 Gov. Pat Quinn reached a deal with the American Federation of State,
County and Municipal Employees, which represents thousands of state
government workers, calling for no layoffs or state facility
closures for the next two years in exchange for concessions
including salary increases, health care costs and furlough days. The
timing of the announcement, however, has been called into question.
The deal was reached just days after the union endorsed the
Democratic governor.It also came on the eve of a closed-door
candidates' forum between Quinn and his opponent for governor,
Republican state Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington. The Tuesday debate
was described by each candidate as spirited, thanks in part to
revelation of the deal.
Quinn hailed it as a breakthrough in negotiations with a union
that was not obligated to come to the bargaining table.
"I'm the first governor I think ever in Illinois history to get
concessions from the union," he said standing outside the Commercial
Club of Chicago, which hosted the debate. "The amount of savings to
the taxpayers is $300 (million) or $325 million that we've been able
to negotiate from the union."
But Brady called the deal a "pay-to-play" scheme, pointing to the
union's recent endorsement of the incumbent governor. More
important, according to Brady, the no-layoff clause could tie the
hands of the General Assembly and the next governor in addressing
budgetary problems.
"I called on Gov. Quinn not to accept the secret AFSCME deal that
would burden the next governor of this state to manage the fiscal
crisis," he said. "It's scandalous what this governor has done."
Representatives from AFSCME deny any link between the endorsement
and the still-unsigned deal.
"We have been working with the governor's office since July of
last year," said AFSCME spokesman Anders Lindall. "There is no
connection here, except at a figment of an overactive, politically
addled imagination."
Quinn in 2009 attempted to lay off 2,600 AFSCME workers, but the
union successfully sued to stop the potential layoffs. Quinn and
AFSCME then worked out a plan to defer raises to July 2011 and cut
costs through voluntary furloughs and health care savings.
Quinn also dismissed Brady's pay-to-play allegations, pointing to
the two-tier pension reform system that he signed into law earlier
this year, despite heavy union opposition.
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The state faces a $13 billion budget gap, an economic crisis that
is at the center of a contentious election year. And the candidates
have very different ideas in closing that hole. Brady, the downstate
conservative, plans to reduce the size of government with 10 percent
cuts in many state agencies -- cuts that would most likely involve
layoffs.
Quinn has concentrated much of his energy since taking office in
early 2009 on passing a 33 percent income tax increase, which he
says will bring in about $1 billion. He has made the idea his
signature appeal to voters in 2010, while Brady has used the plan as
the hammer with which to pound the governor.
But Quinn stressed that he has also followed Brady's path in
cutting government spending. The success of the AFSCME deal hinges
on it.
The union must identify about $50 million in cuts in order to
avoid future layoffs until mid-2012. Unpaid furlough days, increased
health care payments from workers and a reduction in state
contractors -- workers outside of the union and technically the
rolls of government -- are all being discussed as possible
cost-saving measures.
The union expects to return to the governor's office with the
cuts by Oct. 31, just two days before the Nov. 2 general election.
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By BILL McMORRIS]
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