Cook County Public Defenders Blog

Public Defender Edwin Burnette’s second stab at budget cuts- to take money out of our paychecks and give it back to the County- is a proposal which your Union is not signing on to. What Mr. Burnette calls “service to Cook County taxpayers” is a plan that amounts to slashing our salaries by up to 24%: 4% in 10 unpaid “furlough” days, and 20% in forced 4-day work weeks. While Mr. Burnette proudly announced that his new budget proposal exceeds even the 17% cut demanded by Todd Stroger, your Union does not take pride in such a plan.

We have a Collective Bargaining Agreement that governs our compensation for the 4-year period of the contract, and we intend to hold the County to the terms of this contract. During the lengthy negotiations that led to our most recent contract, the County’s looming budget crisis was front and center, and the County sought and received sacrifice from us to assist in the recovery process. We agreed to backload the modest wage increases in the later years of the contract, thereby alleviating the need for the County to provide meaningful raises in the immediate future. This deferral of wages was a real sacrifice for our members, and a real gain to the County in dealing with its current budget situation. In addition, the County obtained a major shift in healthcare contributions, and demanded increased employee contributions at every turn- doctor visits, prescriptions, and other co-payments. We have given back enough.

However, the end game in this budget debate is truly in doubt. Officials at AFSCME Council 31 have begun discussions with County Commissioners, and have retained a budget expert to locate the real waste in the County budget. The question is whether County Commissioners will listen.

This is where you come in. So far this year, assistant public defenders have obtained a solid contract with the County and seen the passage of the public defender bargaining rights ordinance, all without much call to action on the part of our members. Those days are over. Now, you must act. Every assistant public defender must take the following actions: 1) call the office of your County Commissioner (or any Commissioner if you do not live in Cook County) between January 3-5 and tell them that you oppose cuts to the Public Defender budget (Cook County Commissioner Contact Numbers), 2) download and sign the “Letter to The County Board” and fax it to your Commissioner and to Todd Stroger, and 3) be prepared to attend a rally in the coming weeks to voice our position to County leadership. You will learn more about this plan when you attend one of the site meetings listed below:

• 26th Street- Wednesday, January 3, 2007, 3pm (Library)
• 69 West Washington- Thursday, January 4, 2007, 2:30pm (17th Floor)
• Skokie- Thursday, January 4, 2007, 2pm (Cafeteria)
• Rolling Meadows- Thursday, January 4, 2007, 12pm
• Maywood- Tuesday, January 3, 2pm
• Bridgeview- Thursday, January 4, 2:30pm
• Markham- Thursday, January, 4, 1pm
• Juvenile- Thursday, January 4, 12:30pm (Conference Room)
• Domestic- Wednesday, January 3, 12:30pm (Library)
• First Muni.- Tuesday, January 2, 2:30 (Billy Goat Tavern, Mad/Ashland)

AFSCME is leading the charge to prevent the County from taking our jobs and benefits away. Whether assistant public defenders take up the fight will be clear. When AFSCME representatives meet with County Commissioners, they will hear whether the Commissioners are swamped with calls and letters. If the calls and letters pour in, Commissioners must listen. If calls and letters don’t pour in, we lose.

Finally, only about one quarter of our members have sent us their email addresses thus far. When you provide us your email address, it will allow us to do two things: 1) keep you fully informed by sending you email alerts when important new information is posted on the website, and 2) provide you with access to the password-protected “Member’s Only” section of the website. Therefore, we urge every assistant public defender to send their email address to brendan.max@cookcountypd.org.

Everyone should attend a site meeting and keep an eye out here for updated information.