Progress on the Legislative Front!
The spring session of the Illinois General Assembly concluded on May 31. In an unprecedented “virtual” legislative session, AFSCME Council 31 succeeded in positively impacting the state budget and helping pass a number of bills of importance to union members—and block passage of a number that would be harmful.
The FY22 state budget:
- Averts layoffs in state agencies and funds scheduled pay increases.
- Maintains state funding to local governments at current levels.
- Provides funding for at least a $1.50/hour wage increase for frontline workers in community disability agencies.
- Closes several of the state’s most costly corporate tax loopholes, saving hundreds of millions of dollars that help fund vital programs.
The AFSCME legislative team blocked passage of all bills seeking to reduce or eliminate public employee pension benefits. These bills were either amended to address our concerns or were not called for a vote.
Some bills AFSCME supported didn’t make it through the General Assembly in this session, but the union will resume the fight on those fronts in the next session.
