Standing together fair contract - AFSCME Council 31 · defended public services against...

11#169 • JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2016O N T H E

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AFSCME

AFSCME Council 31

205 N. M

ichigan Ave.

21st Floor

Chicago, IL 60601

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

Standing together for a fair contractSTATE EMPLOYEES RISE TO MEET THE CHALLENGE

2 On the Move January-February 2016

BY ROBERTA LYNC H

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT

AFSCME never quits

WE HAVE TO

HOLD FAST TO

THE POWERFUL

FORCE WE’VE

BUILT UP OVER

DECADES:

OUR UNION.

On the MoveAFSCME Illinois On the Move ispublished six times annually by Illinois Public Employees Council31 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO. Send correspondence to: [email protected] or: AFSCME, On the Move, 205 N. Michigan Ave., 21st Floor,Chicago, IL 60601

Roberta Lynch, Executive DirectorMike Newman, Deputy DirectorNell McNamara, EditorDolores Wilber, Designer

Council 31 Executive Board OfficersSTATE EXECUTIVE VICE-PRESIDENTRalph Portwood, Stateville CC, Local 1866CITY/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 2794Gary Ciaccio, Shapiro, DC Local 29Kathy 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 1989Stephen Mittons, Department of Chil-dren and Family Services, Local 2081John Rayburn, Chicago Public Library,Local 1215Kobie Robinson, Cook County Asses-sor’s Office, Local 3835

REGION II VICE-PRESIDENTS(NOTHERN ILLINOIS)Garry Cacciapaglia, city of Rockford,Local 1058Dave Delrose, Will County, Local 1028 Carlene Erno, Illinois State Employees,Local 2615Ruby 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

TrusteesStephen Howerter, Canton Correction-al Center Employees, Local 3585Tom Minick, Moline Board of Education, Local 672Miguel Vazquez, Aurora Sanitary District, Local 3297

Retiree Chapter 31 RepresentativeLarry Brown

DOES THIS TRIO RENDEZVOUS

EVERY YEAR AT SOME EXCLUSIVE

RESORT OR JET OFF TOGETHER

to some tropical island? Dothey brainstorm togetherabout what company to takeover next or where to investtheir mega millions? Theseare things we regular folkswill likely never know.

But whether or notthey’re drinking buddies ortraveling companions,Rauner and the Kochs aremost definitely political soul-mates, joined at the hip by afierce desire to silence thevoices of average workingfamilies in the political arenaand the workplace. Theirstrategy for achieving that aimis straightforward: eradicateunions, especially publicemployee unions.

Without the organizedstrength of the millions ofworking people who belongto unions today, the super-rich would effectively controlthe entire political process.Theirs would make up theoverwhelming bulk of cam-paign contributions, theirswould be the only viewpointsoffered up in a conglomerat-ed media world in which theyhold the controlling financialinterest, and theirs would bethe loudest voices in the poli-cy debates over the criticalissues of our time.

The interests of theKochs and Rauner convergemost clearly in a case nowbefore the US Supreme Courtthat seeks to banish ‘fairshare fees’ in the public sec-tor. In fact, the connectioncould hardly be clearer. Thesuit was brought by a right-wing legal group, the Centerfor Individual Rights, thatgets its funding from theKoch Brothers, with BruceRauner filing an amicus brief

echoing the Center’s argu-ments.

While purporting to beabout freedom of speech forpublic employees, this case(Friedrichs v. CaliforniaTeachers Association) is at itsroot an attempt to bankruptlabor unions—requiringthem to provide all aspects ofunion representation (con-tract negotiations, grievanceprocedure, legal advocacy,etc.) to all employees in aunion workplace, while allow-ing any employee who sochooses to refrain from pay-ing even a penny toward thecost of that representation.

Fair Share fees were ruledconstitutional by a 9-0 vote ofthe US Supreme Court in1977. But with a majority onthe current Supreme Courtnow firmly allied with the cor-porate elite, it is all too possi-ble that decades-old decisionwill be overturned—and thecollection of fair share feeswill become unconstitutional.

If that happens, you canbe certain that the IllinoisPolicy Institute (IPI), a water-carrier for the Rauner/Kochcrowd, will go into high gear.IPI gets funding from bothRauner and Koch-backedorganizations. It’s been lead-ing the fight to abolish pub-lic-employee pensions,expand privatization of publicservices, and cut state employ-ee salaries.

So if you work anywhere inthe public sector, you can bevery sure that this right-wingempty-thought tank is not onyour side. But you can also besure that they will be trying tosell themselves as your new bestfriend—pressing you to quitthe union and make your co-workers who are union mem-bers pay for you.

You can also expect to get

that same kind of warm, fuzzyencouragement to quit fromanother faux friend, Gover-nor Bruce Rauner—the samegovernor who is leading thecharge to drive down thetake-home pay of state work-ers, abolish the collective bar-gaining rights of local govern-ment employees, andprivatize whatever and wher-ever he chooses.

Many in the media willecho their calls. When orga-nized labor backed legislationthat sought to prevent a strikein state government by pro-viding for the intervention ofan independent arbitrator,just about every newspaper inthe state parroted Rauner’stalking points, which arguedit would be better to let himforce a strike. As if thatweren’t enough of media sub-servience to the powers-that-be, the Illinois Policy Institutejust bought up the IllinoisRadio Network, one of theprimary sources of news forlocal radio stations all acrossthe state of Illinois.

So we have to begin nowto prepare for the massiveonslaught of misinformationthat’s about to descend on allof us.

We have to be preparedto hold fast to the powerfulforce we’ve built up overdecades that has significantlyimproved wage levels,ensured access to affordablehealth care for us and ourfamilies, successfully defend-ed against all attempts toslash pension benefits, tack-led countless managerialabuses at worksites all acrossIllinois, brought dignity and ameasure of fairness to everyrepresented employee,defended public servicesagainst privatization, and wonlegislative and political victo-ries that have improved thelives of all citizens. That forceis our union.

AFSCME has never quitin the fight for a better lifefor all—and that’s why it’sessential that none of us everlet ourselves be manipulatedinto quitting on our union.

Does Bruce Rauner go out for late-night cocktails with Charles andDavid Koch, the infamous uber-rich

brothers who are seeking to remake theAmerican political landscape with their vastfortune? w

Unions faced with unprecedented assault in high court

On the Move January-February 2016 3

“IMPASSE” IS A TERM WITH LEGAL

MEANING IN COLLECTIVE BAR-GAINING, REFERRING TO A SITUA-tion in which further negotia-tions are futile.

The Union immediatelyrejected the “impasse” claim,making clear that AFSCME is prepared to continue tonegotiate. “The Governor’srash action invites confronta-tion and chaos—it is not thepath to a fair agreement,”AFSCME Council 31 Execu-tive Director Roberta Lynchsaid. “The people of Illinoisdeserve leadership that isfocused on working togetherand getting things done, notsomeone who demands hisown way or nothing at all.”

Although negotiationshave been long-running andcontentious, nothing aboutthe early January bargainingsession hinted that manage-ment would pull out.

For 40 years, AFSCME hasbeen able to reach fair agree-ments at the bargaining tablewith every Illinois governor.But as a candidate, BruceRauner repeatedly boastedthat he would force public

employees out on strike inorder to impose his extremedemands.

That’s why unions repre-senting state employees sup-ported legislation providingarbitration as an alternativemeans to settle the contract iftalks broke down. When thegovernor vetoed that bill, hepledged to legislators that hewould work in good faith toreach a settlement. By defyinghis legal responsibility to bar-gain, Rauner broke thatpledge.

As On the Move went topress, the Rauner administra-tion formally declared im-passe and asked the LaborBoard to affirm that position.In the meantime, the “tolling”agreement (contract exten-sion) is still in place.

Critical disagreementsat the table

STATE EMPLOYEES WANT A FAIRagreement. They don’t wantto go backwards on economicsecurity, allow the governor tojeopardize public services, orgive up their voice at work.

Areas of disagreementbetween the parties include:

• Affordable health care.The administration wants todouble health premiums foremployees if they keep theircurrent health plan, makingIllinois among the worst statesin the nation for health cover-age.

• Fair pay. Rauner wantsto freeze wages and stepincreases for four years. Withno general or step increasesplus huge hikes in healthcosts, workers would see theirtake-home pay diminished.The governor also wants toimpose a so-called “meritbonus” plan that’s bettertermed “political pay” since itwould open the door tocronyism and favoritism byallowing management todecide how bonuses areawarded and who gets them.What’s more, any employeemissing more than sevenworking days in a year wouldbe ineligible, blatantly dis-criminating against familieswith small children oremployees with illnesses.

