Ives' commentary stirs AFSCME activity

WHEATON - Seeming to react with a rather defensive tone, AFSCME's Twitter feed posted "I Will Never Apologize for being Union" Thursday night after following an Illinois House member that made public the unions contracts demands.`

After Tweeting out several criticisms about those demands the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union is making during Illinois contract negotiations, State Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) welcomed AFSCME to her Twitter feed Thursday.

Ives' op-ed published in Illinois Review Thursday afternoon is drawing attention among AFSCME members, who aren't privy to all their representatives are insisting be included in this year's contract. 

Among the demands AFSCME is making, Ives said are "outrageously expensive and read like the contracts of government workers in socialist, bankrupt Greece":

• An 11.5% pay increase at a cost of over $1.25 billion over 4 years;
• A 29% pay increase for some employees who receive a general and a “step” increase over 4 years;
• A 25% increase in longevity pay for Step 8 employees;
• A 37.5 hour work week;
• 5 weeks of fully paid vacation;
• Full health insurance benefits to laid off employees for up to 2 years;
• Full health insurance benefits to intermittent employees;
• Full health insurance benefits to part-time employees;
• A new more expensive health insurance package that covers new procedures such as oral surgery (which is currently covered by the dental plan) and orthodontics for those over 18, without any additional employee contributions;
• Allow laid off employees to move to a lower employee position but keep their same wage rates indefinitely;
• Pay lawyers in the union time and half for any time over 37.5 hours per week and pay for them to attend legal conferences;
• Impose a penalty by doubling wage increases anytime agreed increases are delayed because of budget constraints; and
• Increase overtime pay at DOC to double time after 6 overtime sessions every 3 months.
• Financial analysts estimate that these proposals would add $1.6 billion in salary and pension costs and would eliminate $500 million per year in healthcare savings that were part of the overall healthcare savings included in both Democrat and Republican budgets. At a time when the current budget is more than $4 billion out of balance, this is unacceptable. It is also far out of line with what other unions, such as Teamsters, have proposed.

The rest of her commentary is HERE, and her Tweeted comments Thursday evening are on Twitter at @JeanneIves .