Rough waters ahead

Illinois’ new governor launches wave ofattacks against public employees, unions

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11#164 • FEBRUARY-MARCH 2015O N T H E

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Illinois Council 31—American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees—AFL-CIO

2 On the Move February - March 2015

BY ROBERTA LYNC H

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT

Super-rich attemptIllinois take over

CITIZENS UNITED

ACCELERATED

THE STEADILY

SWELLING

INFLUENCE OF

THE UBER-

WEALTHY

On the MoveAFSCME Illinois On the Move ispublished 6 times annually by Illinois Public Employees Council31 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO. Send correspondence to:dmiller@afscme31.orgor: AFSCME, On the Move, 205 N. Michigan Ave., 21st Floor,Chicago, IL 60601

Roberta Lynch, Executive DirectorMike Newman, Deputy DirectorDavid Miller, EditorDolores Wilber, Designer

Council 31 Executive Board OfficersSTATE EXECUTIVE VICE-PRESIDENTLori Laidlaw, Dixon CCLocal 817CITY/COUNTY EXECUTIVE VICE-PRESIDENTCarmin Willis-Goodloe, Cook County Hospital, Local 1111PRIVATE SECTOR EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENTYolanda Woods, Hope InstituteLocal 2481UNIVERSITY EXECUTIVE VICE-PRESIDENTDorinda Miller, U of I Clericals, Local 3700SECRETARYPat Ousley, Department of Employment Security, Local 1006TREASURERRob Fanti, Sheridan CC, Local 472

Board MembersSTATE CONFERENCE BOARD CO-CHAIRSGloria Arseneau, (RC-14), Northeastern Illinois State Employees,Local 2794Kathy Lane, (RC-63), Northwestern Illinois State Employees,Local 448

REGION I VICE-PRESIDENTS(COOK AND LAKE COUNTIES)

Safiya Felters, Department of Health-care and Family Services, Local 2854Ellen Larrimore, Northeastern IllinoisUniversity, Local 1989Steve Mittons, Department of Childrenand Family Services, Local 2081John Rayburn, Chicago Public Library,Local 1215Kobie Robinson, Cook County Asses-sor’s Office, Local 3835

REGION II VICE-PRESIDENTS(NOTHERN ILLINOIS)Garry Cacciapaglia, city of Rockford,Local 1058Gary Ciaccio, Shapiro DC, Local 29Dave Delrose, Will County, Local 1028Ralph Portwood, Stateville CC, Local 1866Ruby Robinson, Illinois State Employ-ees, Local 2833Yurvette Simmons, United CerebralPalsy of Will County, Local 3237

REGION III VICE- PRESIDENTS(CENTRAL ILLINOIS)Mark Kerr, McFarland Zone Center,Local 2767Gary Kroeschel, Sangamon CountyState Employees, Local 2224Matt Lukow, Springfield Area StateEmployees, Local 1964David Morris, Illinois State Employees,Local 805Steve Nordyke, Department of Health-care and Family Services, Local 2600Trudy Williams, Fulton County SheriffsDept. & Courthouse, Local 3433

REGION IV VICE-PRESIDENTS(SOUTHERN ILLINOIS)Chris Milton, Madison County, Local 799Duane Montgomery, Metro-East StateEmployees, Local 1805Cary Quick, Choate MH/DC, Local 141Mike Turner, Southern Illinois Depart-ment of Corrections, Local 415

TrusteesCarlene Erno, Illinois State Employees,Local 2615Tom Minick, Moline Board of Education, Local 672Miguel Vasquez, Aurora Sanitary District, Local 3297

Retiree Chapter 31 RepresentativeLarry Brown

IT WAS THE POLITICAL PHILOSO-pher Aristotle who first usedthe term “oligarchy” to refer torule by the rich, warningagainst the dangers posed todemocracy when a small elitetakes control of the reins ofpower to advance its own inter-ests.

That danger has neverbeen more real in our own life-times than it is right now –most especially here in the stateof Illinois. Bruce Rauner, ourstate’s billionaire governor,spent more than $25 million ofhis own money to win electionand then immediately createda $20 million “intimidationfund” to threaten any politicianwho doesn’t go along with hisagenda.

Rauner’s rise to power wasfueled by close ties to other bil-lionaires, like Chicago-basedhedge fund honcho Ken Grif-fin, who attracted nationalattention when he bemoanedthe fact that the super-richdon’t have “enough influence”on politics.

The reality, of course, isthat the U.S. Supreme Court’s2010 Citizens United decisionstriking down campaignfinance restrictions acceleratedthe steadily-swelling influenceof the über-wealthy on thepolitical process. That meansthe very rich exert ever moresway over not just the outcomeof elections, but also the criticalpolicy issues that affect all ourlives.

There are many goals thatunite the New American Oli-garchy to which Bruce Raunerbelongs: the privatization ofpublic services, a tax systemthat shields their riches, thedestruction of public educa-tion, diminished workplacerights and consumer protec-

tions, lower wages, and more ofthat ilk.

But there’s no doubt thattheir first and foremost goal isto clear the playing field of theonly entity that has theresources and determination tostand up to them – America’slabor unions.

Pundits all across Illinoishave been puzzling as to whyGovernor Rauner, faced with amassive budget shortfall and inneed of all the help he can getto resolve it, would make anassault on labor unions a toppriority. But that’s just whathe’s done, scarring his very firstState of the State address withugly, divisive rhetoric and flat-out false attacks on unions.And then following that upwith an unconstitutional execu-tive order that seeks to depriveAFSCME and other unions instate government of theresources to effectively repre-sent employees.

When he should be seek-ing to unify Illinois citizens, thegovernor’s out there almostevery day seeking instead to stirup hostility against stateemployees and other unionmembers – portraying us as“overpaid” and blaming us forthe state’s $4 billion budgetshortfall.

Rauner’s launched a full-fledged attack on the membersof building trades unions aswell, pressing to drive downtheir wages too by eliminatingprevailing wage standards andproject labor agreements.

But while it may seem mys-terious to many in the media,Governor Rauner’s obsessionwith weakening Illinois unionsfits within the context of thecorporate elite’s nationwidecrusade to eliminate organizedlabor from the American politi-

cal landscape. It’s part and par-cel of their determination todrive down the standard of liv-ing of middle class families inour country – and shift an evergreater share of the nation’swealth into their own pockets.

Rauner’s attack on fair-share fees and his support for“right-to-work” zones is nomore about the rights of work-ers than allowing corporationsto give unlimited amounts ofmoney to politicians is aboutfreedom of speech.

This became even clearerwhen the governor unveiled hisbudget plan, which pushes fordrastic cuts to state employeepension and health care bene-fits, as well as steep cuts infunding for cities, counties,state universities, and nonprofitservice agencies – cuts that willharm public service workers allacross Illinois.

Yet in all his complaintsabout conflicts of interest, allthe blame he spreads for dri-ving up state spending, and allhis talk of “shared sacrifice,”never once has the governorexpressed any concern aboutthe vast sums of money pouredinto political coffers by thestate’s super-rich and big cor-porations or suggested elimi-nating some of the $2 billion intax giveaways that Illinois’ ownoligarchy takes from the statetreasury every year.

While Rauner rails againstpublic employees comingtogether to have a voice in thepolitical arena through theirunion, he sees no “conflict ofinterest” in taking big contribu-tions from those big businessesthat benefit from the state’s taxloopholes.

The New York Timesdescribed Governor Rauner’sactions as a “war on workers.”If we want to defend the mid-dle-class standard of livingwe’ve worked so hard toachieve and the democracythat is the bedrock of ournation, it’s a war we can’tafford to lose.

You have to go all the way back to acientAthens to find an explanation forwhat’s happening in our state – andour country – today.

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Trying to shut out working families

On the Move February - March 2015 3

Almost fromthe momenthe took officein January, Gov.Bruce Rauner madeit clear that he hasno plans to cooper-ate with publicemployees and theirunions on movingIllinois forward.

THE NEW GOVERNOR USED HISINAUGURAL ADDRESS TO TAKE A

BASELESS POTSHOT AT PUBLIC

employees, claiming thatunion contracts were no morethan “sweetheart deals.”

That remark, however,would pale in comparison tothe proposals and actions hetook during his first month inoffice, particularly his Feb. 9executive order to ban stateagencies from collecting “fair-share” fees from bargainingunit members who choose notto join a union but still enjoythe benefits of a collectivebargaining agreement andunion representation.

“Bruce Rauner’s schemeto strip the rights of stateworkers and weaken theirunions by executive order is ablatantly illegal abuse ofpower,” Council 31 ExecutiveDirector Roberta Lynch said.

The executive order stat-ed that fair share fees shouldstop because they help unionsbargain for better wages andbenefits.

The flimsy logic of

Rauner’s executive ordermade it clear that his actionwas driven by hostility towardunions and not any legal prin-ciple. Fair-share fees areauthorized in state law andhave been found constitution-al by the U.S. Supreme Court.

“Bruce Rauner’s logic isthat fair-share fees are uncon-stitutional because he saysthey are,” Lynch said. “Per-haps as a private equity CEORauner was accustomed toignoring legal and ethicalstandards, but Illinois is still ademocracy and its laws havemeaning.”

As On the Move went topress, AFSCME and otherunions representing stateemployees were preparing totake legal action to challengethe order. In a positive sign,many other unions in Illinois– including private-sectorunions – have signaled theystand by their state employeecounterparts. AFSCME inter-national President Lee Saun-ders has also pledged the fullsupport of the national unionin the fight.

“Our union and all orga-nized labor will stand togeth-er with those who believe indemocracy to overturn BruceRauner’s illegal action andrestore the integrity of therule of law,” Lynch said.