• Privatization. Theadministration insists on elim-inating safeguards that pre-vent unfettered privatizationof public services. The unionis standing up to ensure thatpublic services aren’t con-tracted out for private profit,and to protect the standard ofliving of public employees.

Standing up for work-place rights

“I’VE BEEN A STATE EMPLOYEE

for 40 years,” said RubyRobinson, president of Local2833 and a member of theCouncil 31 executive boardand state bargaining commit-tee. “When I started, therewas no union. I don’t everwant it to go back to the way itwas. I never want to see ourrights taken away.”

But thebattle ismuch biggerthan stateemployeesalone.

“Gover-nor Rauneris aggressive-ly seeking todestroy theentire labormovement,”Lynch said.“Unions arethe onlyvoice thatworking peo-ple have.And hewants tosilence thatvoice.”

“We

can’t let him divide and con-quer working people,” Robinson agreed. “That’s whywe need as many citizens aspossible to help us fightback.”

At press time, AFSCMEplanned to renew its supportfor legislation to provide arbi-tration as an alternativemeans to reach a contract set-tlement. And state employeesbegan organizing local unionmeetings to discuss the statusof bargaining and the possi-bility of a strike.

“We’re prepared to con-tinue to work in good faith toreach an agreement that’s fairto all,” Lynch said. “It's unfor-tunate we have a governorwho doesn't appear to respector value the work stateemployees do.”

Rauner breaks off contract negotiationsSeeks to foster conflict

“Unions are theonly voice that

working people have.”

In the final minutes of a Jan. 8 negotiatingsession between AFSCME and Gov. BruceRauner’s administration, members of

the state employee Bargaining Committeewere shocked when the governor’s represen-tatives announced that they believed negotia-tions were at impasse and would no longercontinue to bargain.

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Legislative agenda: Protect workers’ rights, ensurefair funding for services

ONE YEAR OF GOVERNORRAUNER HAS LEFT ILLINOIS LIMP-ING ALONG WITHOUT A BUDGET,human service agencies closingtheir doors, and public employ-ees threatened with the loss ofbasic union rights. AFSCME’sPEOPLE program is moreimportant than ever.

“We cannot overstate theperil of the moment,” AFSCMECouncil 31 Executive DirectorRoberta Lynch told the crowd-ed room. “Not only is the futureof the labor movement hangingin the balance, but the future ofall working people is at stake.”

Wealthy elites are manipu-

lating the rules so they can prof-it at the expense of workingfamilies, Lynch said, pointingout that funding for politicalcampaigns is so skewed that halfof all contributions in the cur-rent presidential race are fromjust 158 wealthy families.

“The labor movement is atthe center of these battlesbecause we have a vision of rais-ing wages and lifting up ourcommunities,” said Council 31Deputy Director Mike Newman.“We won’t bow down to the oli-garchy of rich, selfish bullieslike Gov. Rauner. We’re goingto stand up and demand a fair

and just society.”AFSCME mem-

bers were joined by two state legislatorswho are standing upfor working familiesand a fair economy.

“Good union jobsmeant everything tomy family,” said Rep.Litesa Wallace (D-Rockford), whosemom was a postalworker and father apolice officer. “Publicemployees are the backbone ofour state, but Rauner’s goal is todismantle collective bargaining.We have to fight against that.”

Sen. Sam McCann (R-Carlinville) spoke of theimportance of building on ourgrandparents’ achievementsand not backing down whenfaced with extraordinary chal-lenges. “Collective bargaining isthe best way to preserve themiddle class in this country,” hesaid. “We need to win this bat-

tle.”

Moving forwardin 2016

SOME 500 PEOPLE CHAIRS ANDlocal presidents adoptedseven priorities for AFSCMECouncil 31’s 2016 legislativeagenda:• Protect workers’ rights • Address revenue shortfallsin state and local govern-ments• Fight privatization of public

services and assets• Adequate staffing levels andquality services delivery instate agencies• Funding to improve wagelevels in community disabilityagencies and other AFSCME-represented human serviceproviders• Adequate funding for stateuniversities• Oppose cuts to publicemployee pensions

AFSCME delegates set 2016 legislative agenda, make primary endorsements

Aday after the Rauner administrationwalked away from state contract nego-tiations in Peoria, delegates represent-

ing AFSCME locals across the state gatheredthere for the Council 31 legislative andendorsement conference to chart a courseforward. w

Sen. Sam McCann

Rep. Litesa Wallace

AFSCME endorsements: 2016 March primary

Primaries in March will have decisive impact on the future of workers’ rights in Illinois

“RAUNER AND HIS FRIENDS HAVE MILLIONS TO DOLE OUT IN THESE RACES, AND THEYare determined to gain Republican control in the Legislature in order to pursuetheir agenda of wiping out public employee collective bargaining in Illinois,” warnsAFSCME Council 31 Executive Director Roberta Lynch.

“They may have the money, but we have the people power. Every AFSCMEmember and their families need to knock on doors, make calls and get involved. Ifwe stand together, we will still be here when Bruce Rauner is gone.”

AFSCME’s PEOPLE Executive Committee, which is made up of the chairs of each local area PEOPLE committee, made 2016 primary legislative endorsements based on recommendations of the regional PEOPLE committees. In addition, the full body of delegates—local presidentsand PEOPLE chairs—voted on endorsements for statewide and national candidates in contested races at the January 9 statewide Legislative andEndorsement Conference.

U.S. SENATE: Tammy Duckworth (D)

U.S. CONGRESS:Bobby Rush (D, District 1)Robin Kelly (D, District 2)Luis Gutierrez (D, District 4)Danny Davis (D, District 7)Michael Noland (D, District 8)

ILLINOIS SENATE:Omar Aquino (D, District 2) Patricia Van Pelt (D, District 5)Michael Hastings (D, District 19)Cristina Castro (D, District 22)Sam McCann (R, District 50)

ILLINOIS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:Alex Acevedo (D, District 2)Luis Arroyo (D, District 3)Cynthia Soto (D, District 4)Juliana Stratton (D, District 5)

Sonya Harper (D, District 6)Emanuel Chris Welch (D, District 7)La Shawn Ford (D, District 8)Michael Madigan (D, District 22)Christian Mitchell (D, District 26)Thaddeus Jones (D, District 29)Marcus Evans (D, District 33)Al Riley (D, District 38)Jaime Andrade (D, District 40)Litesa Wallace (D, District 67)Mike Halpin (D, District 72)Dennis Scobbie (R, District 95)

Illinois Comptroller: Susana Mendoza (D)

Cook County State’s Attorney: Kim Foxx (D)

DeKalb County Board Chair: Mark Pietrowski (D)

Kane County Board:Brian Pollock (District 4, D)Barbara Hernandez (District 8, D)Tom Armstrong (District 20, D)Willie Clements (District 22, D)Joseph Haimann (District 24, D)

Kankakee County:State’s Attorney: Jim Rowe (D)County Board District 9: Shane Ritter (R)

Lake County Circuit Clerk: Erin Cartwright Weinstein (D)

Livingston County State’s Attorney:Randy Yedinak (R)

Madison County:Board Chair: Alan Dunstan (D)Recorder: Amy Meyer (D)

Rock Island County CircuitClerk:Amy Beeding (D)Tammy Weikert (D)

Stephenson County Board District E: Bill Hadley (R)

Williamson County State’s Attorney:Brandon Zanotti (D)

Winnebago County:Board Chair: Scott Christiansen (R)Circuit Clerk: Tom Klein (R)Board District 10: Joe Hoffman (D)Board District 12: Jaime Salgado (D)Board District 17: David Soll (D)Board District 19: John Guevara (R)


AFSCME AND ITS PARTNERS INCOMMUNITY AGENCIES WILL PUT

FORTH A BILL IN THE 2016 LEG-islative session that seeks toreduce turnover, fill vacancies,and ensure that Direct ServicePersonnel (DSPs) are adequate-ly compensated for the impor-tant work they do. The pro-posed legislation calls forincreased reimbursements tostate-funded service providersthat reflect a new $15 basehourly wage for all DSPs.

We’re talking abouthuman lives

YOLANDA WOODS, A DSP FOR

20 years, finds her work at theHope Institute in Springfieldextremely rewarding. “There’s nothing better thanseeing the kids you’ve workedwith since they were five or sixyears old go out and be ableto hold down a job in thecommunity,” she said. “It’ssad that this work isn’t valuedbecause we are talking abouthuman lives. We aren’tbabysitters. We are trained tohelp individuals live the bestlife they can live.”

DSPs like Woods providehabilitation services that help a person learn orimprove skills and abilities

that they may not be develop-ing normally: basic life skillslike using the bathroom independently, loading thedishwasher, self-medication or even how to use a cash reg-ister.

