on a

new agreement, but management continu-ally dragged its feet.

With management uninterested in com-ing to a quick agreement, the deputy clerksturned outward, holding pickets thatreceived widespread attention in the localmedia. They also attended county boardmeetings and won support from the attor-neys who work in the court – and dependupon the vital service performed by theclerks.

“We were able to consistently put pres-sure and attention on the issue,” Lanis said.“We were constantly communicating withall of the members. In any negotiation, that’skey.”

One of the biggest challenges facing thebargaining team was swatting down rumorsthat they believe were coming from man-agement, including claims that employeeswould lose their right to back pay without asettlement by September, or that if a strikewere to take place, deputy clerks would losetheir health insurance.

The bargaining team worked hard tomake sure the rumors never became a dis-traction. When it became clear that thedeputy clerks weren’t losing their resolve,management’s tone shifted, Lanis said.

“There was a point for them where Ithink it had just dragged on long enough,”he said. “We wore them down. We weren’tgiving in to any of the rumors or innuendo.”

With a new agreement now in place,deputy clerks can focus fully on their impor-tant work, which keeps the county court-house running smoothly.

“The more we stick together thestronger we are,” Gulbrantson said. “I toldeveryone to show no fear because that’swhat they wanted. We encouraged eachother to stick together and stand our groundbecause we work hard.”

A B I G S T E P U P I NWinnebago County

Through steadypatience and

determination,AFSCME

members in theWinnebago County

Circuit Clerk’soffice have won anew contract that

includes significant gains

after years ofbeing underpaid.