Weaken the middle class

RAUNER’S EXECUTIVE ORDERfollowed the release of otherproposals clearly designed tocripple unions in Illinois.

In his State of the State

address, and in a series of presentations delivered inrecent weeks, Rauner has notonly unveiled a staunchly anti-union agenda but alsoattempted to scapegoat work-ers for the problems con-fronting Illinois.

In the weeks since takingoffice, Rauner has made oneproposal after another aimedat weakening unions and the middle class in Illinois,including:• Banning public employeeunions from making contribu-tions to political candidates.• Allowing local governmentsto establish “right-to-work”zones in which employeeswould not be required to payunion dues or fees while stillreceiving the benefits of unionrepresentation, weakeningunions’ ability to negotiate fairwages and benefits.• Weakening programs thathelp struggling families, likeworkers’ compensation andunemployment insurance.• Weakening prevailing wagelaws and eliminating projectlabor agreements, both ofwhich ensure public works pro-jects create good, family-sup-porting jobs.• Reducing the pension bene-fits of current public employ-ees, possibly by moving themto a 401(k)-style plan.

“The proposals made bythe governor would do little tosolve the fiscal problems facingIllinois, but would do a wholelot to take money out of thepockets of middle class fami-lies,” Council 31 legislativedirector Joanna Webb-Gauvinsaid.

Even as Rauner is seekingto reduce the political powerof public employees, he hasproposed nothing to limit thealready outsized influence ofthe wealthy and large corpora-tions.

“The governor’s proposalto bar public employees fromparticipating in our democracywould further tilt a playingfield already weighted heavilyin favor of big business and thewealthy,” Lynch said. “Andwhile seeking to shut workingpeople out of the halls ofpower, he leaves free access to the scores of corporationsthat have secured for them-selves tax breaks costing Illinoistaxpayers some $2 billionannually.”

A united labor movement

ILLINOIS AFL-CIO PRESIDENTMichael Carrigan said Raunerhas been on a “blame crusade”that unfairly targets publicemployees.

“While he points to the

salaries of those cooking thefood in the cafeterias, guardingthe prisoners and plowing thesnow and ice from our roads asthe culprits in our state finan-cial woes, he is silent on thehundreds of tax breaks grantedto large businesses and low cor-porate income tax in Illinois,”he said.

John Penn, MidwestRegional Manager for theLaborers, said Rauner’s State ofthe State address was “one ofthe most divisive speeches inmemory, blaming unions foreverything from high taxes toinflated construction costs.”

“The governor is wrongwhen he says that the problemsin our state stem from teachersand other middle class publicworkers having too much say inhow Illinois is run,” Illinois Edu-cation Association PresidentCinda Klickna said. “The oppo-site is true. With corporateinterests spending unheard ofsums in politics, the need for a strong voice for the middle class has never beengreater.”

Governor ramps up attacks on Illinois union members

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4 On the Move February - March 2015

Union exposes the truth aboutassaults at Logan CC

After beingconverted to a women’sprison in March2013, Logan Correctional Centersaw a severe spike inviolent incidents – a reality the facility’sstaff has dealt with every day.

SO WHEN A REPORT FROM THEJOHN HOWARD ASSOCIATION, APRISON REFORM GROUP, CAMEout claiming that there hadbeen only three violent inci-dents in the first nine monthsafter the conversion, employ-ees knew the truth was beingswept under the rug.

Once AFSCME lookedinto the matter, the real factswere brought to light. Accord-ing to DOC records obtainedby the union, Logan had 170assaults from March toNovember 2013, and 217more from December 2013

through the beginning ofOctober 2014.

“The department willcontinue to deny that vio-lence is taking place, but thestatistics speak for them-selves,” said Local 2073 Presi-dent Shaun Dawson, a correc-tional officer. “We’ve hadofficers and nursing staffkicked, punched andscratched. People have hadbodily fluids thrown at them.”

Specifically, the recordsobtained by the uniondescribe inmates fighting,punching, kicking, biting,striking with objects such asfood trays or a broom, stran-gling with a cord, stabbingwith a pen, spitting in faces,head-butting, stomping, slap-ping and throwing urine orboiling water.

Like other DOC facilities,overcrowding is a significantissue at Logan. The facilitywas built to safely hold 1,106inmates but, according to themost recent filings, it is nowseverely overcrowded with1,961 inmates.

Meanwhile, statewide cor-rections staffing has been

slashed 30 percent in recentyears – from nearly 17,000employees in 2001 to fewerthan 11,000 today.

“There can be upwards of40 or 50 inmates in the dayroom at one time with oneofficer assigned to monitorthose maximum securityinmates,” Dawson said.

Mismanaged transition

COMPLICATING MATTERS ATLogan, employees say, is a pat-tern of mismanagement. Oneglaring example is the signifi-cant increase in the numberof inmates with mental illness,without any training for staffin how to deal with mentalhealth issues.

“I think it’s a combina-tion of overcrowding, a lackof training given to staff and Ijust don’t think the facility isbuilt for maximum-securityand inmates with severe men-tal illnesses,” said MeredithJones, a correctional officer.“It absolutely feels more dan-gerous than it used to. Everyday people go to work won-dering if they’re going to get

assaulted.”Dawson said more train-

ing for COs on handlinginmates with mental illnessesis especially critical sincestaffing of mental health pro-fessional is also lacking.

“We have no 24/7 mentalhealth professionals on theground,” he said. “There areperiods of 12-16 hours wherethere are no mental healthprofessionals here.”

Some inmates are alsoexploiting a system that hands out less discipline toinmates who are severely men-tally ill, said Shannon Kelly, acorrectional lieutenant atLogan.

Kelly said employees feelabandoned by the state.

“We’re on the frontlinesprotecting public safety, butthe state’s not doing anythingto protect us,” he said.

WORKERS AT RISK:

Conditions at IYC Kewanee worsenin wake of Joliet closure

WORKERS AT RISK:

Asteep increasein assaults atIYC Kewaneehas exposed the danger of hastily closing facilities with-out considering theconsequences.

WHEN IYC JOLIET WAS SHUTDOWN IN 2013, MANY OF THEYOUTH WHO LIVED THERE WERE

transferred to Kewanee. Kewanee previously

housed sexually aggressiveyouth and provided a thera-peutic environment. It nowalso houses all youth whohave committed seriouscrimes, such as armed rob-bery, rape or murder – manyof whom are 17-20 years oldand awaiting transfer to adultfacilities.

“These aren’t kids,” Local

801 President Tod Williamssaid. “These are young menfacing adult crimes, lookingat 40 years in prison.”

DJJ policy requires thatthese offenders, despite theirage and the nature of theircrimes, must be disciplinedthe same way as other youthin the system. That meanseven horrific offenses aredealt with by requiring theyouth to complete a 59-minute “timeout.”

“I had an officer geturine thrown in his face andthe kid got a 59-minute time-out,” Williams said. “The kidsknow there’s no punishmentfor them.”

Recent incidents at Kewa-nee include:• Staff finding shanks – hand-made weapons that indicateboth youth who want to harmstaff or other youth, andyouth who don’t feel safe andthink they need to protectthemselves.

• A youth punched a staffmember in the jaw afterattempting to stab anotheryouth in the neck and back. • A staff member had to behospitalized after he wasrepeatedly kicked in the headby a youth who has assaultedseveral other staff.

Chaos follows closure

LOCAL 801 CHIEF STEWARDShannon McDermott saidmanagement wasn’t preparedto deal with maximum-securi-ty violent offenders when theywere transferred from Joliet.

“The maximum-securityyouths feel very entitled. Theydon’t feel like they have toabide by the rules and there’sno respect for anyone,” shesaid. “If they have a question,you have to respond immedi-ately and in the exact mannerthey want or there’s going tobe trouble.”

The union raised con-

cerns that youth being trans-ferred from Joliet requiredoversight different from thenorm at Kewanee, but thedepartment did little toensure the facility or the staffwas prepared.

“Joliet held themaccountable for actions anddidn’t give in to demands,”Local 801 Vice President JimHardy said. “When theybrought them here, manage-ment didn’t have a clue howto handle these guys.”

With management prov-ing unresponsive to employ-ees’ concerns, Local 801members recently met with

lawmakers, including Reps.Mike Smiddy (D) and DonMoffitt (R), to talk aboutother solutions. Williams saidnearly every member of thelocal who wasn’t on dutyattended the meeting, reflect-ing the urgency of the issue.

Problems at Kewaneeneed to be solved soon,Williams said, or the facility’sability to provide a vital ser-vice will suffer. Some employ-ees are already leaving forother, safer jobs, fearing thatthe consequences of stayingcould be deadly.

“When your staff are will-ing to take a pay cut to go toanother department, thatthrows up a lot of red flags.Then we get new staff comein for a couple weeks andthey quit,” he said. “Some-body’s going to get killed or seriously injured if some-thing isn’t done soon. It wasbad before, but it’s intolera-ble now.”

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“Somebody’s going toget killed or seriouslyinjured if something isn’t done soon.” — Tod Williams

On the Move February - March 2015 5

The fiscal 2016budget proposed byGov. Bruce Raunerwould make lifemore difficult for Illinoisans whodepend on vital public services whileasking nothing of thewealthy and largecorporations.

THE GOVERNOR’S PROPOSAL,REVEALED FEB. 18, CALLS FOR ASTAGGERING $6.7 BILLION INcuts that would harm a multi-tude of state agencies. Andthe proposed cuts go wellbeyond state government, hit-ting universities, local govern-ments and community non-profit agencies.