A powerful voice

BUT WITH MORE THAN 400 different employers and even more work locations,these dedicated employeestoo often find themselves forgotten by the state lawmak-ers who must fund their agen-cies. Residential programsserving individuals with severe

developmental disabilities,often combined with physicaldisabilities, can be costly tooperate.

“That’s why AFSCME hasbeen working to help theseemployees form unions,” saidCouncil 31 Associate DirectorTracey Abman. “If we canbring all of them together allacross the state, we can createa powerful voice for fair payand quality services.”

With an average hourlywage of $9.35, many DSPsqualify for public benefitssuch as Medicaid and foodstamps and are forced toaccept them in order to sup-port their families. “If I haddone something else I mightbe in a better financial posi-tion,” said Woods. “But I

wanted to affect the lives ofkids.”

Hiring crisis mounts

TURNOVER DUE TO LOW WAGES

for such a challenging job hasalways been a problem forcommunity-based serviceproviders in Illinois, but nowit’s a crisis. Many DSPs in Illi-nois have not received a wageincrease since 2007—the lasttime the state increased itslow reimbursement rates toproviders. Rising wages inother sectors like fast foodand retail have made it evenharder for agencies to recruitand retain quality staff. Dis-ability agencies are facinghard-to-fill vacancies for up to25 percent of their staff.

Recently, a federal courtmonitor charged with ensur-ing individuals’ access to com-munity services told the judgein the case that Illinois is notcomplying. The monitorfound that a staff shortage incommunity services—drivenby low wages—means individ-uals cannot access the carethey need. “The monitor fullysupports an increase in reim-bursement rates to increasewages for DSPs in order tofacilitate the provision of ade-quate, appropriate supports,”the report said.

Excessive vacancies forceemployers to rely more onmandatory overtime, leadingto staff burnout and drivingup costs. “There’s a lot ofstress in this job. A lot oftimes, you just finished work-ing your shift and then youare forced to work the nextshift if you want to keep yourjob,” Woods said.

Woods says the proposedlegislation would improve ser-vices for people with develop-mental disabilities. “Our goal isto help each individual reachtheir potential and live in soci-ety with the least amount ofrestrictions on them as possi-ble,” she said. “We can reachthat goal if the state invests a lit-tle more in this field and raiseswages to stabilize the work-force.”

Woods argues that peoplewith developmental disabilitiesneed stability in their lives. Theyneed someone they know andtrust working with them everyday in order to learn and thrive.“My own child was recentlydiagnosed with autism. Now Ithink: How would I want some-one to treat and teach my son? Ithink that’s the perspective ourlegislators need.”

Community disability employeespress for a pay increase AFSCME backs legislation to raise wages to $15 an hour for direct support personnel

Yolanda Woods, direct support personnelat Hope Institute in Springfield, advocat-ing for increased state support for com-munity disability agencies in 2013.An estimated 27,000 children and adults with developmental dis-

abilities live and learn in community-based settings in Illinois.But the trained paraprofessionals who care for these vulnerable

individuals every day—feeding, clothing and teaching them—muststruggle to care for their own families on poverty-level wages.

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Making a difference, one life at a time

KISHAROBERTS-TABB

A Cook County Juvenile Probation

Officer, Kisha Roberts-Tabb has been a member

of AFSCME Local3477 for 13 years.

Why do you do this work? Tellus about your job.

I believe it’s not an acci-dent that I’m doing this job.This is my purpose. It’s a call-ing.

I started off working inthe Austin and Englewoodneighborhoods of Chicago.Then I went to Jumpstart, aneducational program thathelps you advance yourcareer, and now I am CookCounty’s Human Trafficking,Gender Responsive andLGBTQ specialist. I focus onhelping young girls who arevictims of human trafficking,girls and young women withunique needs, and any minorwho identifies as lesbian, gay,bisexual or transgender, toensure they have the best ser-

vices possible.By the time a young per-

son gets to me, they are oftenin life or death situations. Weestablished my position sothat these girls would be treat-ed as victims of human traf-ficking and not criminalizedfor things that aren’t in theircontrol. I can be helpful tomy fellow members because Ihave relationships with theFBI, Chicago Public Schools,Chicago Police Department,and the Department of Chil-dren and Family Services.Also, if the minor is in dangeror is set to testify against thetrafficker, we work with agen-

cies outside of Illinois to getthem in a safe environment asfar from the trafficking as pos-sible.How do probation officershelp rehabilitate youngoffenders?

We have a service-cen-tered approach. We evaluateeach situation to see whatcaused the minor to get on

the road to the legal system.Then we focus on providingwrap-around services to bestassist the minor—and theirfamily—to prevent recidivismto the juvenile system or grad-uation to the adult system.The role of probation officeris limited, however, and westrive to be collaborative withcommunity-based services, theschools and the families.How do you stay positive andmotivated?

For me, it’s the response Iget from the kids. After 13years I still have a relationshipwith kids I handled on myvery first caseload. It keeps memotivated to keep doing thiswork because I see theirprogress. I see kids graduatingfrom high school, becomingentrepreneurs by startinghome day care centers or get-ting their own apartments.From the outside some oftheir progress may seemsmall, but they haven’t beenin school since sixth gradeand they are working and tak-ing care of themselves. Seeingthat kind of achievementmotivates me to make biggerand better progress for myclients.How do you feel aboutRauner’s animosity towardpublic employees?

I feel like it’s just propa-ganda when he says publicworkers are overpaid orgreedy. If the public workedone day in our position they’dknow it’s not about greed. Ideal with pimps and humantraffickers. I find young girlsin horrible situations and getthem safe from predatorymen. I’m in a very dangerousposition—I’m definitely notdoing it for the money. Fieldofficers go into unsafe envi-ronments every day,unarmed. We make the deci-sion to go into a blind spotnot knowing if we’re going towalk out again. What’s greedyabout that?How can we challengeRauner’s negative portrayal ofpublic service workers?

I feel like as a union anda community we have to do a

better job of changing theimage of public service work-ers. For whatever reason, somany people in our commu-nity have no understanding ofthe kind of work we do. Weare paid a fraction of whatRauner and his cronies make,but we are changing the livesof our youth. We need tochange the image of publicservice workers by being morecollaborative with our fellowworkers. We have to be sup-portive of each other becausethey are attacking all of us.

MATTLUKOW

A Senior CorrectionsParole Agent, Presidentof Local 1964 and

AFSCME Council 31Executive Board Mem-ber, Matt Lukow has

been a state employee inSangamon County

since 1990.

Why do you do this work? Tellus about your job.

I always wanted to getinto law enforcement. Afterfive years as a corrections offi-cer I was able to become aparole agent. It’s a reallyinteresting job. There are35,000 parolees statewide. Mycaseload consists only offelons released from stateprison. Every day I check onthe parolees at home or atwork to make sure they aredoing what they need to doand getting the help theyneed. Sometimes I follow upon referrals for mental health

or substance abuse counselingor conduct random drugtests. I check in with everyoneon my caseload at least once amonth.What do you think of Gov.Rauner’s push toward privati-zation?

Privatization of the prisonindustry is extremely trouble-some. It would be a huge mis-take. Whenever you have afor-profit agency being paidto incarcerate people you aregoing in the opposite direc-tion of what Rauner professesto support, which is fewerpeople in our prison system.If you’re paying private agen-cies dollars per inmate, theincentive is to lock people upand keep them in prisonlonger. The staff would belower quality. Security andsafety would be diminished.We’ve seen it in other statesand it ends up costing morein the long run becauseinmates aren’t treated cor-rectly or humanely and thereare more assaults and escapes.

How do you feel aboutRauner’s animosity towardpublic employees?

It’s a move to try todestroy unions and the coun-try. We’ve seen it happen inWisconsin and Indiana. Bigmoney interests want to seewages reduced and benefitsand pensions reduced or

AFSCME probation officer and parole agent share their story

Probation officers and parole agents help rehabilitate offendersto reduce recidivism and improve the lives and futures of individuals and their families. These men and women find

their sometimes dangerous professions to be highly rewarding asthey know their work is critical not only for the people they servebut for our communities and our state. On the Move interviewedtwo long-time public service workers to get a glimpse into theirworlds. They shared their own stories and set the record straight onthe value of public service work.

“We need to make surethe public understandtht union memberswant a living wage for

everybody.”

“By the time a youngperson gets to me,

they are often in life ordeath situations.”

Continued on the facing page

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AFSCME mem-bers acrossthe state dealt

with rising watersand treacherousweather conditionsover the holidays as2015 came to a close.

PUBLIC WORKS TEAMS PLOWEDSNOW AND SALTED ICY ROADS,PARAMEDICS RESPONDED TO

weather-related emergencies,and members piled sandbagsto control damaging floodwaters.

