Illinois State Employees Ratify Contract
October 09, 2008
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October 9, 2008 |
RALLY FOR A JUST CONTRACT – About 5,000 Illinois state employees, families and retirees (members of Council 31) rallied this summer at the state Capitol in Springfield.
Photo Credit: Linc Cohen
Following months of tough negotiations, some 37,000 state employees represented by Council 31 have won an impressive new contract that raises wages by 15.25 percent over four years and maintains affordable health care coverage for workers and their families.
Employees covered by the agreement work throughout state government and include clerical workers, corrections officers, social workers and direct care workers. It was ratified in September by an overwhelming majority.
Negotiators “spent nine months at the table and fought a lot of concessions the state wanted to inflict upon us, such as drastic cuts in our benefits and a large increase in the cost of affordable health insurance,” says Tony Ferranto, a corrections officer at Menard Correctional Center in Chester and president of Local 1175. “We were able to beat back those cuts and takeaways while providing a wage package that allows our members to prosper in these tough economic times.”
Council 31 members and their families demonstrated throughout Illinois this summer seeking a fair agreement that preserved affordable health care coverage.
In addition, through mediation, union and state negotiators agreed to preserve the existing retirement health-benefit framework for all current retirees, and current and future employees.
For more details about Council 31’s contract victory, read these accounts in the Chicago Tribune, The Pantagraph and The Daily Journal.
