Today, lawyers for AFSCME filed a Complaint for Injunctive Relief in Cook County Chancery Court, seeking to stop the planned staffing and pay cuts to the Office of the Public Defender. As you all are aware, Todd Stroger plans on laying off dozens of assistant public defenders, and has more recently notified us of his intent to impose 3-day and 4-day work weeks along with salary reductions. The Stroger plan amounts to a 30% work force reduction and a 25% salary reduction in 2007. Our lawsuit asserts that salaries and hours of employment are set by contract, the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and cannot be unilaterally changed by either party. The lawsuit has been assigned to Judge Maki, and further information will be posted here as the litigation progresses. Complaint
Also today, the Executive Board published an open letter to the legal community in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. Open Letter The Executive Board is calling on the legal community to take notice of the crisis in this Office, and support our cause to maintain this County’s commitment to the requirements of the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Should you have any ideas about further action to garner support, contact Brendan Max or Bob Galhotra.
Finally, we continue to work with County Commissioners to try to inform them of the devastating effects of the proposed budget cuts, and work to get assistant public defender jobs put back in the budget. Members of the Executive Board met face-to-face with Commissioners in the last 2 weeks, and representatives of AFSCME Council 31 have been conducting ongoing meetings as well. As the budget amendment period gets underway, we will keep you informed of amendments that affect our Office.
February 13th, 2007
Could you keep us posted about the date/time of any hearings on the motions for preliminary injunction and TRO? Those of us who work downtown might be interested in stopping by the Daley Center to observe the proceedings.
February 13th, 2007
Thanks for asking: February 22, 2007, 10:30 am before Judge William O. Maki in the Chancery Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County; Room 2302 Daley Center.
February 13th, 2007
Based on late breaking news on Crain’s Chicago Business tonight, it looks like Todd has gotten the message and has backed down on the 4 and 3 day week. We still will need to fight the 36 layoffs in the political realm. Thanks to all the brothers and sisters who worked so hard to win this fight, especially our executive board and stewards.
Bruce
February 13th, 2007
What was the late breaking news on Crain’s Chicago Business tonight???
February 13th, 2007
here’s what Crain’s said:
Union sues over cut in Cook public defender’s office
(Crain’s) — A union representing Cook County employees is suing the Cook County Board of Commissioners for instituting a shorter work week in what the union considers a “flagrant” breach of its workers’ contract.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 filed the lawsuit Tuesday in Cook County Circuit Court after Cook County Board President Todd Stroger said that starting March 5, he would put public defenders on three- and four-day work weeks for the remainder of the year to cut expenses and require them to take 10-day furloughs.
The suit could be a moot point, as Mr. Stroger announced late Tuesday that the four-day schedule and furloughs among public defenders were no longer necessary. Staff cuts of 36 public defenders and 11 clerical workers would still be needed, a Cook County spokesman said.
Mr. Stroger said in a statement that he has found $25 million to restore programs and services he had proposed cutting.
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“Despite the unwillingness of some to come to the table, my amendents are a reflection of what I believe is the restoration of vital, necessary programs and services,” Mr. Stroger said in the statement. “Additionally, these proposals include funding to be restored to the offices of the Public Defender and State’s Attorney and demonstrate my commitment to adequately fund these vital parts of our core mission.”
An AFSCME spokesman said it was too early to tell if Mr. Strogers amended budget proposal would lead to the union dropping its lawsuit.
“We have not been formally notified (of the amendments),” said Anders Lindall, AFSCME spokesman. “If it is true, we are obviously pleased.”
Mr. Lindall added that the union was still concerned about the proposed staff cuts in the public defender’s office and elsewhere in the county.
“If you’re talking about a handful of programs and a few positions, it’s a step in the right direction, but not a comprehensive program,” he said
The union, Mr. Lindall said, is backing an alternative budget plan that is scheduled to be released at 11 a.m. Wednesday by County Commissioners Robert Steele, Larry Suffredin, Forrest Claypool and Elizabeth Ann Doody Gorman.
February 13th, 2007
And this is the Daily Herald story:
Defense lawyers prevail
Stroger finds money on same day public defenders file a lawsuit
BY ROB OLMSTEAD
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted Tuesday, February 13, 2007
The same day the union for Cook County public defenders sued the county, Cook County Board President Todd Stroger announced he will not force them to reduce their work schedules or take unpaid days off.
“The forest preserve (money) will … be putting back some public defenders,” Stroger said at a meeting with the Daily Herald editorial board Tuesday.
Stroger was referring to $13 million the forest preserve district recently voted to repay the county after the county had bailed it out about five years ago. In addition, about $4 million was found by selling the county’s old domestic violence court on Michigan Avenue.
The announcement came just a few hours after the AFSCME union sued Stroger and the county, arguing he did not have the legal right to force public defenders to reduce to four-day workweeks or take unpaid furlough days.
Told of the development, Anders Lindall, spokesman for the union, said, “We’ve not been formally notified of such a decision. We certainly hope that it’s true. If it is, we’re obviously pleased that reason has prevailed.”
Stroger’s office also said the money would provide for pay parity for state’s attorneys with public defenders and restore two Chicago-based health clinics, the sheriff’s Women’s Justice Program and Youth Services, a state’s attorney’s drug education program, and AIDS medicine funding.
rolmstead@dailyherald.com
February 15th, 2007
The Daily Law Bulletin features a different complaint on its website everyday under “CourtBriefs.” Today the featured case is the lawsuit which our union just filed.