At Menard CorrectionalCenter in Chester, Illinois,AFSCME members used 800tons of sand in 25,000 sand-bags to protect the maximum-security prison from the risingMississippi River. Using flatbedtrailers and picnic tables aswalkways, maintenance crafts-men, counselors and correc-tional officers worked on theirdays off to transfer more than200 inmates to safety.

Due to pressure fromAFSCME Local 1175 overmany years, Menard was betterprepared this time than for thehistoric floods of 1993. Proac-tively planning for the eventu-al crest of the river preventedwhat could have been uttercatastrophe.

“It is truly amazing whatwe accomplished in a veryshort time,” Local 1175 Presi-dent Jerry Grammer said.“Teamwork has been exem-plary during a very chaotic situ-ation.”

IYC Pere Marquette, aDepartment of Juvenile Justicefacility north of Alton, alsotook a hit from overflowingMississippi waters. AFSCMEmembers worked together totransfer the youths to otherfacilities, keeping them out ofharm’s way.

Working 12-hour shiftsseven days a week, RandolphCounty Sheriff’s Deputies,members of AFSCME Local2402, evacuated homes inRockwood and on KaskaskiaIsland and monitored the Mis-sissippi River levees. “This is aflood we only see every 20 or30 years,” Deputy Shane Rine-hart said. “Our biggest respon-sibility during the flood is pro-tecting those levees. If thelevee was breached, entiretowns would be lost.”

Danger is part of manyAFSCME members’ worklives. “The 24/7 services that AFSCME members provide mean that no matterhow bad the weather is, they have to get to work,” said AFSCME Council 31Regional Director Eddie Cau-miant. “They just have to get in their cars and headinto it.”

Tragically, Shawn Beaupre,a dedicated correctional officerand AFSCME Local 494 mem-ber, died in a car accidentcaused by freezing rain on hisway to work at Pontiac Correc-tional Center on December 28.His car crashed into a floodedcreek and he was overtaken by

the frigid waters. Shawn will begreatly missed by friends andhis large, loving family of 11children. “Shawn always had asmile on his face,” rememberedDuane Beal, his longtime co-worker at Pontiac. “It was a joyworking with the man.”

AFSCME members work around theclock to keep floodwaters at bay

done away with so they can take more money for themselves and their stockholders. Gov. Rauner doesn’t appreciate state employees and the work that we do. His anti-union,

anti-state employee rhetoric is bad for morale. If he’s successful in cutting our benefits and paythat will hurt morale more and make it harder to attract good people for this work. He’s also try-ing to cut the Upward Mobility Program, which benefited me a great deal. I was able to becomea sergeant after corrections officer, and then parole agent. I also earned a master in social workwhich has helped me a great deal on the job. How can we challenge Rauner’s negative portrayal of public service workers?

We need to let people know what we do and that we provide vital functions to the state ofIllinois. If you’re making a decent wage, according to people like Rauner, it’s not fair. He’s try-ing to pit the citizens of Illinois against their state employees, saying we have too much whilethey don’t have anything. I think it’s the opposite. We should be racing to get everyone’s wagesand benefits up to where we are in the public sector so all workers have decent wages and canwork a full-time work week.

Our benefits are not extravagant. We are not overpaid. Our economy has become a race tothe bottom. Corporate bosses want to put us all at Walmart wages and benefits. We need tomake sure the public understands that union members want to see everybody have a living wage.

In late December, AFSCME members across Illinois worked tirelessly to protect Illinois residents

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“Teamwork has been exemplary during a very

chaotic situation.”

One life at a time

Matt Lukow, continued from the facing page


Thousands of working families Rally for Fairness across Illinois Thousands of AFSCME members

and retirees, fellow union members, com-munity groups, elected o�cials and faith

leaders joined seven Rallies for Fairness across the state in early December. They sent Gov. Rauner a clear message: Anti-worker agendas have no place in Illinois.

All seven rallies were packed with energetic crowds waving signs that said “Serving Our Communities, Standing for Fairness” and “Fair Budget, Fair Contract.”

The kicko� in Chicago drew some 1,300 people, with a special appearance by U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky. Rallies in Joliet, Rock Island, Marion, Rockford and Collinsville built momentum on the ground and in the media as thousands more came out to protest Gov. Rauner’s anti-worker agenda.

In a stunning Springfield finale, more than 2,000 people filled the street to march and swamped the rally hall to hear messages from state senators Sam McCann and Andy Manar, AFSCME members on the front lines and rep-resentatives from other unions and community groups fighting for a fair budget.

The rallies sent a message of solidarity, determination and urgency: The citizens of

Illinois need a fair budget to fund the vitally important public services they rely on every day, the men and women of state government who provide those services need a fair union contract, and Governor Rauner must stop holding this state hostage to his demands that would hurt all working people.

While the threats working families face have never been graver, these rallies demonstrated that we have never been more united. Employ-ees in state government were joined by other AFSCME members who are university employ-ees, city and county employees, and employ-ees of community nonprofit agencies, as well as scores of AFSCME retirees. All stood arm in arm with other unions, including the IFT, IEA, SEIU, Laborers, FOP, Firefighters, Nurses, building trades and more. In every city, reli-gious leaders, community groups and human services providers stood with us and echoed our call. And dozens of elected o�cials—from Congress to the Illinois General Assembly and on to city councils and county boards—came out to show their support.

The rallies laid a strong foundation to build on toward the goals of a fair state budget and fair contract for all state employees.

Watch an inspiring

all our rallies at

Speaking to hundreds of rallying community members or one-on-one with reporters, AFSCME members told their story to the public during the week of Rallies for Fairness. Their words echoed through union halls and resonated in homes across the state.

AFSCME members send a powerful message

Working in a prison, you put your life on the line every day. Correctional employees are proud to serve and keep our community safe. That’s why it’s so hard to see our governor trying to drive down our standard of living. When you don’t pay people fairly you have constant turnover, which weakens safety and security in a prison. Millionaires and billion-aires are blaming working-class people for the financial problems in our state. They want to divide us, but I believe we’re more united than ever. And if we’re united, we’re going to win.

RALPH PORTWOODStateville Correctional Center, Local 1866

I’m a single mom who was once on welfare. Now as a DHS employee, I am able to help other parents when they struggle to provide for their families. But now, Gover-nor Rauner is putting our well-being at risk by demanding huge hikes in what all state and university employees pay for our family health care. My son has a rare disease; he is alive today because of our doctors and we want to keep them. We need to be able to a�ord to keep them.

DENA MCGILLDepartment of Human Services, Local 2600

My fellow DCFS employees and I protect children. We are motivated by the overwhelm-ing desire to serve. It’s our union that holds DCFS accountable for caseload size, to make sure no child slips through the cracks. It’s our union that advocates for more resources so we can protect kids. And it’s our union that speaks out against harmful budget cuts. A strong union is a strong advocate for protect-ing kids. And we are the union.

STEPHEN MITTONSDepartment of Children and Family Services, Local 2081

U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky spoke at Chicago’s Rally for Fairness to voice her support for public employees. Elected of�cials, clergy, unions and community groups across the state joined AFSCME members and their families in the call for a fair budget and a fair contract for state employees. Right Photo: William Calvert, AFSCME Local 2258


Because of Rauner’s political games, vital programs for our state’s most vulnerable are making cuts and even closing their doors. The governor wants to drive unions away so he and his buddies can get even richer and so companies can do whatever they want to do to their employees. I know what it’s like when there is no union to protect sta� or ensure quality services. That’s why we have to stand together to show the governor that we aren’t afraid and we will continue to fight.

STEPHANIE VALENTINEMilestone Inc., Local 2515

My job is to make sure foster homes are safe and nurturing places for children. I love my work because I know I can make a dif-ference in children’s lives, in the lives of their parents and foster parents. One of Gov. Raun-er’s priorities is to privatize public services. But you cannot truly serve children and at the same time make profits your top priority. That’s why we need strong unions. We are the ones who care about and protect the children.

CARLENE ERNO Department of Children and Family Services, Local 2615

Every day I see the harm the governor is causing by refusing to agree to a budget and making big cuts to critical assistance programs for our state’s most vulnerable. At DHS we help families access necessities: food, heat, medical care, child care. But now we have a governor who is putting that help at risk to leverage his anti-worker agenda. Raun-er says he cares about human services. But I have news for the governor: You cannot have strong human services without strong unions.

JENNIFER CURTISDepartment of Human Services, Local 1805

Governor Rauner’s refusal to work toward a budget agreement or a fair contract has hit me on every level possible. I worry about the disabled residents I care for every day. I worry about the community mental health agen-cies in our network that are making cuts and closing down. And I worry about my youngest daughter and other children with autism. If Rauner gets what he wants, families across the state will su�er—both those who work for Illinois and those who need our help.

