By Paul Kersey, Illinois Policy Institute -
Q: I heard that Gov. Pat Quinn terminated the state's contract with AFSCME. What just happened?
A: The governor's office announced that it was not going to continue to extend the contract with AFSCME Leadership Council 31. About 40,000 state employees that AFSCME represents are now working without a contract.
Q: How did we get here?
A: The state’s contract with AFSCME originally expired June 30, 2012, but the governor and the union had agreed to extend the contract between negotiating sessions while they tried to put together a new contract. The two sides met with a mediator Tuesday afternoon and failed to reach an agreement on a new contract. AFSCME offered to extend the old contract again, but this time Quinn declined.
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