Gov. Pat Quinn said Tuesday that he’s ready for a possible lawsuit from the state’s largest employee union after he moved to block raises for 33,000 workers that were scheduled to go into effect last week.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 has threatened to pursue legal action over Quinn’s decision, which impacts employees at 14 agencies and boards.
Quinn said he had no choice but to eliminate the scheduled pay hikes after lawmakers shorted the payroll budget by $75 million.
“If they decide to sue, that’s their right and we’ll be happy to meet them in court,” Quinn said. “The General Assembly just did not appropriate any extra money for raises for employees. They chose not to… and anybody who is unhappy about that should really go to the legislature.”
Democratic lawmakers acknowledge they cut money for personnel, but argue it was to allow the governor to eliminate unfilled positions after Quinn struck a deal with AFSCME before last year’s election to not to seek layoffs.
Legislative budget experts have questioned whether Quinn has the authority to stop the raises on his own, but Quinn said Tuesday that the collective bargaining agreement with the union relies on funding levels set by lawmakers.
A union representative said if Quinn was concerned about the money set aside for raises, he should have warned lawmakers and ask that they re-direct some of the $376 million the governor cut from the budget to cover the pay increases.
“The governor has the responsibility as the employer to pay the scheduled increases, he can’t walk away because he doesn’t want to or finds it inconvenient,” said union spokesman Anders Lindall. “This really at the end of the day is not about a pay increase, it’s about the integrity of collective bargaining, about the good of the governor’s word.”
Lindall said the union is still weighing legal options.
Quinn’s comments followed an event where he highlighted a summer jobs program for teens and young adults. Run through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the governor said the program will create approximately 2,500 conservation and recreational positions that pay $8.50 an hour, at a cost of $10 million.