Press Release - Friday, January 08, 2016
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Rauner Administration Statement on Labor Negotiations with AFSCME
CHICAGO – The following statement is attributable to Lance Trover, Director of Communications for Governor Bruce Rauner:
“Today marked the 67th day of negotiations with AFSCME. Like every previous session, AFSCME rejected all of the Governor’s core proposals and insisted that they would never agree to those proposals despite our good faith efforts to address union concerns.
“In light of that position, our negotiators asked AFSCME if they believed we were at impasse. If so, both parties signed a tolling agreement establishing a Labor Board process by which that determination can be made. AFSCME insists that the parties are not at impasse while rejecting the offer for additional sessions next week.
“After a year of no meaningful progress, we must now evaluate the benefit of future sessions given AFSCME’s intransigence. In light of their answers today, we will now decide if the previously-agreed dispute resolution process should be considered.”
The below chart summarizes the status of the negotiations with AFSCME, while comparing it to its previous contract and the contracts the administration has already reached with 17 other unions representing state employees.
Provision
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AFSCME Last Contract
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Management Proposal to AFSCME
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Teamsters Agreed (5 bargaining units of approx. 4,700 employees)
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12 Trades Contracts
12 Bargaining Units
Approx. 600 Skilled Workers
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AFSCME’s Proposal
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Merit Pay / Incentives
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Not in the contract
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Bonuses to employees and units who achieve measurable, objective, attainable goals and/or save costs
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Bonuses to employees and units who achieve measurable, objective, attainable goals and/or save costs
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Bonuses to employees and units who achieve measurable, objective, attainable goals and/or save costs
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Rejected management’s proposal
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Hours of Work
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37.5 hours a week with OT after 37.5
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37.5 hours a week with OT after 40 (federal law)
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40 hours a week with OT after 40 (federal law)
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40 hours a week with OT after 40 (federal law)
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Rejected management’s proposal
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Subcontracting and Cost-Effective Alternatives
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Cumbersome procedures that impede the ability for parties to work together to finding cost-effective alternatives to outsourcing that promote efficiency and protect jobs
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A new, collaborative model that allows management and union to work together to provide low-cost alternatives to outsourcing
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A new, collaborative model that allows management and union to work together to provide low-cost alternatives to outsourcing
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A new, collaborative model that allows management and union to work together to provide low-cost alternatives to outsourcing
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Rejected management’s proposal and proposed additional constraints on the management’s ability to manage costs while protecting jobs
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Layoff
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Complex bumping rules with 6 different ways in which laid off employees can bump a colleague out of a job
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Streamline the layoff procedure to reduce bumping from 6 to 2 levels
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No bumping
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Virtually no bumping
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Rejected management’s proposal
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Improving the Hiring and Promotion of Minorities in State Government
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Seniority rules block the State’s ability to address minority underutilization in state government
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Management can hire or promote a less senior but equally or more qualified minority candidate
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Less restrictive rules than in the AFSCME contract
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Management can promote a less senior but equally or more qualified minority candidate
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Rejected management’s proposal
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Wages (steps)
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3.8% annual step increases
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Freeze steps temporarily
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4-year wage freeze
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Not applicable; wages set by DOL
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Rejected management’s proposal and AFSCME proposed $407M in automatic annual salary increases
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Wages (general)
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General increases on top of steps in every year of the contract
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Temporary freeze of general increases
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4-year wage freeze
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Not applicable; wages set by DOL
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$1000 stipend in Year 1 and General wage increases in addition to steps in the amounts of 2.25%, 3%, and 3% in years 2, 3, and 4 of the contract (if CPI exceeds 3%, next year increase equals CPI)
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Insurance
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Unaffordable group health plan that provides platinum+ coverage at bronze-level prices
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Multiple options for employees: (1) keep plan design but premiums go up; (2) keep premium rate but plan design is modified
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Not applicable; State contributes to Teamsters’ Funds
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Multiple options for employees: (1) keep plan design but premiums go up; (2) keep premium rate but plan design is modified; (3) opt into a union plan
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Negligible changes to current plan, generating virtually no savings
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