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

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.

Advertisement

Related Article Topics | Related Industry News
“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.

Bruce