“The governor is wrong topropose a budget that givesbillions in tax breaks to corpo-rations and the wealthy whilemaking billions in cuts to vitalpublic services,” Council 31Executive Director RobertaLynch said. “The people ofIllinois want and deserve poli-cies that improve public ser-vices, grow the middle classand offer fair solutions to ourstate’s real problems – notextreme cuts.”

The only bit of good newsin the governor’s proposalwas his plan to hire 470 addi-tional correctional officers.

“That’s undoubtedly astep in the right direction forDOC,” Lynch said. “But muchmore is needed.”

Widespread impact

GOV. RAUNER’S BUDGET PLANwould significantly limit theability of departments likeDCFS and Human Services to

help some of the state’s mostvulnerable residents. Com-bined, the two departmentswould have to cut around 700positions under the gover-nor’s plan.

The budget plan wouldalso cut funding to state uni-versities by one-third, whichcould result in job cuts andtuition increases. Cuts infunding to local governmentswould also likely require lay-offs and reductions in servicesin cities and counties acrossIllinois.

The governor also pro-posed cutting the pensionand health insurance benefitsof state and state universityemployees. He wants to shiftcurrent employees to a lowertier of benefits or a 401(k)-type plan as of July 1 – a movethat would violate the stateconstitution’s pension protec-tion language.

The health insurance cutshe is pushing for would

increase health care costs foremployees and reduce thequality of care to which theyhave access.

“State and universityemployees have already shoul-dered significantly higherhealth care costs in recentyears,” Lynch said. “If the gov-ernor intends to propose fur-ther changes to health cover-age or employee costs, hemust do so as part of statecontract negotiations nowunderway.”

The burden of proposedcuts to Medicaid would fall onthe backs of struggling fami-lies, home health careproviders, nursing homes andcommunity disability agen-cies.

The wide-ranging cutsmean that all AFSCME mem-bers have a big stake in thebudget battles that are nowgetting underway in Spring-field.

“The involvement of

AFSCME members, telling thestory of the services and valuethey provide, will be essentialto convincing lawmakers toreject the governor’s propos-al,” Lynch said.

An unbalanced plan

WHILE MAKING DEEP CUTS TOvital services, Rauner’s budgetleaves untouched $2 billion intax giveaways and loopholesthat benefit large corpora-tions and the wealthy.

It also contains no newrevenue, leaving in place theincome tax rates that tookeffect on Jan. 1. An analysis bythe nonpartisan Center forTax and Budget Accountabili-ty found that the expirationof 2014 tax rates is draining$5 billion a year from stategovernment – $1.2 billion ofwhich is going to the top 3percent of income-earnersalone, with another $1.3 bil-lion to corporations.

“The governor in effectwants to fund these giveawaysto big corporations and thewealthy few by making morethan $5 billion in cuts toessential public services,harming every Illinois resi-dent but especially thosestruggling to join or remainpart of the middle class,”Lynch said.

CHESTER HOUSES SOME OF THEMOST DANGEROUS CRIMINALS IN

THE STATE – MEN DEEMED NOTguilty by reason of insanity,along with accused criminalswho have been found unfit tostand trial. Assaults on staffare common and costly, inmore ways than one.

“It’s been bad for a while

and it’s getting worse due tothe fact that they have ourmembers afraid to step upand do their jobs,” Local 424President Randy Clover said.“If we try to contain a patientthese days, there are so manypeople looking at what wedo.”

Eyes are on employees all

the time, thanks to wide-spread use of security camerasat the facility. Managementhas claimed the cameras areto help improve safety andmonitor patients, but employ-ees believe they’re the oneswho are actually beingwatched.

“Instead of viewing thevideo after violent incidents atregular speed, managementwatches the video over andover in slow motion, lookingfor any deviation from train-ing,” a Council 31 report onChester found. “Managementfails to recognize that thevideo image captures staffengaged in an incident thatmay result in their not goinghome that night, making split-second decisions.”

Management’s practiceshave resulted in employeesbeing disciplined for pettyinfractions, like placing theirhands on their hips, as well asfor taking reasonable mea-sures to defend themselvesand co-workers.

Punished for self-defense

BEN SAUER, A SECURITY THERAPY

aide, was dismissed fromChester MHC last summerafter he and a co-worker tookaction to restrain a patient whowas threatening them.

“Every time he came pasthe’d accuse us of stealing hisstuff and threaten to beat usup,” Sauer said.

After the patient refusedto go to his room and contin-ued making threats, Sauer andhis co-worker decided toaddress the threat.

“We placed him in a physi-cal hold and got him out of thechair, walked him to therestraint door, and placed himin restraints.”

The decision to restrainthe patient, who wasunharmed during the incident,was made by a nurse at thefacility. Yet management camedown hard on Sauer almostimmediately, placing him for60 days in a control room withno duties.

“We’re sitting there on dis-play so that when people comeinto work, they know that wedid something wrong,” he said.

After that, Sauer was toldto not return to the facility andeventually found out he hadbeen found guilty of physical

abuse. Sauer, who is fighting tobe reinstated through thegrievance process, said hisexperience has made others atChester afraid to deal with dan-gerous situations.

Council 31 has recom-mended several policy changesat Chester to address violence– and management’s responseto it:• Focus on violence preven-tion, not on staff punishment.• Provide clear directives tostaff on when to engagepatients acting destructively,without second-guessing.• Provide staff training that isrealistic about the type ofpatients Chester treats.• End the distorted use ofvideo camera monitoring.

Michelle Swallers, a securi-ty therapy aide who has missedmonths of work while recover-ing from injuries sufferedwhen a patient attacked her,said it was time for suchchanges, and time for manage-ment to back its employees.

“Anytime there’s a com-plaint they come down on usand the patient sees that,” shesaid. “The patient gets awaywith things while they under-mine us.”

Chester MHC employees demandaction to reduce violence

WORKERS AT RISK:

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Employees at Chester Mental HealthCenter are calling for action by theDepartment of Human Services toreduce the threat of violence and end man-agement practices that make it difficult forworkers to defend themselves in dangeroussituations.

Chester MHC employees have picketed before todemand management focus on employee safety.

Governor’s budget would mean devastatingcuts to services

6 On the Move February - March 2015

PROFITEERING DOESN’T REQUIREA WAR, THOUGH, ESPECIALLYWHEN CASH-STRAPPED STATE ANDlocal governments are desper-ate to balance budgets butunwilling to raise revenues – asituation currently plaguingIllinois. Today’s profiteerstake advantage of this sce-nario by offering to privatizegovernment jobs and services– often through a subparreplacement.

Since they answer toinvestors instead of the public,profiteers can too often windup distorting the service theyprovide into one that actuallyundermines the public inter-est, rather than upholding it.

Maximus: Money wasted, healthcare put at risk

WHEN SELLING THEIR SERVICESto governments, profiteersalways lead with the promiseof cost savings. Yet one of themost recent attempts at priva-tization in Illinois would havecost the state millions hadAFSCME not taken action.

When the state neededhelp with Medicaid eligibilityredeterminations, instead ofhiring more staff, it enteredinto a contract with Maximus,a private firm that promisedefficiency and savings.

Instead, the result was

confusion and waste.“It caused confusion for

both our customers and themembers,” said human servicecaseworker Dena McGill, whotestified at the arbitrationhearing on a grievance filedby the union to challenge thesubcontracting. “It took usaway from processing applica-tions for food stamps and

TANF when we’re alreadyunderstaffed and over-worked.”

AFSCME’s evidencedemonstrated that the statewould save over $18.1 milliona year by using state employ-ees instead of using a contrac-tor – a figure the state neverdisputed.

Eventually, the state and

the union came to an agree-ment to end the contract withMaximus – before more dam-age could be done.

Privatized probation:Criminalizing poverty

ONE OF THE MOST EXTREMEexamples of profit-making atthe expense of the publicgood is the growing privatiza-tion of probation services.

In an expose published in2014, the Atlanta Journal-Con-stitution found that privatiz-ing the state’s probation pro-gram resulted in the creationof what were effectivelydebtors’ prisons after privatefirms imposed excessive feeson those serving probation.

The newspaper’s report-ing found that, in one exam-ple, a private company’smonthly charge for supervis-ing a felony probationer wasnearly double the fee chargedby a court that providedsupervision on its own.

“There are also add-onfees, and probationers can berequired to pay even more fordrug testing, electronic moni-toring and classes,” the Jour-nal-Constitution reported.

The complicated schemeof fees resulted in people who

The term “profiteering” conjuresimages of cutthroat companies tak-ing advantage of a war to make aquick buck. w

Hope Creek nursing home remainsunder public control

When RockIslandCounty vot-ers narrowly rejecteda November referen-dum aimed at ensur-ing the Hope Creeknursing homeremained in publichands, employeesand supporters ofthe facility feared theworst: privatization.

LESS THAN THREE MONTHSLATER, HOWEVER, THOSE WHOWANTED TO KEEP THE HOME

under public control foundanother path to victory. InJanuary, the Rock IslandCounty Board – after talkswith nursing home employees– voted to retain ownership of the home while creating an independent board thatwill oversee its operationsand hire a management com-pany to run the home day-to-day.

“I think it’s a workablesolution. As a union, we went

in and sat down with manage-ment and discussed differentoptions,” said Rhonda West-morland, a receptionist at thehome and vice president ofLocal 2371. “It’s not my firstchoice but I can work withthis.”

Recovering from a loss

AFTER THE REFERENDUM FAILEDto approve a needed tax levyfor the home, spirits were low– Hope Creek employees andthe community had workedhard to gather support forthe referendum, only to loseby a narrow margin.

“I was devastated. We hadworked very long and hard onit,” Local 2371 President Shel-ley Close said. “Everybody wasconcerned they were justgoing to up and sell thehome.”

