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ON TOP OF
TOP SALARIES AND HEALTH CARE, AFSCME CONTRACT INCLUDES LESSER KNOWN
PROVISIONS UNHEARD OF IN PRIVATE SECTOR
Illinois Policy Institute
AFSCME’S outrageous demands when
negotiating for a new contract led to an impasse in negotiations. Now
the union is suing to keep the state from implementing the contract –
while ignoring that state workers will maintain many lavish perks unlike
anything offered in the private sector.
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 The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees is suing the
state to keep it from implementing its contract with state employees.
Despite AFSCME’s protests, the new contract actually includes many lavish perks
found in the previous contract.
Many of these benefits are unlike anything offered in the private sector.
Lax disciplinary procedures for absent or late employees
A state worker can have 10 unauthorized absences in a two-year period of time
without any real repercussions.
At the 11th unauthorized absence, the employee will receive a five-day
suspension. It isn’t until an employee has 12 unauthorized absences in a
two-year period of time that the state can discharge the employee.
The contract specifically provides that “[t]here shall be no general policy of
docking for late arrival.” An employee can be up to an hour late to work –
without being docked pay – as long as it is not done “repeatedly.”
More than 15 different leaves of absence – including leave to perform union work
The state is required to keep available a job for a state worker who is elected
to state office until the state official’s elected term is over.
As many as 30
employees at a time can be granted leaves of absence – for up to two years each
– to serve as AFSCME representatives or officers at the international, state or
local level.
There are multiple leaves to pursue educational opportunities.
In most cases – such as leave for union office and educational leave – state
employees continue to accumulate seniority. Because seniority is the main
consideration in a number of employment decisions – from vacation and overtime
preference to order of layoff – that is a big deal. It means an employee not
working for the state can maintain a position of higher seniority than someone
who has been working for the state all along.
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 The governor’s offer not only kept all of these leaves of
absence, it also added bereavement leave. If a state worker’s son,
daughter, stepson or stepdaughter dies, that worker is entitled to
three days’ bereavement leave, with pay, in addition to any other
time off the employee would like to utilize.
Generous holiday pay
While the governor’s offer does alter overtime pay for holidays,
AFSCME employees will still receive pay that far surpasses the norm
in the private sector:
Employees will receive time-and-a half pay (as opposed to the
original double time pay) for working on a standard holiday.
AFSCME employees will still receive even more for “super
holidays,” which include Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
If an employee works on a super holiday, he or she will receive
double time pay (as opposed to the original
double-and-one-half-times pay under the old contract).
Of course, these overtime perks differ from what is required
under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, which does not require
any overtime pay at all for work on holidays.
Even with the adjustments to overtime pay in Rauner’s offer, AFSCME
employees will still receive holiday overtime benefits beyond what
is expected in the private sector.
By failing to acknowledge that the contract still includes such
lavish benefits – and by pursuing litigation to obtain even more –
AFSCME proves just how out of touch it is with the taxpayers it
expects to pay for those benefits.
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