 There are no talks scheduled for next week, and the American Federation of
State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 and the Rauner team are blaming
each other for Friday’s events.
Lesley Nickus, Illinois News Network
Lesley Nickus, Illinois News Network
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration’s talks with AFSCME have broken down. Are
they at an impasse?
There’s also no agreement on whether the talks are at impasse, which AFSCME says
the Rauner team declared.
Rauner’s staff says it did not make such a declaration, but it is studying the
question.
On its own web page, AFSCME said the “governor’s representatives said they would
refuse to participate in any further bargaining sessions and claimed that
negotiations are at an impasse.”
“We are shocked that the Rauner administration would walk away and refuse to
continue negotiations,” wrote Council 31 Executive Director Roberta Lynch. “The
governor’s rash action invites confrontation and chaos — it is not the path to a
fair agreement.”
The Republican governor’s staff says that’s not what happened.
Instead, Rauner’s office says AFSCME negotiators turned down the
administration’s offers for additional meetings next week.
“In light of their answers today, we will now decide if the previously-agreed
dispute resolution process should be considered,” the administration said in a
statement.
But that’s not accurate either, argued AFSCME spokesman Anders Lindall.
“No bargaining dates were scheduled for next week,” he wrote on the Capitol Fax
blog. “The administration asked very late if we could meet then but our
committee was unavailable. Instead AFSCME offered to meet at any time in any of
the following three weeks.”
So, it’s not clear just yet whether the two sides are at impasse or if either
side is going to ask the Illinois Labor Relations Board to make such a
determination, which would be necessary under an agreement between the union and
the governor’s office.
A finding of impasse could trigger a direct confrontation between the Rauner
administration and AFSCME and raise possibilities including an attempt by the
state to impose new contract terms or, perhaps, even a lockout or strike.
[to top of second column] |
 AFSCME on Friday said it doesn’t believe the talks are at
impasse.
“If they will not return to the table, our union will take legal
action,” Lynch wrote. “It is a violation of state labor law for a
party to declare impasse where none exists.”
Rauner’s team avoided the word “impasse” but indicated the
administration is pondering its next move, including perhaps placing
the impasse question before the Labor Relations Board.
“After a year of no meaningful progress, we must now evaluate the
benefit of future sessions given AFSCME’s intransigence,” the
administration said.
Negotiators for the two sides began meeting in January, shortly
after Rauner was sworn in. AFSCME’s contract expired in June.
There’s no love lost between the two groups. AFSCME has said
Rauner’s out to bust unions in Illinois, and Rauner has at times
called AFSCME “AF-scammie.”
The two sides appear far apart on wages, insurance benefits, work
rules and other items.
The Rauner administration points to its reaching deals with five
Teamster units and a dozen trade union locals representing about
5,300 state workers as proof it’s not trying to bust anyone, but
simply out to strike deals the the state can afford given its awful
financial condition.
The administration says those contracts included merit pay, bonus
pools, insurance options and cooperative agreements on areas such as
cost-savings and heightened efforts to hire and promote minorities
in state government.
AFSCME said the governor’s team isn’t comparing like organizations
or responsibilities.
For instance, it says the 4,700 Teamsters who have settled have an
independent health plan that members can rely on, whereas it and
other large unions still at the table represent some 40,000
employees, most of whom don’t have such a health option.
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