Prospects began toimprove, however, when theLocal 2371 bargaining teamand the county board decidedto incorporate talks about thehome’s future into ongoingcontract negotiations.

“We were bargaining thethird year of the contract andfigured we should talk aboutthe big picture,” Council 31

staff representative MiguelMorga said. “We checked ouregos at the door, sat downand got to work. We wereable to create an alternativeto this sell-or-lose moneymentality.”

A workable plan

NURSING HOME EMPLOYEESagreed to changes in schedul-ing procedures that wouldreduce expenses without low-ering pay or benefits. Thetalks also produced the idea

of an independent oversightboard that would includehealth care experts, hopefullyremoving politics from futuredecisions on the home’s operations.

“The county board doesn’t know a lot about run-ning a nursing home andthey’re hoping this indepen-dent board can change that,”Close said.

Nursing home employeesfelt the management compa-ny wasn’t a necessary elementof the plan, but a majority of

the county board disagreed.And that choice was far betterthan selling or leasing thehome, which would have putit under the control of a for-profit entity.

“My grandmother livedhere. She worked her wholelife in this community sup-porting the community,”Westmorland said. “She need-ed a place to go. Under thesale or lease option, she’dhave no place to go. It’simportant to keep HopeCreek here for our people.”

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Profiteers distort publicservices for personal profits

Employees and supporters of Hope Creek nursinghome packed Rock Island County Board meetingsto demand the home stay under public control.

On the Move February - March 2015 7

In February, theCook CountyBoard got a tasteof the frustrationthat’s been buildingfor more than twoyears among Countyemployees seeking afair contract.

SOME 90 AFSCME MEMBERSREPRESENTING 15 COOK COUN-TY LOCAL UNIONS PACKED THE

hearing room at a Feb. 10County Board meeting – ashow of unity county commis-sioners were unable to ignore.

Over more than two yearsof bargaining, county employ-ees have repeatedly rejectedproposals from County BoardPresident Toni Preckwinkle’sadministration that wouldhave represented a cut intake-home pay. Plus, theCounty is still demanding thatemployees give up almost allretroactive pay.

Management has yet toput a credible economic pack-age on the table, insisting thebargaining committee agree

to increased healthinsurance costs whilerefusing to offer fairwage increases – a pro-posal that amounts to acut in pay after twoyears without a raise.

“Progress has beenincremental, and I’mbeing generous when Isay that,” said JoeGump, a member ofLocal 3315 who serveson the county bargain-ing team.

Still, what move-ment has come duringnegotiations has oftenfollowed direct actionby members, including infor-mational pickets, CountyBoard actions, and calls toPreckwinkle’s office. The bar-gaining team hopes the bigshowing at the County Boardhearing will increase the pres-sure even further.

“The importance of ademonstration like this is tosend a consistent message toPresident Preckwinkle that wedeserve a fair contract,” Local1767 President Steve Ramseysaid. “We want her to under-stand that we’re the frontlinecounty workers who make thecounty work.”

Ramsey said the actionsare starting to generateresults.

“We had commissionersspeaking up on our behalfand that has never happenedduring previous commissionmeetings,” he said. “I thinkthat showed President Preck-winkle that they’d like to seesome movement.”

A lack of commitment

THE COUNTY’S APPROACH TObargaining was a major focusof testimony given by Council31 regional director Helen

Thornton.“It is hard for our mem-

bers to believe that thisadministration has a genuinecommitment to the collectivebargaining process when wecome to bargaining sessionafter bargaining session andsee almost no movement onthe County’s part,” she said.“The County is still insistingthat we accept almost noretroactive pay and pay higherhealth insurance costs thatwould take a big bite out ofany proposed wage increase.This is unacceptable.”

After two years without a

pay raise, economic real-ities are hurting countyemployees’ quality oflife, Thornton said.

“They have mort-gage payments to make,tuition bills that aredue. Some are saving topurchase their firsthome; others are wor-ried about paying theirtaxes,” she said. “Theydeserve decent wages.They deserve a fair con-tract.”

Chuck Luna, presi-dent of Local 2226,which represents correc-tional lieutenants, said

the county needs to change itsapproach to talks.

“They claim they’re brokeconsistently, but they keephiring directors and other topbrass,” he said. “It’s arrogantand shows a lack of concernfor the employees.”

Luna said that while pre-vious actions have producedresults, more members stillneed to get involved, too.

“I think we need to havemore actions but also morepeople at the actions we dohave,” he said. “We need tostand unified in order tomake this work.”

Cook County employees keep pushing for fair settlement

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Rauner bombshell doesn’t deterstate bargaining committee

The first meet-ing betweenthe AFSCMEstate bargaining com-mittee and negotia-tors from Gov. BruceRauner’s administra-tion was marked notby talks inside theroom, but by whathappened outside it.

IN THE MIDST OF THE FIRST DAYOF TALKS, THE COMMITTEELEARNED OF RAUNER’S EXECU-tive order forbidding stateagencies from collecting “fair-share” fees from bargainingunit members who are not inthe union – a direct violationof the current state masteragreement. The executive

order was obviously timed tocoincide with the first day ofbargaining, and to set thetone for future bargainingsessions.

After Council 31 Execu-tive Director Roberta Lynchdenounced Rauner’s order,the entire bargaining commit-tee launched a spontaneousdemonstration of solidarity,chanting as state negotiatorsleft the room.

“The bargaining commit-tee isn’t going to let Gov.Rauner’s actions distractthem from their purpose,”Council 31 Deputy DirectorMike Newman said. “We’redetermined to negotiate a faircontract.”

A chance for community outreach

SINCE RAUNER ISSUED HIS EXEC-utive order, his attack on pub-

lic employee unions has dom-inated the headlines – notjust in Illinois, but on thefront pages of national news-papers.

Rauner’s actions haveraised public awareness ofunions in a way rarely seen inIllinois. That presents anopportunity, Lynch said.

“There is an awareness of unions right now that givesus an opening to strengthenties in our communities,” she said. “With Rauner sounfairly attacking stateemployees, we have an oppor-tunity to engage with commu-nity groups and other organi-zations and seek theirsupport.”

That support will beessential in the fight for a faircontract and the union is pre-pared to tell the story of thework state employees do andthe challenges they face.

“Politicians like BruceRauner have the bully pulpitat any hour of the day ornight to advance their ownagenda,” Lynch said. “Stateworkers, on the other hand,are out on the frontlines atevery hour of the day andnight doing the real work ofstate government. That’s whyAFSCME is putting a high pri-ority on telling their stories.”

What’s at stake

THE UNION AND THE RAUNERadministration have yet toexchange formal proposals,but if the governor’s wordsand actions are any indica-tion, the contract fight will bea tough one.

In an appearance at theUniversity of Chicago aheadof his State of the Stateaddress, Rauner blamed Illi-nois’ $4 billion budget short-

fall on what he alleged werefrontline employees’ highsalaries and excessively gener-ous benefits – a claim thatrelies upon heavily massaged,cherry-picked data.

Rauner’s also criticizedprevious union contracts as“sweetheart deals,” implyingthat the terms were undulybeneficial to state workers as aresult of union political con-tributions.

“Nothing could be far-ther from the truth,” Lynchsaid. “Every union contractwe’ve won was hard-fought,sometimes taking many, manymonths and plenty ofactivism. Despite the gover-nor’s actions and rhetoric, weare still prepared to negotiatein good faith on a contractthat recognizes the hard workperformed by state employeesevery day.”

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8 On the Move February - March 2015

At a time when the labor movement in Illinois is under attack asnever before, Rockford and its surrounding communities showthat the spirit of solidarity remains strong.Union pride runs deep in RockfordThe Rockford Symbol stands as a monument to the city’s past as an industrial center and also repre-sents the hope of forging a new identity for the future.

On the Move February - March 2015 9

At a time when the labor movement in Illinois is under attack asnever before, Rockford and its surrounding communities showthat the spirit of solidarity remains strong.Union pride runs deep in RockfordThat spirit was on display at a recent Rockford City Council meeting. Head Start employees turned out to urge city aldermen to put pressure on negotiators to reach a fair settlement. They’ve gone six years without a raise, despite performing vital work helping the city’s low-income childrenand families.

“We’re trying to get the city to be more involved,” said Kris-ten Hughes, an assistant teacher at Head Start and member ofLocal 1058, which represents the employees. “Aldermen needto become knowledgeable on what our program does and howwe impact the community.”

Head Start employees weren’t alone, though. Even thoughthe meeting was held on a night with freezing temperatures –and one day after a historic blizzard hit northern Illinois – theRockford labor movement turned out in force to back up theirunion brothers and sisters.

“I think we always have good numbers out supporting eachother – police unions, fire unions, city and county workers,we’re always there to help each other,” said Rusty McClain, aretired state employee. “We just have a really good networkhere in Rockford.”

At the city council meeting, AFSCME members who workfor the City of Rockford, local public schools, community dis-ability agencies and Winnebago County were all on hand.Members of other unions, including the United Auto Workers,were also in attendance.

“We tend to all help each other. We have some of the sameproblems,” said Betty Christensen, a paraprofessional for theRockford School District. “When we had our struggles we hada lot of other AFSCME people that came and walked with us.”

AFSCME HELPS SPARK A LABOR REVIVAL

Rockford has long been a working-class town where laborunions were deeply entwined in the fabric of daily life.“Rockford was famous for being a union town because of

the factories and the UAW,” said Kathy Lane, President of Local448, which represents state employees. “The laborers and thebuilding trades are very strong in the Rockford area.”

Yet the face of labor in Rockford is changing, for reasonsbad and good. As has been the case in similar communities,Rockford’s manufacturing base has eroded during the past 30years. But at the same time, public employees, many represent-ed by AFSCME, have made themselves a formidable force.

