The 4th District Appellate Court heard oral arguments on June 13 in AFSCME Council 31’s appeal of the Labor Board’s decision backing Gov. Bruce Rauner’s claim that the parties were at impasse in negotiations between the state of Illinois and AFSCME.

Get the facts about the lawsuit that aims to take away the freedom of working people to join together in strong unions, Janus v. AFSCME Council 31.

For the first time since taking office, Gov. Rauner signed a full budget, on time, on June 4 after the General Assembly adopted it with strong bipartisan support on May 31.

After enactment of state budget, Council 31 Executive Director Roberta Lynch sent a letter to Gov. Rauner calling on him “to immediately direct your agencies to prepare vouchers for the full amount of back wages owed to employees both active and retired.”

HB 4290, the bill providing funding for wages owed to state employees since 2011, passed out of the Illinois House of Representatives with a veto-proof majority on May 24 and out of the Senate with unanimous support on May 30.

More than 1,000 state employee AFSCME members flooded the state Capitol, pressing legislators to pay state government’s oldest unpaid bill for back wages owed since July 2011.

Once again Bruce Rauner is doing everything possible to circumvent state law and block state employees from being paid what they are owed. AFSCME will continue to do battle in every available legal venue to compel fair treatment for employees.

On May 25, Senate Bill 3075—workplace safety legislation—passed the Illinois House by a vote of 105-0-0. It passed the Senate on April 23 by a vote of 45-0-0. The bill now returns to the Senate for concurrence.

“Illinois needs a leader like JB who will bring people together and who cares about working families,” AFSCME Council 31 Executive Director Roberta Lynch said.

Sen. Bill Brady introduced Senate Amendment 1 to SB 2680, which would amend the Illinois Public Labor Relations Act to provide that the design, implementation, and administration of a health insurance plan shall not be the subject of negotiations.