JULIE YANA Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center, Local 141

My job is to review cases of children who are under DCFS care and ensure they get all the help they need. I do this work because everyone deserves a chance to improve their lives and our union makes sure they get that chance. Now Gov. Rauner is trying to take away our right to collective bargaining. We are standing up to say: drop your extreme demands, stop holding our communities hos-tage, and agree to a fair budget and fair union contracts now!

KATHY LANE Department of Children and Family Services, Local 448

Gov. Rauner wants to get rid of the safeguards in our contract that prevent privatization. But these private companies aren’t about providing a good service—they’re about making money. When Ohio privatized their prison food service, they found the food had maggots in it. The inmate population wanted to riot. It’s because we have a union that we can stand up for safety and quality services. We will do whatever it takes. Together.

DARREN WILLIAMSLawrence Correctional Center, Local 3600

Rauner wants to drive out our union and drive down our wages. His role models are

Rauner wants to drive out our union and drive down our wages. His role models are Indiana and Kentucky, where correctional employees don’t make a wage that lets them support a family. It’s because we have a union that we can stand up for safer working conditions and resist management’s demands for forced overtime that makes us work 16 hours straight. We have to stand together and stay united.

SHAUN DAWSONLogan Correctional Center, Local 2073

Rally in Rockford

Rally in Quad Cities

Rally in Chicago Photo: William Calvert, AFSCME Local 2258

Roberta Lynch �res up Spring�eld


Hope for a better life at Good Shepherd Manor

Mildred Keel’sfavorite partof her work-

day is breakfast. Sheworks nights caringfor the residents ofColnon Wild Houseat Good ShepherdManor, a residentialfacility for men withdevelopmental dis-abilities, but break-fast is when theyspend quality timetogether.

“I ASK THEM QUESTIONS AS I GETTHEM BREAKFAST,” SHE SAYS.“‘DID THEY HAVE VISITORS YES-terday? What are they doingfor the holidays?’ I love ithere. I’m really attached tothe guys.”

Her affection and con-cern for the residents is whatdrives Mildred every day, andwhy she helped organize aunion with her co-workers.

“All of us shared the samesentiment—for the things wedo and the extra miles we go,we should be better appreciat-ed and better compensated,”she says. But most importantto workers like Mildred is thebest interest of the residents.Employees with 15 years ofdedicated service have lostjobs with no warning afteronly one infraction. “Threat-ened with losing your job over

any little thing, you get anx-ious and the residents can feelthat. A bad vibe could makeor break their whole day.”

Despite coercive tacticsfrom management to quashthe union organizing effort,on November 20 a majority ofthe organization’s 137 house-keepers, clerical workers,DSPs, maintenance workers,food service workers, healthcare providers in the infir-mary and transporters votedto join AFSCME Council 31.

A single mom with twoteenagers, working toward bet-ter pay and benefits means a lotto Mildred. Most DSPs makeless than ten dollars an hour.“At first I was a little nervous,”she admits. “We didn’t knowwhat would happen and wefeared retaliation. But we juststuck together and stayed unit-ed—and we got the union.”

Anti-union campaignfails

MANAGEMENT’S HOSTILITY TOthe organizing effort stungdedicated employees likeHeidi Jones. Employees oftenheard the phrase, ‘If you’refor a union, you’re greedyand you don’t care about theresidents.’

“I wouldn’t jeopardize myguys at Good Shepherd forany reason,” Jones says.“We’re not trying to take any-thing from them. We would-n’t be here if we didn’t care.”

When Management dis-tributed a weekly multi-pagenewsletter and started a Face-

book page to promote anti-union rhetoric and attack prounion employees, Good Shep-herd employees found a sup-port system in the AFSCMECouncil 31 family. AFSCMEmembers from nearby facili-ties like the Kankakee CountyTraining Center, ShapiroDevelopment Center and Pin-nacle Opportunities came tospeak about how they aremaking gains for themselvesand the people they servethrough their local unions.

Organizing to win

MANY OF THE WORKERS AT

Good Shepherd did not knoweach other very well beforethey started organizing. Isolat-ed in the various residentialhomes on different shifts,many employees had nevereven met their coworkers.After gathering together on aregular basis and sharing simi-

lar concerns and desires, how-ever, they realized their com-mon purpose.

When it came to organiz-ing a union, Alice Davis didn’tneed much convincing. “I knewa lot of stuff management wassaying wasn’t true. They werelying about the union becausewe are the union.”

Alice has worked at GoodShepherd Manor for 15 years.“We didn’t have a voice. Theycould change the policy bookon us whenever they wantedto. There was nobody to standup for us or let us know whatwe could do. We had no rep-resentation. It was really sad.”

Now the recently electedbargaining committee is readyto negotiate the new union’sfirst contract.

“I’m so glad we’ve actuallybeen able to take the first stepto have a voice,” Alice says.“I’m elated. I’m so elated weare union.”

“For our co-workers, our residents and ourselves”

“I’m so glad we’veactually been able totake the first step tohave a voice. I’m elated.

I’m so elated we areunion.”

—Alice Davisw


The securityand dignitythat come

with a hard-wonunion contract areincreasingly rare forU.S. workers in the21st century.

UNCHECKED CORPORATE GREEDHAS CREATED A TOXIC ENVIRON-MENT FOR UNION ORGANIZING.Workers who seek to organizea union routinely face pres-sure-packed anti-union cam-paigns that include harass-ment, threats and constantmisinformation.

Union workers are com-pensated 28% more thannon-union workers and aremore likely to have familyhealth care and retirementsavings. Women and peopleof color benefit even morefrom union membership:African American women in aunion are paid 34% morethan their non-union counter-parts. But the percent ofunionized workers in the U.S.has declined from 20% in1983 to just 11% in 2014.

This downward trend inunion membership is mir-rored in workers’ wages,which have steadily declinedin real value despite theirincreased productivity.Income inequality is at itshighest levels and just thispast year, Pew Research Cen-ter released a report that themiddle class has shrunk to thepoint where it no longerincludes the majority of

households in America. In short, while union

membership has declined,Americans are working hard-er than ever at jobs with lowerwages and fewer rights—andour country’s economy, andits people, suffer as a result.But despite the obstacles andthreats, workers are standingup across the country to say:“We are not expendable. Weare hardworking humanbeings with families… and wewant a union.”

Uniting with a commonpurpose

OVER THE LAST YEAR, MOREthan 1,800 workers organizeda union in their workplaceswith AFSCME Council 31 tobuild a better future for theirfamilies. New AFSCME Coun-cil 31 members include 634employees of Northern Illi-nois University, more than500 employees in KankakeeCounty from Good ShepherdManor, Indian Oaks Academyand Kankakee County Train-ing Center, hundreds of cabdrivers in the City of Chicago,and many more across thestate.

“Despite the constantattacks on unions, the funda-mentals haven’t changed.People get treated poorly andthey want to form a union intheir workplace,” Doug Wood-son, organizing director atAFSCME Council 31, told Onthe Move. He sees continuedunion organizing as anencouraging trend in Illinoisand across the country.

“Everyone wants a betterlife for themselves and a bet-

ter future for their children.That’s why workers are unit-ing together. We are organiz-ing for a common purpose.”

Strength in numbers

MANY LONG-TIME UNION MEM-bers recognize the impor-tance of helping workersbecome part of AFSCME.

As you drive through theneighborhoods of Kankakeeyou see many signs reading,‘We Support State Workers.’This small community has abig hunger for workers’rights. More than 1,600AFSCME members work inKankakee County, many ofthem membersof the 100%union Local 29at Shapiro DevelopmentalCenter.

Gary Ciac-cio, presidentof the local,has been anAFSCME mem-ber for 35years. He andhis fellowmembersplayed criticalroles in theorganizingefforts of hun-dreds of work-ers in three dif-ferent privatesector facilitiesin 2015.

“I think it’scrucial thatAFSCME con-tinue organiz-ing in the pri-vate sector

because the way these workersare treated is very unfortu-nate,” Ciaccio said. “We haveto raise their standard of liv-ing because it affects all ofus.”

AFSCME Local 29 mem-bers knocked on doors duringorganizing campaigns at Kanka-kee County Training Center,Indian Oaks Academy andGood Shepherd Manor, educat-ing underpaid workers aboutthe power of a union. “We’vespoken at large meetings aboutthe difference AFSCME hasmade in our careers, helping usafford a mortgage and havedecent health insurance for ourchildren,” Ciaccio said. “We tell

them how much better thingscan be if you’re represented bya union.”

“Workers organize toimprove their lives—and indoing so they help build a larg-er, stronger union in Illinois forall AFSCME members,” Wood-son said.

Organizing to WIN: Hundreds join AFSCME Council 31in 2015

Over the last year, morethan 1,800 workers organized their

workplaces and voted tojoin AFSCME Council 31for a better future.

