AFSCME workers to strike Monday in Will County

What happens when a local union calls a strike and employees show up to work anyway? Will County residents may get to find out. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1028 announced that it intends to strike against Will County effective Monday, Nov. 18. The strike comes in spite of a final...

What happens when a local union calls a strike and employees show up to work anyway? Will County residents may get to find out. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1028 announced that it intends to strike against Will County effective Monday, Nov. 18.

The strike comes in spite of a final offer from the county that includes raises totaling 14.5 percent over four years. This would be better than many workers in Illinois have received recently.

It will be interesting to see if enough county employees honor the strike. There have been indications that the union has been losing support among county employees. According to County Human Resources Director Bruce Tidwell, out of 1,276 county employees who are represented by AFSCME, 141 county employees have resigned formal union membership, with 38 of those resigning during just the last month. This is a fairly high number of workers who have opted to leave the union, and suggests that there may be less support for the union than its leaders are counting on.

Will County is giving every indication that it intends to carry on with business as usual, and is taking a strong line in dealing with the union. County Executive Larry Walsh has indicated that he might even hire permanent replacements in the event of a lengthy walkout. (Officials at Local 1028 could not be reached for comment.)

Will workers back the union? Will the county hold the line for a contract its taxpayers can afford? The real test comes Monday morning.