Illinois members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees have been saved from job cuts for now. Governor Pat Quinn had planned to lay-off thousands of AFSCME workers to help close the state’s budget deficit.
Johnson County Circuit Court Judge Todd Lambert ordered a stop to the AFSCME layoffs that were scheduled to begin Wednesday. Union spokesman Anders Lindall says the court decision is a victory, but that doesn’t mean AFSCME is safe.
LINDALL: It’s not a permanent solution and the fact of the matter is that we’re all in this position because of the state budget crisis. Cutting a few million here or there is not a comprehensive solution.
The judge has blocked the layoffs until the union’s grievances can be worked out by arbitration. Quinn had asked AFSCME employees to make cost cutting measures like taking unpaid days off in order to prevent 2,600 layoffs, but the union refused.
The Governor’s office says the state will appeal the court decision.