“I think it’s a combination of good leadership we’ve had inthis area and knowing how important it is to make sure themembers are aware of day-to-day things going on, not just withtheir locals but with the surrounding locals,” said Jay Ferraro, arecently retired Council 31 staff representative who led the first

wave of public employee organizing in the area in the 1970s.Today a new wave is taking hold. In recent months,

employees at community disability agencies like Milestoneand Mosaic have organized under the AFSCME banner. Para-professionals and county deputy clerks, long represented byAFSCME, have had to rekindle their organizing fervor in orderto win fierce battles for new contracts that fairly value the workthey do.

“I think the community as a whole is starting to recognizewe need strong unions and more union members because thatwill help their economy,” Lane said. “The better our wages, themore money that goes into the community.”

WELCOMING NEWCOMERS

New union members have quickly been accepted into thefold. Leaders of new AFSCME locals at community disabili-ty agencies are already attending meetings of Rockford UnitedLabor – the area’s umbrella organization for the labor move-ment.

“It was such an overwhelming, amazing feeling,” said NicoleHenson, who was recently elected president of Local 2512 atMilestone. “There’s a lot of camaraderie. You know you’re notalone in whatever fight you’re going through. I think it showsthat the working sector is more united than we realize and Ididn’t experience that until we got a union. Until then, I thoughtwe were alone in the universe.”

Ferraro said including young workers is essential to keep-ing labor strong in Rockford.

“It’s about continually educating the younger work forcethat’s coming in to know where we came from,” he said. “Peo-ple nowadays are hired and they don’t remember – how couldthey? – the years we struggled with wage freezes or paltryincreases.”

Challenges still remain, though. Recently organizedemployees at Rock River Academy, another community disabil-ity agency, were devastated to learn their facility would beclosing. Locally, some politicians are opposed to unions andany attacks on labor coming from Springfield would be felthard in Rockford.

But those who are working to weaken the middle class willhave a tough time succeeding if workers remain united – andin Rockford, they are determined to do just that.

“We’re all a really tight-knit group and we all support eachother in whatever endeavors we have,” said Garry Caccia-paglia, president of Local 1058. “If there’s a rally for the busdrivers or the paraprofessionals, I want to be a part of that. Iwant to support them because I know if I need their support,they’ll be there for us.”

10 On the Move February - March 2015

Chicago runoff election offerschance to elect pro-worker aldermen

SOME OF THOSE CANDIDATES ARERUNNING FOR OPEN SEATS WHILE

OTHERS ARE WAGING UPHILL BAT-tles against entrenched incum-bents. In two Chicago wards,incumbents with strongAFSCME voting records are fac-

ing stiff challenges in therunoff.

In the northwest side’s 45thWard, Ald. John Arena – one ofthe few members of the CityCouncil with a 100 percentAFSCME voting record – will

face off against John Garrido ina rematch of their 2011 runoff,which Arena won by only 29votes. Garrido has the backingof Mayor Rahm Emanuel’spolitical operation.

The contest in the southside’s 16th Ward will pitAFSCME-backed Ald. ToniFoulkes against Stephanie Cole-man, the daughter of a formeralderman. Foulkes has an 83percent AFSCME voting record.Though she is an incumbent,her ward map was changedgreatly by redistricting.

AFSCME members in thosewards should be prepared to

not just cast their ballot onApril 7, but also volunteer theirtime.

“Aldermen who stand withworking people need to knowthat working people also standwith them,” said AdrienneAlexander, AFSCME’s CityCouncil lobbyist.

Important victories

AFSCME’S PEOPLE PRO-gram provided volunteers andresources to several candidateswho won outright in the Feb. 24election.

Those victories include the

38th Ward, where incumbentAld. Nick Sposato won morethan 53 percent of the votedespite a new ward map thatrequired him to introduce him-self to scores of new voters.Sposato has a 100 percentAFSCME voting record.

The union also helpedelect two new voices to thecouncil: In the 35th Ward, Car-los Ramirez-Rosa defeatedincumbent Rey Colón. In the17th Ward, David Moore waselected to an open seat. Bothcandidates have pledged to be avoice for working families intheir wards.

Employees in Kankakee, Lakecounties latest to join AFSCME

Two groups ofemployees,both frustrat-ed with their workingconditions, are thelatest to successfullyorganize a unionwith AFSCME.

AT THE KANKAKEE COUNTYTRAINING CENTER (KCTC) INBRADLEY, EMPLOYEES VOTED TOorganize in order to be ableto work together for greaterfairness.

“A lot of family membersof management were comingin and getting hired into posi-tions over people that hadbeen there for years,” saidPriscilla Williams, a direction-al trainer and a leader of theorganizing effort. “Certainconsequences wouldn’t applyto certain people. Someonewould be written up for some-thing and then someonewould do the same thing andnothing would happen tothem.”

Williams is one of manyKCTC employees who pro-vide vocational training toadults with developmentaldisabilities. The agency con-tracts with outside companiesthat pay the adults to assem-ble, sort and package goods.KCTC also has a residentialprogram for about 60 adultswho live in group homesthroughout the area.

High turnover has been aproblem at KCTC. The revolv-ing door of employees madeit more difficult to providequality services, since peoplewith developmental disabili-ties often have difficultyadjusting to new people andnew routines.

“More than anything theyneed consistency,” saidDorothy Robinson, a directsupport provider who worksin one of the group homes.“They need to know the sameperson is coming at the sametime every day.”

When AFSCME organiz-ers began to meet with KCTCemployees, they found thebiggest barrier was lingeringpessimism from previousfailed attempts at organizing.

“Getting them over thathurdle and realizing this timewould be different was diffi-cult,” Council 31 organizerJenny Vitzileos said. “But theissues were still there, theconcerns were still there. Peo-ple felt they had nothing tolose – they were basically mak-

ing minimum wage.”Employees hope that they

can now negotiate a contractthat improves wages and putsclear, consistent policies inplace so that they can focuson the residents they serve.

“I’m providing care so thatour adults can work in the com-munity,” Williams said. “I loveit. I wouldn’t have been herefor 10 years otherwise.”

Quick path to majorityin Lake County

SOME ORGANIZING CAMPAIGNStake months or even years toreach a conclusion. Butthanks to a well-orchestratedeffort, Lake County CircuitClerk employees managed tosign up a majority of their co-workers only a few days aftertaking their campaign public.

Workplace conditions inthe Circuit Clerk’s office tooka turn for the worse after anew clerk took over in 2013.Policies were either unknownto employees or unevenlyenforced. Unfair treatment

was on the rise.“People were getting writ-

ten up for petty stuff and poli-cies weren’t being enforcedacross the board,” said JamieHacker, a principal courtclerk. “I was written up forhaving a disagreement withmy partner and even thoughwe handled it by ourselveswithout involving anyone else,we still got written up.”

Employees in the CircuitClerk’s office knew thatAFSCME had experience rep-resenting workers at similaroffices in counties through-out the state. With morale lowand conditions not improv-ing, they decided to buildsupport for a union.

Leaders of the organizingeffort worked quickly by visit-ing co-workers after hours.Within a matter of days, amajority of employees hadsigned cards expressing sup-port for a union – catchingmanagement off guard.

“It’s a testament to theleaders and how determinedthey were to move this for-

ward,” Council 31 organizerDavid Marlow said. “We had areally tight plan before welaunched. Once we went pub-lic it was so quick manage-ment didn’t have a chance torespond.”

Rather than moving for-ward in a constructive man-ner with the newly-formedunion in his office, the Cir-cuit Court Clerk has usedlegal maneuvers to delayrecognition of the union.Despite these attempts tostall, Council 31 organizersare confident that the unionwill be certified.

More than ever, employ-ees are committed to winningrecognition and moving on tocontract talks.

“We just want somerespect,” said Jennifer Price, aprincipal court clerk. “Wewant a disciplinary policy andprocedure. A raise would benice, but really that’s not ourtop priority. We just wantsome security and want toknow someone will have ourbacks and fight for us.”

wEmployees at the Lake County Circuit Clerk’s office(left) and the Kankakee County Training Center(right) have voted to form unions with AFSCME.

The April 7 runoff election in Chicagowill give voters in nine of the city’swards the opportunity to elect alder-men who have pledged to be a voice forworking families and have earned AFSCME’sendorsement.

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On the Move February - March 2015 11

Chicago cab driversraise money for fallencolleague

GROWING A UNION IS ABOUTmore than contracts and bar-

gaining – it’s also about build-ing a community of workerswho will support one anotherin times of need.

Members of Cab DriversUnited/AFSCME did just that

when they learned of the Jan.8 shooting death of cab driverChinedu Madu. To honorMadu and support his widowand young son, the driversraised money to help withfuneral costs.

Cab drivers also want tosee the City of Chicago imple-ment reforms to protect thewell-being of the city’s 12,000drivers so that such tragediesbecome far more rare. Thecommunity of cab drivers wasrattled again in Februarywhen another driver, SenecaRichardson, was shot duringan attempted robbery.

“Every single day we head

out onto the road, we providemillions of Chicagoans a vitalservice, but we’re also primetargets for violent crime,” saidDavid Adenenkan, a Cab Dri-vers United member.

Adenenkan spoke at abrief memorial for Madu atO’Hare Airport. The driversalso held a memorial at Mid-way Airport, with Madu’s fami-ly present for both memorials.

“We talked about neededreforms to ensure each and every one of us make ithome safely to our families at the end of a shift,” saidCheryl Regina Miller, a long-time Chicago cab driver whospoke at the Midway Airportmemorial.

