An Illinois appellate court has temporarily barred Gov. Bruce Rauner from imposing his contract terms on the state's largest public employee union. The 4th District Court of Appeals sided with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 on Friday.
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The Illinois Labor Relations Board has declared contract negotiations between Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration and the largest public-employees union at an impasse. Tuesday's decision allows the Republican governor to impose his terms on the 38,000-member state council of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. That gives the union the opportunity to accept the terms or vote to go on strike.
A state labor board has rejected Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner's request to bypass an administrative judge's recommendation and expedite proceedings in union negotiations. The decision means the case will continue as it has for months with the judge. Meanwhile, the AFSCME union is laying the groundwork for a strike, just it case it has to.
AFSCME, the union representing nearly 40,000 state employees, is planning to ask the Illinois Supreme Court to take another swing at an opinion justices issued last Thursday. Justices said unless lawmakers appropriate the money, the state doesn't have to pay out raises guaranteed in their contracts.
Governor Bruce Rauner's office confirms: layoffs of unionized state employees are on hold.