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Interest-based bargaining helps RockIsland City employees

INTEREST-BASED BARGAININGseeks consensus and requiresactive participation from bothsides of the table. Members ofAFSCME Local 988 successful-ly negotiated two contractsusing this process and wonoverall wage increases ofabout 12 percent for bothunits, whose contracts expireDecember 31, 2019.

Unit A is comprised ofabout 80 equipment opera-tors, maintenance staff andgarage mechanics, as well asstreets, water, sewer and sani-tation workers. Unit Bincludes 60 office and clericalworkers, housing inspectorsand assistants.

“Every single proposal wasdiscussed until both partiesagreed to the final language,”said AFSCME Council 31 StaffRepresentative Miguel Morga,who led negotiations for bothcontracts. “We all benefitedfrom training in advance ofnegotiations and a mediatorhelped steer our talks whenconsensus proved difficult.”

Both units locked in agood contract for nearly fiveyears with significant wagesincreases and additional meritincreases that average twopercent each year.

Unit B employees alsowon a more flexible sick-timeusage policy. The bargainingteam improved the grievanceprocedure for employees ofUnit A so that supervisor-stew-ard meetings are held at the

start of the process.Bargaining team members

included President Alan Van-derheyden, Rick Hitchcock,Quincy Steele, Russell Thomas,Doug Newton, Mike Brown andMike Sonneville for Unit A.Vanderheyden was joined byCara Ryckeghem, James Chap-man, Beth Hofeditz andAutumn Rower on the Unit Bbargaining team.

Paramedics in MonroeCounty win first unioncontract

TWO YEARS AGO, PARAMEDICSand EMS staff employed byMonroe County EmergencyMedical Services organized aunion to improve working con-ditions and assert their rightson the job. Despite the coun-

ty’s resistance, they perseveredin negotiations for their firstcontract, winning an eight per-cent raise over three years andshaping policies to improveemergency services.

“The county officials weredragging their feet,” said ScottMcDaniel of AFSCME Local8236. “After three months with-out meeting, we’d go to thetable and leave after 20 minuteswith nothing done.”

McDaniel has been a para-medic for 20 years. As leadsupervisor he is in charge ofmedical decisions for patients.He and his co-workers feltstrongly that their voices mustbe heard.

“They thought we just want-ed money but that was the leastof our issues,” said McDaniel.“Management has never beenon an ambulance. It’s reallyimportant to public health thatwe have input on policy.”

He is happy with the bar-gaining team’s accomplish-ments. “There are a lot ofthings that we’ve never had asay in before that we do now,”he said. For example, para-medics and EMS basics (para-medics in training) had limitson the number of times theycould change a shift each year.In order to ensure flexibility forcontinuing education, the bar-gaining team negotiated thatshift trades conducted for acad-emic reasons would not becounted against any employee.

AFSCME Council 31 StaffRepresentative Ed LaPorte ledthe Local 8236 bargainingteam, which includedMcDaniel, Nick Hoeffken, KimEverett, Dan Parrott and JasonNonn.

Asked how he has donesuch a challenging job for 20years, McDaniel had a readyanswer. “I like helping people,”he said. “You can’t save every-body, but you can do your jobto the fullest, do the best youcan, and learn from what you’vedone before. That’s true in lifetoo.”

Paramedics, EMTs inJackson County makestrides with communitysupport

MEMBERS OF AFSCME LOCAL2464 are often first on thescene in emergencies. Butthese Jackson County Ambu-lance Service employees havebeen working for years withno wage structure or salaryscale. A new employee couldmake the same as someonewith 15 years of experience.By building support in thecommunity, the 38 emergencyresponders won eight percentwage increases over four yearswith significant gains towardseniority pay.

Fighting tooth and nail,members organized severalrallies at the courthouse andlobbied the county board.After bringing in federalmediators, the bargainingteam ultimately securedseniority-based cash bonuses,double time for mandated

overtime, and paid time tomaintain and earn paramediclicenses. The bargaining com-mittee also front-loaded high-er wage increases in the four-year deal that is retroactive toDecember 1, 2013, andexpires in November, 2017.

Local 2464 President MattWhalen said the best part ofhis job is helping out his localcommunity: “People call us attheir worst. No one ever wantsto see a paramedic, but that’swhy we’re here.”

Whalen is proud of howhis fellow ambulance servicemembers are playing a largerrole in their local. “This wasthe first time we reallystepped up to say, ‘Wedeserve more,’” he said. “Weachieved a lot of the things weset out to do and now we’rehoping to build from here.”

The bargaining team wasled by Staff RepresentativeJeremy Noelle and includedWhalen, Gary Bartlow andTravis Young, the previouslocal president and vice presi-dent.

“We’re still fighting,”Whalen said. “We are filinggrievances to ensure properimplementation of our con-tract. And we’re backing ourstate workers; we will do any-thing we can to help thecause.”

Springfield streetdepartment secures five-year deal

AFSCME LOCAL 3417, REPRE-senting truck drivers andlaborers who plow streets,repair roads, sidewalks andsewers, trim trees, and main-tain the public works of ourstate’s capital, won a new con-tract that guarantees annualraises for five years.

The bargaining team wasled by Staff RepresentativeRoger Griffith and includedTim Plummer (President),Norm Howard, Sr., Matt Howse,Jon Self and Curtis Yokem.They negotiated an additionallongevity pay step at 15 years, aguaranteed minimum of onehour’s pay for any overtimework, and a new safety incentivebonus program for the local’s65 members.

“We stuck together andprotected 95 percent of whatwe had in our previous con-tract,” said Curtis Yokem,chief steward and member fornine years. “Unions are hav-ing a harder and harder time;but we fought and came upwith a decent, fair contract inthese trying times.”

IN CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS WITH AFSCME LOCALS 3700 AND 698, THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOISsought to eliminate the step plan for most of its employees and resisted any wage increases, blamingthe state budget impasse for its hardline positions at thebargaining table.

“It was a very tough situation for us,” said Local 3700President Ann Zettervall. “The university basically said theywanted to pay everyone less. They wanted to eliminate ourstep plan and go back to what existed before the union washere.”

“The university came in with proposals that we couldnever support,” said Chris Ward, President of Local 698and a certified veterinary technician in the veterinary teach-ing hospital. “They used Rauner’s anti-union agenda andbudget games to influence negotiations.”

In the end, the University agreed to keep the Local3700 step plan in place but frozen for the first two years of the contract. All employees will receive the2.5 percent campus-wide cost of living increase from the 2014-2015 academic year.

Both bargaining teams retained the option to renegotiate wages in the third year of the contracts.“We are working on a plan for those negotiations now,” said Zettervall. “The only way we can be suc-cessful is if every member gets involved in the campaign. We need to come out and show the universitycommunity that our wages and our lives matter.”

Bargaining for both contracts was led by AFSCME Council 31 Staff Representative David Beck.Zettervall was joined on the Local 3700 bargaining team by Nadja Robot, Katrina Smith, Buffy Vance,Jerri Lyn Beck, Kelly Edwards, Penny Grundy, Barbara Jauhola, Denise Jayne, Dorinda Miller, Jill Ouel-lette, Staci Sessler, Joyce Snider, Tonia White-Rose and D’Anne Winston. Local 3700 members includemore than 1,300 clerical and administrative employees, as well as staff in the university extension andchild development workers.

Members of Local 698 include more than 400 technical and professional employees. Bargainingteam members included Gregg Homerding, Chris Ward, Becky Burner, Marc White, Ben Riegler,Kristi Donze, Heidi Schwarz, Jim McGuire, Dave Davis, Greg Hollern, Jan Harper, SusanWright, Chuck Reed, Stacey Coffmann and Alexx Dahl.

“The only way we can be successful is if every membergets involved in the campaign. We need to come out and showthe university community thatour wages and our lives matter.”

—Ann Zettervall, AFSCME Local 3700

“You can’t save every-body, but you can do your job to the fullest, do the best you can, and learn from whatyou’ve done before. That’s true in life too.”—Scott McDaniel, AFSCME Local 8236

Continued on the facing page

University of Illinois employees fight to keep hard-won gains

ON THE LOCAL LEVEL


Public works team inHomewood wins raises,protects paid time off

IN A NEW FIVE-YEAR CONTRACT,the 100% union AFSCMELocal 2891 public works team in Homewood wonannual raises with a new, higher salary scale for build-ing and landscape mainte-nance workers. The contractguarantees an overall 12.25percent raise, retroactive toMay 1, 2015, and expires in2020.