Koch Brothers andallies plan to spend$900 million on 2016elections

CHARLES AND DAVID KOCH –the billionaire industrialistswho head a vast network oforganizations dedicated toweakening unions and themiddle class – are planning a$900 million campaign aimedat swaying the 2016 electionsin their favor.

The vast amount ofmoney, provided by the Kochsand their like-minded allies,will put their organization atthe same level, financially,as the Democratic and

Republican parties.But while political parties

and candidates must disclosethe source of their dollars,much of the Koch network –which consists of only a fewhundred wealthy individuals –operates in secret throughorganizations that do notneed to report the source oftheir funding.

If past elections are anyindication, this money will gotoward electing candidateswho back the Koch agenda:eliminating unions, cuttingtaxes on the rich, weakeningregulations on big businessand gutting programs thathelp the poor, elderly andstruggling working families.

“The Kochs and theirallies are simply trying to buyelections,” Council 31 DeputyDirector, Mike Newman said.“The only way to counter suchvast amounts of money is forAFSCME members – and allworking people – to becomeengaged and involved.”

Lawsuits on pensioncuts, back wages continue

THE CASE AGAINST THE LAWknown as SB 1, which reducesthe pension benefits of SERS,SURS and TRS participants,remains before the Supreme

SHORT REPORTS

Continued on page 12

In his State of theState address, Gov.Bruce Rauner saidlocal governmentsshould be allowed toimplement what hecalled “employeeempowerment zones”– but there’s nothingempowering aboutthem.

THESE ZONES ARE JUST ANOTHERNAME FOR “RIGHT-TO-WORK,” APOLICY DESIGNED TO ELIMINATE

unions and weaken the voice ofworkers.

Supporters of “right-to-work” tend to describe it withlanguage designed to distort itsreal purpose and confuse vot-ers. The real truth is far moresinister.

What is “right-to-work”?

IN “RIGHT-TO-WORK” STATES,employees in the private sector

who are covered by a collectivebargaining agreement do nothave to pay any dues or fees tothe union to cover the cost ofrepresenting them in bargain-ing, grievances and other mat-

ters. This is different than instates like Illinois, whereemployees represented by aunion either pay dues or a fair-share fee that covers the basiccosts of representing them.

What does this have to do with my right to work?

NOTHING. MUCH LIKE “EMPLOY-ee empowerment zone,” the term “right-to-work” isdesigned to hide the policy’sreal intent. No one in theUnited States is required tojoin a union as a condition ofemployment. In Illinois andother states with strongunions, workers who benefitfrom a collective bargainingagreement can be required topay a fee covering the union’sservices – usually less than fullmembership dues. But instates that have passed “right-

to-work” laws, that fee isoptional.

Who’s behind Right-to Work laws?

RIGHT-TO-WORK LAWS ARE A TOPpriority for organizations likethe Illinois Policy Institute, theU.S. Chamber of Commerce,the National Right to WorkCommittee and the AmericanLegislative Exchange Council(ALEC).

These groups, thanks tofunding from large corpora-tions and the wealthy, makecontributions to anti-workerpoliticians and fuel massivecampaigns aimed at convincingofficials and the public thatright-to-work is good policy.States that have recently adopt-ed right-to-work laws have usedALEC’s model legislation.

These organizations and their backers have consis-tently opposed unions andhave worked to dismantleother programs, like SocialSecurity, that help middle-class Americans.

Continued on page 15

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Why “right-to-work” is wrong for Illinois

Photo courtesy of Joe Brusky– Overpass Light Brigade

In states like Illinois, the law allows unions representingpublic employees to collect the proportionate share (“fairshare”) of the costs of representation related to wages andconditions of employment from employees who don’t join theunion. That’s because these employees still receive the bene-fits of union representation.

Fair-share fees ensure that everyone in a union-represent-ed workplace contributes to the cost of the union’s activitiesfrom which they benefit. Otherwise workers who pay theirdues are forced to “subsidize” those workers who don’t – a sit-uation identical to that created in the private sector when

states pass “right-to-work” legislation.Whether it’s a ban on the collection of fair-share fees or

the passage of “right-to-work,” the impact is the same: non-members can refuse to contribute anything toward the cost ofthe union representation from which they benefit.

The intent is not to help workers, but rather to weakenunions and prevent workers from coming together to improvetheir lives.

Studies have shown that allowing employees to benefitfrom the union’s efforts without contributing toward costseventually lowers the standard of living of all workers.

BANNING FAIR-SHARE FEES = “RIGHT-TO-WORK”

12 On the Move February - March 2015

2015 legislative agenda: Defend union rights, protectstrong public services

Confronting agovernor whoseems deter-mined to weakenunions in Illinois, agaping hole in thestate budget and con-tinued threats to thefuture of publicemployee pensions,AFSCME membershave no shortage ofitems on their legislative agenda.

THE CHALLENGES AND GOALSFOR THE YEAR WERE THE MAIN

FOCUS OF THE ANNUAL COUNCIL31 Legislative Conference,held Jan. 24 in Springfield.Some 500 delegates repre-senting AFSCME locals fromthroughout the state gatheredto adopt the agenda and dis-cuss strategies for moving itforward.

Blocking Gov. BruceRauner’s anti-worker propos-als – including bringing so-called right-to-work zones toIllinois and weakening theability of public employees toparticipate in the politicalprocess – may be the highestpriority for the year.

“That’s where the battle is going to be,” Council 31Executive Director RobertaLynch told the delegates. “Bruce Rauner and the corporate elite in this stateare not stopping and they’renot relenting. We have to be prepared to respond inkind.”

Rauner has amassed a $20million war chest to help himadvance his political agenda.Competing with that will

require not only a strongPEOPLE program, but also anunprecedented effort to makethe public aware of the valueof public services and theemployees who provide them.

“We have to reach outinto the community and put areal human face on who weare,” Lynch said. “We have totalk to our friends and neigh-bors and let them know whatpublic employees do. Grass-roots action can beat bigmoney if enough union mem-bers are involved.”

Preserving gains, pushing for progress

THE KEY ISSUES ON THE AGENDAagreed upon by delegatesfocus on preserving hard-wongains while also makingprogress on several importantissues:• Raising the revenues need-ed to sustain vital services atall levels of government.• Passing a state budget thatavoids layoffs, facility closuresand cuts to public services.• Putting on the 2016 ballot aproposed constitutional

amendment that would allowthe state to implement a “fairtax” with higher rates onhigher incomes and lowerrates on lower incomes.• Increasing funding to com-munity disability agencies inorder to improve the wages of

direct support providers.• Opposing any legislationthat would weaken pensionprotections in the state consti-tution.• Opposing any legislationthat would allow any form of“right-to-work” in Illinois.

• Opposing any legislationthat would reduce the abilityof public employees and theirunions to participate in thepolitical process.• Opposing any legislationthat would weaken workers’compensation, unemploy-ment insurance and otherprograms that help strugglingfamilies.

Bipartisan allies

WHILE THE WEALTHY ELITEstands opposed to the union’sgoals, public employees stillhave allies in Springfield onboth sides of the aisle.

Republican state Sen.Sam McCann, who spoke atthe conference, defendedpublic employees.

“I never thought I’d see atime when it would be a parti-san issue to support workingpeople,” McCann said. “Itburdens my heart to knowyou get up every day and goto work to serve the publicand yet it’s almost impossiblefor you to be respected bysome. This isn’t about parti-sanship or politics, it’s aboutpeople.”

Democratic state TreasurerMike Frerichs, who took officein January, spoke in support ofthe right of public employeeunions to be involved in thepolitical process.

“I stand with you to pro-mote the common good inevery corner of the state, andit is under attack,” treasurerFrerichs told the delegates. “Iknow you want to be part ofthe solution. [That’s why] Ireject the argument againstunion involvement in shapingpublic policy. I encourage youto keep speaking out in yourcommunities and at our Capi-tol as well.”

Court with a hearing expect-ed in March.

The We Are One Illinoisunion coalition, which is lead-ing the fight against the law –and includes AFSCME as a

leading member – receivedgood news in January whenthe Supreme Court refused toaccept “amicus,” or “friend ofthe court” briefs filed by anarray of organizations sup-porting the law, which hasbeen declared unconstitution-al by a lower court.

Had the court acceptedthe briefs, the We Are OneIllinois coalition would havehad to spend time andresources responding to eachone, dragging out the lawsuit.The court’s rejection of thebriefs keeps the case on itsexisting schedule.

In January, Attorney Gen-eral Lisa Madigan’s officefiled a petition with the

Supreme Court asking it tohear an appeal of a lowercourt’s ruling that stateemployees owed back wagesunder the previous state mas-ter contract must be paid.Thousands of employeesfrom the departments of Cor-rections, Juvenile Justice, Nat-ural Resources, and HumanServices are still owed moneyfor wage increases withheld infiscal 2011 and 2012.

In September, a panel ofstate appellate court judgesruled that employees must bepaid the wages they are owed.

AFSCME attorneys haveurged the Supreme Court notto take up the state’s appeal.If the court does not take the

case, the Appellate Court’sruling will stand. If it doestake the case, there will befurther briefs and, very likely,oral arguments before theSupreme Court over the com-ing months.

Larry Marquardt Scholarship applications due April 17

COUNCIL 31 IS ACCEPTINGapplications through April 17for its annual Larry Mar-quardt Scholarship.

Applicants must be eithera member of AFSCME Coun-cil 31 or the dependent childof a Council 31 member or

retiree. Members must be ingood standing for at least oneyear. The scholarship is opento high school seniors andcollege students under theage of 25, as well as any Coun-cil 31 member who plans toattend school full-time.

Two scholarships of$1,000 each will be awardedfor each school year. Formore information and todownload an application, visitthe Council 31 website.

