Gov. Bruce Rauner is taking his fight with Illinois’ biggest government labor union to the state Supreme Court.
Rauner says his contract negotiations with AFSCME are at impasse, but the union is suing to force the administration back to the negotiating table.
There’s been a a lot of legal wrangling — the case has been pending before the Appellate Court in Springfield. That court recently said AFSCME has a good chance of winning, and thus prohibited Rauner from imposing contract terms on union members.
But the administration says Illinois could be saving millions upon millions of dollars, and so is asking the Supreme Court to take over the case.
It’s asking for expedited briefing, and specifically to impose new health insurance premiums when state employees have open enrollment in May.
In a statement, AFSCME again urges Rauner to resume negotiating, saying he's "blinded by his anti-union animosity.”