Local 2891 members aremechanics who work on vehicles, landscape and build-ing maintenance workers andutility crew members whomaintain streets, lights andtrees, including snow removaland emergency responsework. Because of the natureof their responsibilities,employees are often called towork late into the eveningwith very early assigned start

times the next morning. The bargaining team negoti-ated a new emergencyresponse time rehabilitationbank that provides eachemployee with 16 hours to usein such situations, protectingworkers’ earned vacation andsick time.

The bargaining team wasfirst led by Staff Representa-tive Ken Anderson and com-pleted by Staff RepresentativeCameron Day and includedLocal 2891 President BryonDoerr, Vice President Timo-thy Mensik, Recording Secre-tary Dale Demro and Execu-tive Board Member StevenFoley. The team doubled thetime frame for new hires toget required CDL licenses,protected the longevity sys-tem, avoided any increases inhealth care contributions, andsecured a $500 bootallowance.

Members unanimouslyvoted to ratify the contract,which includes a health careand wage reopener in order

to protect workers from anyincreases resulting from theimpending “Cadillac” healthcare tax.

“My experience in ourmonths-long negotiations

reminded me of a characternamed Socrates in Dan Millman’s 1980 book, ‘Way ofthe Peaceful Warrior’,” saidPresident Bryon Doerr. “Toparaphrase, I have learned

that we must focus our ener-gies not on fighting the old,but building the new. Thenegotiations helped ourunion become stronger andmore united.”

Tim Olaosebikan, president of AFSCME Local 3492, and executive board member Sarah Ostrom, who are direct support personnel at the RayGraham Center, participated in a roundtable discussion about developmental disabilities services in Illinois on November 19 with state Rep.Stephanie Kifowit (center).

Our state hasbeenplunged into

a war over the rightsand standard of liv-ing of working peo-ple. GovernorRauner launchedthis war with hisattacks on unions,public employees,and public services.

THIS ELECTION YEAR WILL BE ACRITICAL TEST FOR THE ABILITY

OF UNION MEMBERS TO STAND

up against a corporate elitewith vast wealth at its disposal.Two key contests come in theprimary season—one inChicago's 5th House Districtand one in and aroundSpringfield, the 50th SenateDistrict. AFSCME endorsedthe following two candidatesin those districts in what will

be tough races at the ballotbox.

Juliana Stratton for Illinois State Representative (5th district)

JULIANA STRATTON, A LONG-time community activist, ischallenging incumbent KenDunkin for state representa-tive of the 5th legislative dis-trict in Chicago. Stratton,who received AFSCME Coun-cil 31’s endorsement, servedfour years as Executive Direc-

tor of the Cook County Jus-tice Advisory Council. A grad-uate of DePaul Law School,Stratton is Executive Directorof Cook County Justice forChildren and an officer onher local school council. Hermother is a retired AFSCMEmember and her sister is apublic school teacher. She iscommitted to stand with pub-lic service workers.

Stratton takes on Rep.Dunkin (D-Chicago), whofailed to support a key childcare funding bill on the sameday that he did not show up

to support the union-backedfair arbitration bill.

Senator Sam McCannfor Illinois State Senator (50th district)

STATE SENATOR SAM MCCANN(R-Carlinville) has served the50th District since January2011. McCann has a longtrack record of supportingworking families, despiteenormous pressure from

Governor Rauner. McCannwas the sole Republicanwho voted to support theunion-backed fair arbitrationbill.

Commenting on his voteto support a fair contract forall state employees, McCannsaid, “I followed the two C’s:My conscience and my con-stituents.”

McCann is endorsed byAFSCME Council 31 and theSangamon County GOP.

ON THE LOCAL LEVEL

AFSCME endorses two candidatesin key primary races

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Continued from the facing page

Vote by mail in March primary electionGET READY NOW TO VOTE IN THE upcoming Primary Electionin Illinois. It’s never been so easy. Voting by mail is anoption now available to everyone. Voters can request absen-tee ballots from their local county clerk or board of elec-tions. Ballots must be postmarked prior to March 15, Prima-ry Election Day.

This election is critical for working families. The publicservices AFSCME members provide and the workplacerights and economic security union members have workedso hard to gain are at stake. Governor Bruce Rauner is setto spend millions to elect a legislative majority that will backhis plan to weaken unions in our state.

Senator Sam McCann Juliana Stratton


Winnebago County employees unitefor good jobs and public safety

After two yearsof negotia-tions, 500

hardworking anddetermined membersof Winnebago Coun-ty’s AFSCME Local473 won raises andstrengthened theirrights on the job.Their success willimprove workplacesafety and enhancethe quality of servicesfor county residents.

AS THE BARGAINING TEAMPUSHED FOR FAIR WAGES FOR ALL

COUNTY EMPLOYEES, NEGOTIA-tions proved challenging. InOctober, two years into nego-tiations, the bargaining team’sefforts secured a tentativeagreement with county nego-tiators only to have the Coun-ty Board reject the deal. TheBoard specifically pushedback on a new “step plan” forsome employees, scheduled tobe implemented on the lastday of the four-year deal.

After a final five-hour bar-gaining session, both sidescompromised and reached anew agreement that resolvedthe dispute. Union membersratified the revised agreementon November 23 and theCounty Board accepted it thenext day.

Safe staffing levels for the public good

LOW WAGES ARE A FUNDAMENTAL

problem throughout Win-nebago County governmentand Local 473 members con-sistently advocate for the need

to reduce turnover. Safestaffing levels are critical atfacilities like the WinnebagoCounty Criminal Justice Cen-ter, the 911 Call Center andRiver Bluff Nursing Home, yetemployees are paid far lessthan those in comparablecounties—and so it is hard toretain qualified employees.

“The whole county isunderpaid,” AFSCME bargain-ing team member VaughnFowler said. Fowler, vice presi-dent of Local 473, is in hiseighth year as a Building Main-tenance Mechanic at RiverBluff Nursing Home. “The Cer-tified Nursing Assistants atRiver Bluff are dedicated—theyget to know the residents, helpthem with basic living skills, dotheir hair, help them eat—butmany are leaving because ofunfair wages.”

Bargainingteam memberand CorrectionalOfficer Tim Coxhas a similar view:“We’re losing peo-ple to other facili-ties where theyare doing thesame job for bet-ter pay. This is ahard job, especially whenyou’re doing double, triple thework. As short-staffed as we’vebeen, it’s tough getting peopleto stay.”

Contract negotiationsincluded efforts to resolve twojob classification studies andtwo arbitration victories involv-ing appropriate pay for correc-

tional officers. Analyzing thepay structures of other countiescomparable to Winnebago,which includes the city of Rock-ford, a 2008 job study andresultant arbitration awardfound that correctional officerswere grossly underpaid relativeto their counterparts perform-ing similar work for other pub-lic employers.

In a subsequent 2010 rul-ing, the same labor arbitratoraffirmed that WinnebagoCounty owed its officers twodollars more per hour. Yet theaward left a loophole for thecounty, ruling that it need onlyraise wages once revenue wasavailable. For seven years theCounty failed to meet its obliga-tion—despite bringing in $28million a year from a one per-cent “public safety” sales tax.

Family sustaining wagesfor public service employees

ULTIMATELY, THE AFSCMELocal 473 bargaining teamincreased wages for all Countyworkers, winning two percentwage increases across the board

in the first twoyears of thecontract andthree percentincreases in thefinal two years.Led byAFSCME Coun-cil 31 Staff Rep-resentativeEdward Sad-lowski and

Regional Director Joe Bella,bargaining team membersincluded Rose Jackson (Presi-dent), Vaughn Fowler (VicePresident), Tim Cox, Sue Gren-lund, Joe Young, Tom Van DenEeden (Treasurer), Mike East-on (Executive Board), BarbaraSchulz (Executive Board), JoshListon, Amy Vowell (Executive

Board) and Jason Ferro.“By supporting each other,

we were able to get more com-petitive salaries for the area,”AFSCME Local 473 PresidentRose Jackson said. “We said toourselves: Let’s see what else wecan accomplish!”

And it was a lot. The con-tract strengthens job rights insuch matters as compensatorytime, shift trades, improvedtraining opportunities, non-dis-crimination, time off for unionactivities, employer-paid park-ing, limits on outsourcing andmore.

In adherence to the arbi-trator’s 2010 ruling, all correc-tions officers on the payroll asof October 1, 2015, are alsoguaranteed a 4.52 percent wageadjustment and a $0.25 perhour wage increase, with allofficers on the payroll as ofOctober 1, 2016 receiving a fivepercent adjustment and a $0.25per hour increase.

Every full-time employeecovered under the agreementwill receive a one-time $300 rat-ification bonus, $200 for part-time employees. Addressingthe county’s lagging pay thatcontributes to high turnoverrates, the bargaining teamsecured upward labor gradeadjustments for several classifi-cations and established a jointcommittee to study recruitmentand retention of employees inall departments.