The scholarship honorsLarry Marquardt, the firstexecutive director of Council31 and a tireless organizerand union leader who dedi-cated his life to improving thelives of working people.

SHORTREPORTS

Continued from page 11

New state Treasurer Mike Frerichs defended the right of publicemployee unions to be involved in the political process.

State Sen. Sam McCann said public employeesdeserve respect from both political parties.

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On the Move February - March 2015 13

Champaign Countyworkers extend agreement for one year

WITH BUDGET UNCERTAINTYahead, the bargaining team forLocal 900 accepted an offerfrom management to extend agroup of contracts coveringChampaign County employees.

Under the 13-month exten-sion, wages will rise by 2 percentplus an amount required to off-set an increase in health insur-ance premiums.

“They’re in a budget transi-tion so it would have been hardto sit down and negotiate a con-tract,” local President MauriceTaylor said. “When we go intotalks next year we’ll know moreabout the financial situation thecounty’s in. We didn’t want tosit down until we definitelyknow what’s going on with thebudget and who we have towork with.”

Council 31 staff representa-tive Michael Wilmore said thebargaining committee was alsoeager to avoid another difficultbargaining process after a clashover the contract for the countynursing home.

“They had hired an outsideattorney who was not creating alot of goodwill,” Wilmore said.“I told the county administratorthat didn’t do them any goodand asked if we could avoid thaton the other contracts. It was atthat point they asked aboutreally simplifying it and just hav-ing a one-year extension.”

Attempt to gut contract in Galesburgdefeated

TALKS FOR A NEW CONTRACTcovering City of Galesburgemployees got off to a diffi-cult start, but ended with athree-year agreement thatincludes wage increases andno takeaways.

Management’s initial pro-posal was “ludicrous,” Local1173 President Rick Fieldersaid.

“Initially they wanted torewrite virtually our entirecontract,” he said. “The initialproposal was so ridiculous wecouldn’t even talk to them.”

The bargaining team heldfirm until management tookits demands off the table.Eventually, the two sides cameto agreement on a contractthat includes a 2 percent wageincrease in each year.

“Once we got into negoti-ations they started withdraw-ing all that stuff and cameback to us with a reasonableproposal,” Council 31 staffrepresentative Randy Lynch

said. “They got the hint weweren’t going to do anythingwith what they had pro-posed.”

The bargaining teamincluded Lynch, Fielder, EricHeiden, Jason Asbury andMarc McMahon.

Quick resolution follows slow start inMacoupin County

MACOUPIN COUNTY EMPLOYEESwon wage increases of 2 per-cent per year for three yearsin two new contracts ratifiedin October.

Local 3176 PresidentSarah Oswald said talks had a“hard and slow” start but man-agement soon decided toaccept many of the bargain-ing team’s proposals.

“I’m not sure if theychanged their mind or werejust tired of dealing with us,”she said. “They had said theirlast offer on wages was .5 per-cent and we got 2 percent, sowe’re all pretty happy aboutthat.”

The contract alsoincludes an inclement weath-er policy that will requiremanagement to see thatemployees have safe access tocounty buildings in the eventof snow and ice.

“They wouldn’t clear thesidewalk and people werefalling in the parking lot andthat was dealt with,” Oswaldsaid.

Council 31 staff represen-tative Frank Prochaska led thebargaining team, whichincluded Oswald, DonnaFritz, Michelle Novack, TrishBaum, Diane Hillig and JamieGardner.

ARC of Rock IslandCounty employees fightoff takeaways

THE BARGAINING TEAM AT ARCof Rock Island County, a non-profit community disabilityagency, knew wage increaseswould be hard to come by in anew contract – state fundingfor such agencies hasn’tincreased since 2007.

Though their four-yearagreement only increaseswages by 1 percent, the bar-gaining team is proud of itswork in fending off manage-ment’s attempts to extractmajor concessions.

“They came to the tablewith a bunch of takeaways andI’m satisfied we managed toget all that off the table,”Local 3538 President Rob

ON THE LOCAL LEVEL

Continued on page 15

Stephenson County nursing home employees gainfirst contract

AFTER A YEAR AND A HALF OF BARGAINING – AND MORE THAN A DECADE OF STAGNANT WAGES – STEPHENSONCounty nursing home employees have won their first union contract.

The bargaining team secured a four-year agreement that includes a 4.5 percent wage increase inthe first three years, retroactive to 2013, and a wage reopener in the final year. For the first time, nurs-ing home employees will receive time-and-a-half for working four holidays. Overtime pay will kick inafter 8 hours on any shift – previously, employees had to work 40 hours in a week before receivingovertime.

The contract also requires management to schedule employees consistently and provide advancenotice, significantly improving the work-life balance for nursing home staff.

“That was one of the most important things we wanted,” said Melissa Piggues, a member of thebargaining team. “We’ve never had a consistent schedule. They made our schedule different everytwo weeks and people weren’t able to make time for their kids.”

As bargaining stretched out over months, employees decided to take action away from the tableto generate pressure on management and build community support.

“We started off doing small things and then we escalated,” Council 31 staff representative SaraDorner said. “We did a vote of no confidence in the administrator. We did two pickets. We had pres-ence at county board meetings. We were beating this drum asking for a full-time schedule and a livingwage.”

Piggues said the support from families of nursing home residents was essential to winning a fairagreement.

“We got more people talking in the community, including resident’s family members who spokeup for us at the board meetings,” she said.

The bargaining team, led by Dorner, included Piggues, Ann Mitchell, Rick Brock, MarylonBrooks, Teresa Diddens and Dennis Archer.

14 On the Move February - March 2015

RETIREE NOTES

Rauner proposes scrapping constitu-tion’s pension protections

GOV. BRUCE RAUNER DIDN’Tmention any plans for publicemployee retirement benefitsin his Feb. 4 State of the Stateaddress, but a list of items he released to lawmakers theday before the speech con-tained a more detailed agen-da, which included “pursuepermanent pension reliefthrough a constitutionalamendment.”

Many suspect that thisamendment would target thepension protection clause ofthe state Constitution, thesame clause that was the cor-nerstone of the state’sSupreme Court’s decision tostrike down recent attacks onstate and university retireehealth care.

In fact, legislation hasalready been introduced bystate Rep. Joe Sosnowski (R-Rockford) to place a repeal of the pension protectionclause on the 2016 ballot. Ifsuch a ballot measure wereapproved by voters, lawmak-ers would have a free hand toslash pensions. The bill is cur-rently in the House RulesCommittee.

No need to reply to“class notices” on premium refunds

RETIREES IN THE SERS ANDSURS systems had to beginpaying premiums – or payhigher premiums – for health care benefits startingin July 2013. This stemmedfrom a state law passed in2012 that was challenged inthe courts by AFSCME andpartner unions – IFT, FOPand INA. Last July, the IllinoisSupreme Court sided with the unions, ruling that thepremium increases areunconstitutional.

The court granted aninjunction against any furthercollection of the increases.Now, union attorneys areworking to ensure that theincreases retirees paid forhealth care premiums arerefunded in an orderly andaccurate manner.

At a hearing on Decem-ber 18, Sangamon CountyCircuit Court Judge StevenNardulli approved a timelinefor disbursing the refunds toaffected retirees. This time-line also ordered the state tocalculate and include in therefund the interest that isowed to each retiree for the

withheld health care premi-ums. According to this sched-ule retirees should receivetheir refund by June 2015.

The “class notices”regarding the refunds arenow being sent out to allaffected retirees. You do notneed to reply to the notice inorder to receive your refund.The court has set up a websiteto provide you with relevantcourt orders. You can accessthis site at: www.kanervahealthinsurancerefund.com.

Judge to decide on halting Chicago pension law

AS ON THE MOVE WENT TOpress, AFSCME was waiting tofind out whether a CookCounty Circuit Court judgewould halt the implementa-tion of the law cutting pen-sions for City of Chicagoretirees until a union-backedlawsuit challenging the law isresolved.

Last spring, Mayor RahmEmanuel pushed the GeneralAssembly to pass a bill (SB1922) that would sharplyreduce pension benefits foremployees and retirees whoparticipate in the City ofChicago’s Municipal Employ-ees Annuity and Benefit Fund(MEABF).

On Dec. 16, AFSCME,along with three otherunions, filed a lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Courtseeking to overturn SB 1922.Joining AFSCME in the law-suit are the Chicago TeachersUnion, the Illinois NursesAssociation and TeamstersLocal 700.

In mid-January, unionattorneys made a motionbefore Cook County CircuitCourt Judge Rita Novak ask-ing the court to temporarilyrestrain the City from imple-menting the law. City attor-neys have strongly opposedthe motion.

401(k)s a bad deal forretirees, taxpayers

MANY IN THE CORPORATE ELITE,including Gov. Bruce Rauner,claim that the only way tosolve Illinois’ pension fund-ing crisis is to switch from thedefined-benefit plans usedtoday to 401(k)-style plansthat would put public employ-ees’ hard-earned contribu-tions in the hands of WallStreet money managers.

Along with 401(k)-styleplans not being able to offerany fixed or stable retirementincome, such plans jeopar-dize the ability of pensionfunds to pay out benefits tocurrent retirees. A new studyalso shows 401(k)-style plansare bad for taxpayers, too.

The study, conducted byThe National Institute onRetirement Security (NIRS),examined three states thatswitched to 401(k)-styledefined contribution retire-ment plans.

In all three states – Alas-ka, West Virginia and Michi-gan – funding for pensionplans got worse. When thechanges were made, backersof the switch predicted itwould solve funding prob-lems.

In one notable example,Alaska switched newly hiredstate workers from its twobiggest traditional definedbenefit plans to a definedcontribution plan beginningin 2006. Yet the funding gapdoubled, from about $6 bil-lion in 2006 to $12 billion lastyear, according to the state.In 2014, Alaska made a $3 bil-lion cash infusion into thedefined benefit plans to shorethem up.

