Quinn, AFSCME Reach Tenataive Labor Deal
By Chuck Sudo in News on Feb 28, 2013 5:45PM
After 15 months of tense negotiations and the possibility of a strike authorization vote in the works, Illinois’ largest labor union reached a tentative labor deal with Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration Thursday morning.
Quinn and negotiators for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 agreed on a three-year deal. (Details of the deal have not been released as the union’s rank-and-file have not had an opportunity to review it.) Both Quinn and AFSCME trumpeted the deal in press releases.
Quinn said, “At a time when the state is facing unprecedented financial challenges, this agreement is fair to both hard-working state employees and all taxpayers of Illinois.” AFSCME Council 31 executive director Henry Bayer added the union was “pleased that we were able to reach an agreement that protects our members’ standard of living, and is fair to them and all Illinois citizens, even in these very challenging economic times.”
The union will put the deal up for ratification by its members March 4. The state and AFSCME had been locked in a bitter fight over Quinn’s 2011 decision to rescind a deal protecting state workers from layoffs during the state’s ongoing budget crisis.