The legal dispute continues this week over what Illinois state workers should be paid. It’s the latest issue to be caught in the wide-ranging web of consequences resulting from having no state budget. Illinois Public Radio’s Tony Arnold reports.
While dozens of human service providers are left hanging in the wind, unsure what kind of state support they’ll get, state employees find themselves in a similar boat. Last week, a Cook County judge said employees shouldn’t get a salary since the state doesn’t have a spending plan. An appeal to that ruling is quickly moving forward. And another judge downstate gave a different opinion siding with unions, saying state employees could get paid.
Meantime, lawmakers could make both legal arguments moot… If the senate and governor approve a bill that says the state can spend what it did last year on pay for employees. Some workers are supposed to get their checks Wednesday.