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.

The Illinois State Senate passed SB 3508 with a veto-proof vote. Take a few minutes to contact your state representative using the DSP hotline: 844-259-0916.

“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.

In the March 20 Illinois Primary Election, voters chose candidates best able to carry forward the fight in defense of workers’ rights in the November General Election. Union members made a big difference in these critical races!

Governor Rauner’s proposed 2019 state budget is more of the same. The budget is fundamentally unbalanced, propped up by a series of vague and unworkable schemes resting on taking away collective bargaining rights from public employees.

AFSCME Local 1787 President Nettie Smith and Council 31 Policy Director Anne Irving testified on behalf of the nearly 350 dedicated AFSCME members at Quincy Veterans’ Home at a February 7 Joint Hearing of the Senate and House Veterans Affairs Committees.

Hundreds of delegates gathered in Springfield on Jan. 27 for the AFSCME PEOPLE Conference to set the union’s 2018 legislative agenda and formulate a plan to elect pro-worker candidates in the March primary and November general elections.