WHEREAS:
Illinois' billionaire Republican governor, Bruce Rauner, has made it his top priority to eliminate labor unions in the state, especially public employee unions; and
WHEREAS:
At his inauguration in January 2015 Rauner released his so-called "Turnaround Agenda" which included making Illinois a “right-to-work” state, eliminating the prevailing wage for construction workers, and drastically curtailing collective bargaining rights in the public sector; and
WHEREAS:
When AFSCME Council 31 began negotiations with the Rauner Administration on a new contract covering some 38,000 state employees in February 2015, Rauner made demands for over 200 changes to existing contractual rights, as well as economic proposals that drastically reduced employees' standard of living; and
WHEREAS:
Both houses of the Illinois General Assembly have Democratic majorities who have refused to accede to Rauner's demands for sweeping changes to labor law that would weaken unions and harm working families; and
WHEREAS:
In order to pressure Democratic legislators into enacting his anti-union agenda, Rauner has blocked passage of a state budget—with the exception of a K-12 education budget—leaving Illinois without any spending authorization for an entire year; and
WHEREAS:
In the absence of a state budget—and the related spending authority—AFSCME Council 31and other unions secured a court order requiring that state employees continue to be paid and antipoverty organizations won court orders for continuance of certain federally-mandated programs, such as Medicaid and Food Stamps; and
WHEREAS:
With the exception of these legally-mandated expenditures, virtually all other state expenditures have ceased, sending the entire state into a downward spiral, as state universities face furloughs and layoffs and a near shutoff of student aid, thousands of vendors demand payment, local governments are pinched by the lack of state assistance, and human service agencies are forced to close their doors, leaving the most needy without any help; and
WHEREAS:
Illinois has now entered a second year without any state budget, yet Rauner is still insisting that the General Assembly must enact his anti-union measures before he will agree to a state budget; and
WHEREAS:
Rauner has launched his most direct anti-union assault on state workers, breaking off contract negotiations with AFSCME Council 31 in January 2016 and asking the state labor board, which he appoints, to allow him to impose his "last, best and final offer" on state employees; and
WHEREAS:
Rauner's final offer would result in employees' health care costs increasing by 67%, averaging an additional $10,000 per employee over 3 years, while freezing their wages and step increases for four years, as well as allowing for unfettered privatization of state government services; and
WHEREAS:
For more than a year AFSCME members in state government have joined with other unions and with community allies to resist Bruce Rauner's unrelenting assaults; and
WHEREAS:
The labor movement has fought back against Rauner on a number of fronts, including blocking his attempt to enact local government “right-to-work” ordinances, defeating his legislative candidates in crucial primary races, holding regional anti-Rauner rallies all across the state, and organizing a massive protest of some 10,000 union members and allies at the State Capitol; and
WHEREAS:
Rauner's only response has been to step up his attacks on unions and on the Democratic leadership in the General Assembly, even as his popularity has steadily waned and he now is among the least popular governors in the country; and
WHEREAS:
Rauner has continued to refuse to return to the bargaining table and attempt to reach a fair contract settlement with state employees, instead moving forward with his plans to impose his own extreme demands on employees; and
WHEREAS:
If the labor board grants Rauner the authorization to impose those demands, AFSCME members' only choice will be to accept those terms or to go out on strike; and
WHEREAS:
Rauner has appeared to invite a strike saying that he would “proudly” take a shutdown of state government and would keep employees out; and
WHEREAS:
Once the Labor Board rules as to whether Rauner can impose his terms, a decision which could come by November, AFSCME members will vote on whether or not to go out on strike; and
WHEREAS:
In order to make it possible for members to be able to stand up against Rauner and to sustain a strike of tens of thousands of state employees if they choose to walk out, the Council 31 Executive Board has voted to utilize the union's operating reserve in order to establish a State Employee Strike Fund with the goal of being able to pay a modest benefit to all striking employees; and
WHEREAS:
All of Illinois labor, indeed the entire labor movement nationwide, has a large stake in the battle that state employees are waging as Rauner clearly intends to use this contract fight as a means of eliminating union representation in state government and to use that as a prototype for weakening all unions and eliminating unions throughout the public sector; and
WHEREAS:
If Rauner's attack on organized labor is successful, anti-worker, anti-union politicians will be encouraged to redouble their efforts to attack working people and their unions across the country.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:
That all AFSCME members across the country stand in solidarity with AFSCME Council 31 members in state government who are directly confronting one of the most fiercely anti-union governors in the country today; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
That if Illinois state employees vote to go out on strike, the International Union will provide financial assistance and staff support to Council 31 to enable union members to sustain the strike for as long as necessary; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
In the event that AFSCME members in Illinois vote to strike, all AFSCME affiliates will make every effort to provide assistance, whether with financial contributions, staff support or other forms of solidarity; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:
That the International Union will seek to involve other labor unions and labor's allies at the national level to assist in the efforts of the Illinois labor movement to resist Bruce Rauner's assaults on fundamental collective bargaining rights.
SUBMITTED BY: Tracey Abman, Delegate
AFSCME Local 2199, Council 31
Illinois
INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE BOARD