The latest skirmish between Governor Bruce Rauner and the AFSCME labor union took place in a Springfield courtroom today. This time it was before a panel of appellate judges.
It’s been just about three years since AFSCME workers were due for a new contract. But Gov. Rauner made tough demands — like a new pay structure, more expensive health insurance, and more power to outsource jobs.
Mike Newman is the No. 2 man in the Illinois branch of AFSCME.
“He’s got the same problem he’s had with the legislature and everybody else: He marches in and it’s his way or the highway.”
AFSCME says it was willing to keep negotiating, but the Rauner administration convinced a state labor board that the two sides were at an impasse, and that’s what they’re fighting out now.
Whatever the appellate justices decide, it likely won’t be the last word on the case. One or both parties could eventually appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court.
