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"Exactly 698.5," corrected local AFSCME
executive board member Susan Ogden. "We had one part-time person."
About 500 of those 698.5 employees
belonged to AFSCME. The rest were management and members of the
Teamsters union, trade unions and a union that represents security
personnel.
Last year at this time, too, about 375
developmentally disabled individuals made their homes in the Lincoln
institution operated by the Department of Human Services.
As of Saturday, Aug. 31, at 2:30 p.m.,
everybody who once worked and lived at LDC, with the exception of a
few maintenance workers needed to keep the power plant running, will
leave the 125-year-old institution forever. Its 80-acre campus will
be empty.
After a long and bitter battle, DHS and
Gov. George Ryan have met their goal of closing Logan County’s
largest employer, charging that the facility was endangering the
health and safety of its residents because of instances of abuse and
neglect on the part of the staff.
AFSCME and others countered the charges
and took the battle to the courts, but LDC supporters were finally
defeated last Friday, when Logan County Circuit Judge Donald Behle
said he could not issue another temporary restraining order to keep
the last few residents on the campus.
No one has announced any specific plans
for the use of the Lincoln facility, but according to testimony
given at the hearing before the Illinois Health Facilities Planning
Board, it will revert to the jurisdiction of the Illinois Department
of Central Management Services.
Some of the approximately 300 AFSCME
employees who had not already left during the first round of layoffs
in April had to make important decisions recently — whether they
would move to another location to take a job with DHS or take early
retirement.
Some, however, had no options at all.
If they haven’t started already, they are "on the street" looking
for new jobs. AFSCME officials estimate that at least 250 employees,
both AFSCME and non-AFSCME members, are job hunting.
Dan Senters, AFSCME local spokesman,
said 435 members got layoff notices in early August, and employee
meetings were held in mid-month to see if other state jobs would be
available. Also, representatives of the Illinois Employment and
Training Center have been on the LDC campus to talk to employees
about unemployment compensation.
About 100 AFSCME members have taken
jobs with DHS in other parts of the state, Ogden said. Twenty-one
left in April after the first layoff notices went out, and another
80 are leaving now.
[to top of second column in
this article] |
Another 160 are eligible for early
retirement, according to Don Todd, president of AFSCME Local 425.
Todd doesn’t know right now how many will eventually retire, but as
of this week he could count 72.
Ogden was fortunate and got a job with
DHS in Springfield. She and her husband, Joe, were both LDC
employees. In April, Joe took the opportunity offered by the state
and accepted a job at the Jacksonville Developmental Center. The
Ogdens will sell their home in Mason City and buy another somewhere
in between their two jobs, Susan said.
Carl Twente, a 13-year LDC employee,
will be moving even farther. He took a job at Choate Developmental
Center in Anna, in southern Illinois, more than 200 miles away.
He’ll be selling his house in Lincoln.
"It was either move or be unemployed,"
Twente said. "I have too much time invested working for the state to
let it go."
Amber Senters, a third-generation LDC
employee, was offered a job at Fox Developmental Center in Dwight,
but she’ll soon be reading the want ads. Her roots are in the
Lincoln area, and she chose to stay. She doesn’t think she can make
a 180-mile daily commute.
Even those who are eligible for early
retirement because of the state law passed recently will face
problems. Charles Sanders, vice president of the local union, must
find a way to "buy" five extra retirement years at a cost of $6,000
and then will have to wait until July of 2003 for his first
retirement check. He will also have to figure out how to provide
health insurance for his family, which includes five children still
at home.
"I could have taken another state job
and moved away from Lincoln, but it didn’t seem worth it. I didn’t
want to uproot my family," he said.
Sanders has his real estate license and
will be going to work selling houses. He finds it ironic that he
could be selling the homes of some of his former fellow workers.
Right now local AFSCME officials aren’t
sure exactly how many of their members got other state jobs, how
many will retire, and how many had to hit the streets, Sanders said,
but they are in the process of compiling a complete list.
"Any way you look at it, a year ago
this county had 698.5 more jobs than it does now," Ogden said.
"If the
agency [DHS] had put as much energy into making LDC work as they did
in taking it apart, it would still be a model facility for the
country," Corvin-Blackburn added.
[Joan
Crabb]
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In November 2000, at the governor’s
direction, Illinois Commerce and Community Affairs Director Pam
McDonough sent a letter to Mr. Lamping stating the governor’s
support, interest and enthusiasm for helping the team relocate to
Illinois in the Metro East area.
The governor met with Lamping last
spring as the Cardinals began surveying potential locations for
building a new stadium and relocating the baseball franchise. After
the meeting, the governor directed McDonough and Illinois Department
of Transportation Secretary Kirk Brown to provide information and
assistance in site selection. Four Illinois Metro East locations —
Dupo, Madison, Fairmont and the East St. Louis riverfront — are
still being considered by the team.
Wednesday’s meeting, which the governor
convened with Lamping, McDonough and Brown, was to ensure that the
team has received all of the information it needs in advance of the
Illinois General Assembly’s fall veto session. If the Cardinals
decide to relocate to Illinois, the project may need legislative
approval to create a sports authority to assist with building the
new stadium.
"Illinois is a champ when it comes to
economic development, and we know how to work with the Illinois
General Assembly on creative programs to win business investment and
major tourist attractions," said Gov. Ryan. "Like the Cardinals on
the field, we have the talent and the tools — including our Illinois
FIRST program and our EDGE tax credit — to win that title."
[to top of second column in this
article]
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"If the Cardinals were to play their
home games in a stadium on the Illinois side of the Mississippi
River, the communities surrounding the new facility would reap
significant economic benefits from the creation of a new hospitality
industry in the region that would serve visitors attending baseball
games and other events at the facility," Gov. Ryan said.
"DCCA stands ready to assist those
Metro East communities that are still under consideration by the
Cardinals," said McDonough. "We’re encouraged that the Cardinals
have started a serious dialogue with several communities in
Illinois."
The Cardinals have indicated that easy
access to interstate highways and public transportation are
important factors in its site selection process.
"IDOT has
been assessing the transportation infrastructure needs of the
Cardinals and will continue to assist the team as it continues to
collect data," added Brown.
[Illinois
Government News Network
press release]
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"The toll-free number directly connects
you with a qualified consultant who can answer your insurance
questions or send you free educational materials," said Bomke. "If
you are confused or want unbiased information from someone other
than your insurance agent, the hot line can offer this information."
Bomke says the hot line does not sell
insurance, but provides unbiased information to help consumers make
educated decisions about insurance issues.
The hot line is an easy resource for
insurance questions. Common questions answered by the hot line
include ratings and complaints for specific insurance companies,
whether you need replacement coverage on your home and belongings,
required auto liability limits, options when a policy is not
renewed, and information about health insurance following a layoff.
The hot line
is an industry-sponsored service operated by the Illinois Insurance
Information Service since 1990, helping an estimated 10,000
consumers each year. The toll-free number, 1 (800) 444-3338, is
available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
[News release] |
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