“I voted against thechange, and now the statehad to come in with a bailout.It’s exactly what I said wouldhappen,” said Mike Hawker,an Alaska Republican assem-blyman.

AFSCME retiree marks 45 years in leadership roles

AUDREY EGERTON, AN AFSCME Retiree Chapter 31 executive boardmember and president of the Quincysub-chapter, has attained an astonish-ing 45 years of service in leadershippositions in AFSCME.

Audrey was president of Local1787 at the Illinois Veterans Home inQuincy for 14 years from 1970-1984and sat on the Council 31 ExecutiveBoard from 1978-1988. During thattime, Audrey was involved in the firststate contract negotiations in 1975and played a key role in buildingCouncil 31 into the union it is today.

Upon retirement, Audreybecame involved with AFSCMERetiree Chapter 31, serving as Quincysub-chapter president for an unprece-dented 27 years, including service asVice-President and then ExecutiveBoard Member of Chapter 31.Among her many honors, she is aninductee into the AFSCME RetireeChapter 31 Hall of Fame.

“One thing that I’ll never forgetis how poorly public workers weretreated before we got our first con-tract,” Audrey said. “We had to fighthard for many years to get to a placeof respect and security for our mem-bers.

“The attacks on public workershave always been there, and manywould like to see things go back tothe way they were before we had aunion,” she continued. “We have tokeep fighting every day to maintainour place in the middle class.”

On the Move February - March 2015 15

Tolmie said. “It was a longbattle and the gains were min-imal but we’re glad to getwhat we did.”

Council 31 staff represen-tative Miguel Morga said man-agement’s initial list ofchanges was 120 items longand included deal-breakerssuch as mandatory drug test-ing. Eventually, those werewithdrawn in favor of a con-tract that includes someimprovements, such as extrabereavement leave. Employ-ees also received signingbonuses.

“This was an examplewhere the committee stuck totheir guns,” Morga said.“They focused on where theycould get some improve-ments. Even facing consider-able challenges, the commit-tee really held together andcommunicated with the mem-bership.”

The bargaining team, ledby Morga, included Tolmie,Jim Hanne, Greg Jackson, SueLiggitt and Melanie Gresch.

ISU clericals secureimprovements on unionrights, probationarywork

THE NEW FOUR-YEAR CONTRACTcovering clerical workers at Illi-nois State University includesprovisions aimed at ensuringLocal 3236 members properlyexercise their union rights.

The bargaining teampressed for and won a provi-sion that requires manage-ment to inform employees oftheir right to union represen-tation at any disciplinarymeeting.

“If the employee doesn’twant anyone with them, theyhave to sign a waiver,” Coun-cil 31 staff representativeRenee Nestler said. “They’vemade some improvements onmaking sure employees knowabout their rights and havesome contact information forthe union.”

The contract also correctsan issue whereby probation-ary employees would be let gowithout any explanation.Now, such employees can askfor a written evaluation in themiddle of their probationaryperiod to see where they’redoing well and where theycould improve.

“After a number of yearswith skeletal crews, whensomeone leaves and a newperson comes in with notraining, it can be very diffi-cult,” local President Nancy

Kerns said. “There were anumber of people not mak-ing it through probation andit wasn’t really their fault.”

The bargaining teamsecured a 2 percent wageincrease in the first year withreopeners in the followingthree years, along with anagreement from managementto use those reopeners toaddress long-standing wageinequity issues.

“You could be here 14years and someone couldcome in off the street and bemaking more money than youdo,” Kerns said. “They arehaving some problems hiringand keeping people, so man-agement’s attitude about thishas really changed.”

Nestler led the bargainingteam, which included Kerns,Marsha Perry, Deborah Brownand Angie Cowles.

Short talks but biggains for Joliet GradeSchool employees

JOLIET GRADE SCHOOL #86employees needed only onebargaining session to secure athree-year contract that willsee wages rise by 10 percent.

Local 949 President JackHicks said the district’s teach-ers had won a similar wageincrease and the local’s mem-bership, which includes engi-neers, custodians, truck dri-vers and groundskeepers,opted for the same.

“We felt that 10 percentguaranteed with no change ininsurance was a good deal forthe next three years,” he said.“It was pretty simple. Manage-ment was for it so it workedout well.”

Council 31 staff represen-tative Joe Pluger led the bar-gaining team, joined by Hicks,Tim Stilwell, Rebecca Janoci-ak, Cynthia Mackins, RonCatchings, Michelle Clay andRandy Williams.

Wage increases, newtitles for Decatur Sani-tary District employees

DIFFICULT NEGOTIATIONS HAVEyielded a four-year agreementfor Decatur Sanitary Districtemployees in Local 268.

While the contractincludes an 8.5 percent wageincrease and two new titles, itwas not won easily.

“Management came in acouple times and attacked us,sometimes over things thathad nothing to do with us,”the local’s president, Tim Gor-den, said. “We did get them to

back down on some stuff, butit was one of the most difficultcontracts I’ve been involvedwith.”

Talks were particularly dif-ficult because of managemen-t’s insistence on implementinga two-tier wage structure thatwould affect new hires, thoughthe union persuaded manage-ment to bring the tiers closerthan originally proposed.

“Management recognizedthat we weren’t going to allowthis huge disparity between

tiers,” Council 31 staff repre-sentative Chris Hooser said.“Negotiations started out a bitcontentious but as theyunfolded the employer recog-nized they needed to moveaway from some proposals.That was due to the commit-tee’s willingness to standfirm.”

Hooser led the bargainingteam, which included Gorden,Matt McElroy, Joe Chapman,Blake Dotson and ToddSpeckman.

ON THE LOCAL LEVEL

Continued from page 13

How does “right-to-work” hurt the ability of unions to continue to advance workers’ interests?

“RIGHT-TO-WORK” LAWS CREATE WHAT’S CALLED A “FREE RIDER”problem. Some workers, knowing they can get the protectionsand benefits of the union without paying toward the cost of theunion’s activities, will choose to not pay any dues or fees.

However, labor law still requires the union to provide theexact same services to everyone covered under a collectivebargaining agreement. Over time, this spreads the union’sresources thin, making it less effective. It’s a downward spiralthat can leave a union financially depleted and ineffective –and that’s exactly why the enemies of working families arethe chief proponents of right-to-work laws.

How does “right-to-work” hurt workers?

STATES WITH “RIGHT-TO-WORK” LAWS HAVE WEAKER UNIONS THATnot only cannot do as much for their own members, but alsocan’t set a standard that helps raise the wage levels of allworkers. Statistics show that:• The average worker in states with right-to-work laws makes$5,971 (12.2 percent) less annually than workers in otherstates when all other factors are removed.• Median household income in states with these laws is $6,568(11.8 percent) less than in other states ($49,220 vs. $55,788).• People under the age of 65 in states with right to work lawsare more likely to be uninsured, less likely to have job-basedhealth insurance and, when they do, pay higher premiumson average.

Would “right-to-work” help or hurt Illinois?

IN THE SHORT TERM, “RIGHT-TO-WORK” WOULD DO NOTHING TOaddress the fiscal crisis now facing the state. In the long term, theconsequences could be disastrous.

“Right-to-work” supporters rely on cherry-picked data to bol-ster their claim that the policy attracts jobs. But as Moody’s Ana-lytics reported, “union strength is just one factor businesses lookat when deciding whether to set up shop or relocate. Energy andother costs also matter, as do a slew of other factors… that makeit extremely difficult to gauge the effects of right-to-work laws onjob creation.”

Even if the policy did draw jobs to the state, the other effectsof “right-to-work” would outweigh any positives, Moody’sobserved, saying “laws that hurt unions shift the balance of powerfrom employees to owners, [and] tend to erode wages and leadto a more uneven distribution of the gains of economicgrowth.”

Right-to-work

Continued from page 11

thought they had completedprobation instead being sent back to prison due tofines they didn’t even knowthey owed – not to the gov-ernment, but to a privatecompany.

“A string of lawsuits arguethe system effectively crimi-nalizes poverty and that somecompanies have illegallyforced offenders to pay forthings, such as electronicmonitoring and drug testing,beyond what was ordered by the courts,” the paperreported.

Private prisons: Bad for staff, inmatesand taxpayers

DUE TO A LAW THAT AFSCMElobbied to enact over twodecades ago, Illinois currentlybars private prisons. Butgiven that the new governor’schief financial officer is oneof the nation’s biggest boost-ers of prison privatization, it’sall too likely that the issue willsurface here in our state.

Private prison firms likethe Corrections Corporationof America and GEO Grouphave become infamous forrunning understaffed facili-ties where employees areunderpaid and inmates aremistreated.

And in many cases, private prisons actually costtaxpayers more. In Arizona, a study found that the statehad lost $3.5 million a yearafter allowing for-profit prisons.

Contracts governing pri-vate prisons even ensuremoney keeps flowing to profi-teers when crime rates fall byrequiring occupancy rates ashigh as 100 percent. Thatmeans inmates from state-runfacilities will be shuttled tofor-profit facilities – at taxpay-er expense – to fulfill theterms of the contract. TheColorado Criminal JusticeReform Coalition estimatedthat state wasted at least $2million in taxpayer moneyusing CCA’s prisons insteadof its own.

A report from the non-profit think tank In the Pub-lic Interest said such con-tracts made no sense during atime of tight budgets.

“With governmental priorities pulling public fundsin so many different direc-tions, it makes no financialsense for taxpayers to fundempty prison beds,” thereport said.

Profiteers

Continued from page 6

16 On the Move February - March 2015

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