“The most united we’veever been”

LOCAL 473 MEMBERS ARE CONFI-dent that their collective effortshave set Winnebago County ona better path forward. “Therehas been a renewed energy inour local,” Jackson said. “Peo-ple are pulling together. Halfof our fair share employeessigned up to become full mem-bers.”

Members consistentlystood together at rallies andinformational pickets, packingevery County Board meeting inthe months leading up to thesettlement. They told theirstory to the media, used socialmedia and placed a full-pagead in the Rockford RegisterStar. Staff Representative EdSadlowski noted, “Local 473ran a contract campaignfocused on issues that areimportant to our membership,their families, and the commu-nity. Every member gotinvolved, which put pressureon the Board to do the rightthing.”

“I was really touched byhow everybody came together,”Cox said. “This is the most unit-ed we’ve ever been and we’rejust getting started.”

“Members are ready totake action and do whateverneeds to be done next,” Presi-dent Jackson said excitedly.“People are stepping up andsaying, ‘This is our union, ourjobs, and we need to take con-trol.’ It’s been awesome.”

Standing strong in the streets and at the table wins higher wages

“There is a renewed energy in our local. People are pullingtogether. ”

—Rose Jackson, AFSCMELocal 473 President

“We are building up ourlocal so all workers havefair wages to supporttheir families.”—Vaughn Fowler,

AFSCME Local 473 VicePresident

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Union membershiphelps workers build abetter future for their

families. AFSCME membersand their families benefitfrom annual scholarshipopportunities to pursue theireducation goals at colleges,universities, labor programsand technical schools.

Council 31 is acceptingapplications through April 15for its annual Larry Mar-quardt Scholarship. Appli-cants must be AFSCME Coun-cil 31 members in goodstanding who plan to attendschool full-time or children of

AFSCME members who arehigh school seniors or collegestudents under the age of 25.Two winners will be awarded$1,000 each.

The scholarship honorsLarry Marquardt, the firstexecutive director of Council31 and a tireless union orga-nizer who dedicated his life toimproving the lives of workingpeople.

Visit: www.afscme31.org/union-scholarships for moreinformation on this and otherscholarship opportunities.

Scholarships available for AFSCMEmembers and families

Retirees Rally for Fairness

AFSCME RETIREES STOODshoulder to shoulder withworking members to demandan end to Bruce Rauner’santi-worker agenda in a seriesof rallies across Illinois dur-ing December. Joining themwere union members fromacross the labor movement,community and faith groups,elected officials, and con-cerned citizens from all walksof life.

Along with demanding afair budget to protect vitalstate services, protesterscalled for a fair contract forstate workers and an end tobargaining demands from theRauner administration thatwould cause massive increasesin health insurance costs forstate and university retirees.

“If you’re not going tostand up to cuts to your bene-fits and social services now,you can’t complain later,” said Vicki Thomas, vice-presi-dent of sub-chapter 88(Champaign-Urbana), whotook the union bus to theSpringfield rally. “Retireescan either get involved nowor sit back and watch ourbenefits disappear.”

Hundreds of retireesattended the rallies in Chica-go, Joliet, Rock Island, Mari-on, Rockford, Collinsville andSpringfield, setting a strongfoundation for the fightsahead in 2016.

AFSCME retirees, community groups call attention to budget cuts in “lotteryprotest”

GOVERNOR RAUNER SIGNED Astopgap measure that wouldallow the state to continue topay lottery winners in Decem-ber, despite vetoing similarmeasures aimed at restoring

funding to programs forseniors.

AFSCME retirees fromChicago, along with membersof Illinois Alliance for RetiredAmericans and the ResponsibleBudget Coalition, protested thegovernor’s priorities by holdinga press event to show the lotterytickets they purchased to sym-bolically fund these criticalsocial services.

“The Meals on Wheels pro-gram has been cut from fivedays a week to three but theyput aside a billion dollars to paylottery winners?” exclaimedCharlie Hogan, president ofAFSCME Retiree sub-chapter163 (North Cook County).“This isn’t right. Budgets aremoral statements. It’s whereour priorities are.”

Along with cuts to

meal delivery programs,Rauner has targeted severalsenior programs such as homecare services, Medicaid pro-grams such as the IllinoisBreast & Cervical Cancer Program, and LIHEAP, the energy assistance programwhich helps low-income families and seniors pay forheating and cooling their residence.

RETIREE NOTES

IMRF PARTICIPANTS INCLUDEANYONE WHO WORKS FOR OR

RETIRED FROM ANY MUNICIPALITY,county, school district orother unit of local govern-ment in Illinois, except theCity of Chicago or CookCounty. It is the most finan-cially sound public pension

system in the state.These three trustees will

work to ensure the IMRF isproperly funded and to pro-tect pension benefits.

Trudy Williams is Presi-dent of AFSCME Local 3433and an AFSCME Council 31Executive Board member.

She is an Administrative Assis-tant in the Fulton CountyState’s Attorney’s Office.Trudy is committed to pre-serving the fiscal stability ofthe pension fund.

John Piechocinski hasbeen an IMRF EmployeeTrustee since 2011. As theHead Custodian for PlainfieldCommunity ConsolidatedSchool District, John is anIllinois Education Associationmember and dedicated advo-cate for employee participants.

Sharon Thompson hasbeen an IMRF AnnuitantTrustee for 15 years. She is an AFSCME retiree and for-

mer Lee County Treasurer.Sharon is committed to con-tinuing her work to preservethe defined benefit plan forworkers and retirees.

By voting together, unionmembers were able to ensurethat workers will continue tohave a strong voice on theIMRF board. Williams,Piechocinski and Thompsonwill do their utmost to assurethat the IMRF remains strongand solvent so that currentand future retirees can counton security and dignity inretirement.

AFSCME member Trudy Williams, Illinois Education Association member John Piechocinski and

AFSCME retiree Sharon Thompson wonseats on the Board of Trustees of the IllinoisMunicipal Retirement Fund.

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A win for retirement securityAdvocates elected to the llinois Municipal Retirement Fund Board of Trustees


In Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, currently before the U.S. Supreme Court, a wealthy elite is trying to ban the ‘fair share’ fees now paid by represented employees who opt out of

joining the union.

By requiring unions to represent employees who don’t have to pay anything toward the cost of that representation, these right-wing forces hope to bankrupt the labor movement and thereby wipe out the only force with the strength and resources to provide a counterweight to the outsized influence of the uber-wealthy in our political system.

On January 11 the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case and a decision is expected later this spring.

Why the corporate elite wants to ban ‘fair share’ fees • Americans are working more than ever before. But it’s harder to get by, let alone get ahead. Our economy is out of balance because corporate CEOs and wealthy special interests have manipulated the rules in their favor.

• It’s become much harder for working people to band together and exercise their right to negotiate together for better wages and benefits that can sustain their family.

• And as the number of union jobs has dropped, the income share of the richest 1 percent of Americans has grown to 22 percent of all U.S. income. Meanwhile, middle-class income has dropped. All working people, and our families—whether in a union or not— do better when unions are strong.

• Unions are everyday people who come together to make their voices heard on issues that a�ect all of us: fighting for smaller class sizes; working to make sure we can all retire with dignity; holding billionaires like corporate CEOs accountable for paying their fair share; and making sure that employers understand that we are working harder and harder just to get by.

• When unions are strong, we have a more balanced economy for everyone. Everyone who works should be able to make ends meet, have a say about their futures, and be able to negotiate better wages and benefits one can sustain a family on. The best way to do that is by using our strength in numbers—band- ing together and speaking with one voice. All workers benefit from having our voices heard.

• Collective bargaining has also historically been a path to the middle class for people of color and has helped to fight inequality in the workplace so that women get paid for the work they do. African-American union members today earn 31 percent more than their non-union counterparts. And many union contracts include measures that make the workplace more equal and fair for women—for example, more time o� to care for a sick child or employment protection for victims of sexual harassment. This sets the bar higher for all workplaces, union and nonunion alike.

CORPORATE ELITE BACKS U.S. SUPREME COURT CASE AIMED AT PUBLIC EMPLOYEES

While the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association on January 11, hundreds of workers assembled outside the court building to protest the ongoing attacks against working families from wealthy special interest groups. Stephen Mittons, a DCFS child protection investigator and president of AFSCME Local 2081, spoke to the crowd on the steps of the Supreme Court.

“It is frightening to me that the same CEOs and corporate interests who have been manipulating the rules of our economy for decades are now trying to make it harder for working people to come together, speak up and get ahead. It would be shameful to see the Supreme Court decide this case in favor of wealthy special interests and put the important services public employees provide to children and families at risk. I don’t think protecting children and families is a matter of politics; it’s our duty.”

Stephen Mittons, AFSCME Local 2081

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