Nearly three dozen Illinois legislators of both political stripes are asking Gov. Bruce Rauner to resume contract negotiations with the state's largest public-employee union. Most were Democrats, but a couple of Republicans joined in.  A state labor board sided with Rauner this month that talks were at "impasse', meaning the governor can impose his terms. He did that a second time Wednesday in announcing an employee drug and alcohol testing plan.

A judge is encouraging Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner’s administration to keep bargaining its contract with AFSCME, the state’s largest government union. Rauner's attorneys have been asking the state’s labor board to declare negotiations at an impasse, which could potentially lead to a strike of state workers.

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.

The first of three meetings regarding University of Illinois health insurance premiums raised the prospect that some premiums could double. Katie Ross, Senior Director of Human Resources Administration at the university, says there's "generally a lot of uncertainty" at this point.

The Illinois Senate, led by Democrats, has approved legislation that would let an outside arbitrator settle state-employee wages and working conditions if talks reach an impasse.  It passed by a 38-17 vote Thursday and now heads to Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner's desk. He vetoed an identical proposal last year.