A union that represents state government workers is taking its "no layoffs" plea to a judge. The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) filed suit on Monday in Johnson County, home of the Vienna Correctional Center, asking the court for an injunction to stop what could be 2,600 layoffs across state government at the hands Governor Pat Quinn.
AFSCME spokesman Anders Lindall says the suit claims layoffs would be a violation of the union contract, and that the state has been slowly but surely moving tasks to contractors and sub-contractors, while union workers face layoffs.
The governor has been poised for months to lay off workers, saying the state budget doesn't have enough money to keep everyone on the payroll. Quinn has been negotiating with AFSCME executive director Henry Bayer, but despite what Quinn says was "productive conversations," the union filed suit in part because the Quinn Administration wasn't fully negotiating the ramifications of these potential layoffs. There is no word yet on when the case will be heard.
