More than 60,000 Illinois state workers participate in Social Security

By John Klingner

05/18/2016

Recently retired career state workers receive an average annual pension of $63,000. On top of this, more than 60,000 workers in Illinois’ State Employees’ Retirement System participate in Social Security.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, SERS: State Employee Retirement System

AFSCME demands more from taxpayers while Illinois’ middle class continues to suffer

By Michael Lucci

05/12/2016

AFSCME Illinois State Employees Contract

HB 580 would give a panel of unelected arbitrators power to approve an AFSCME contract that would cost taxpayers an additional $3 billion over the next four years.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, Bruce Rauner, manufacturing

AFSCME promised to negotiate in ‘good faith,’ backs bill to take taxpayers out of contract talks

By Mailee Smith

05/11/2016

AFSCME Illinois contract negotiations with Rauner

AFSCME promised to play nice at the negotiating table with Gov. Rauner, but it never intended to keep that promise. The union is doing everything it can to muscle the state’s taxpayers into an outside arbitration process that will practically guarantee that AFSCME’s unreasonable demands are met.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees

AFSCME negotiations: Union shows no signs of compromise, continues pushing for unaffordable contract

By Mailee Smith

05/07/2016

The testimony of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees before the Illinois Labor Relations Board and the union’s refusal to compromise on any contract provisions reveal that AFSCME and Gov. Bruce Rauner have reached impasse.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees

AFSCME’s actions show union unwilling to negotiate contract taxpayers can afford

By Mailee Smith

04/28/2016

AFSCME’s push for HB 580, which would allow a panel of unelected arbitrators to draft a binding contract between the state and the union, is the latest power play in AFSCME’s long and uncompromising battle for pay hikes and benefits that could cost Illinois taxpayers more than $3 billion.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees

AFSCME impasse hearings: Understanding the timeline, process and potential outcomes

By Mailee Smith

04/26/2016

Given AFSCME’s and the Rauner administration’s disagreement on core contract issues – such as wage freezes and merit pay – and the likely appeal of any impasse decision reached by the administrative law judge, a final determination on whether AFSCME and the Rauner administration have reached impasse will probably not come until well into the summer – or beyond.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees

New report shows high cost of AFSCME demands for Illinois taxpayers

By Mailee Smith

04/13/2016

A new report from the Heritage Foundation shows that in 2014 alone, collective bargaining between Illinois’ government-worker unions and Illinois officials inflated state and local government spending by $4 billion to $9 billion.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees

Illinois paid $1.6M to state workers whose workplaces are closed

By Austin Berg

01/19/2016

A pending lawsuit by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, among other unions, is keeping dozens of workers on state payrolls – even though their workplaces have been shuttered for months.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees

Rauner moves to declare impasse in negotiations with AFSCME

By Ted Dabrowski

01/15/2016

Lacking signs of progress after 24 bargaining sessions with Illinois’ largest government-employee union, Gov. Bruce Rauner says that “further negotiation is no longer worthwhile.” AFSCME continues to ignore the fact that the people who pay its members’ salaries and benefits, Illinois taxpayers, continue to struggle in a difficult Illinois economy. Illinois workers, faced with stagnant earnings, are now paying for AFSCME salaries that are double their own.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, Bruce Rauner

AFSCME worker salaries grew 5 times faster than Illinois worker earnings from 2005-2014

By Ted Dabrowski

01/13/2016

Illinois could have saved a cumulative $3.5 billion had AFSCME salaries simply grown at the rate of inflation since 2004.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees

AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees

More than 60,000 Illinois state workers participate in Social Security

AFSCME demands more from taxpayers while Illinois’ middle class continues to suffer

AFSCME promised to negotiate in ‘good faith,’ backs bill to take taxpayers out of contract talks

AFSCME negotiations: Union shows no signs of compromise, continues pushing for unaffordable contract

AFSCME’s actions show union unwilling to negotiate contract taxpayers can afford

AFSCME impasse hearings: Understanding the timeline, process and potential outcomes

New report shows high cost of AFSCME demands for Illinois taxpayers

Illinois paid $1.6M to state workers whose workplaces are closed

Rauner moves to declare impasse in negotiations with AFSCME

AFSCME worker salaries grew 5 times faster than Illinois worker earnings from 2005-2014

Chicago Forward 2026: A pro-growth plan to end city budget deficits

Report Archive

Diana Graham

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students