We realize that many assistant public defenders are waiting to hear the final status of the public defender budget resulting from the hearing process last night. As of today, we cannot tell you how many proposed layoffs are still in the budget for our Office. We had representatives at the hearing throughout the night on Thursday and into Friday morning, and we can tell you that the public defender budget and number of proposed layoffs was in flux all night as we continued to lobby Commissioners. We can also tell you that even as the Finance Committee was readying to vote, the picture for our Office was not clear.
On behalf of those assistant public defenders that may be effected by the budget process, we called Commissioners’ offices this morning and asked the very question that assistant public defenders want the answer to- what is the definitive number of proposed layoffs in our Office as a result of the hearing last night? They told us that the number of layoffs in our Office may not be known until next week. If we receive something more definitive before the end of the day, we will post the information here.
We can state that the layoff notices that were received by some assistant public defenders this week are not indicative of the possible layoffs in the Office. Those notices can be disregarded for now. It is our understanding that if layoffs result from the budget process, assistant public defenders will be separately notified in the future.
February 24th, 2007
How in the world does the Sun-Times know how many PD’s are going to be cut before we do? Check out page 7. There is a breakdown of each county office getting axed. Communication has always been lacking but this is unacceptable.
February 24th, 2007
Amen
February 24th, 2007
Doris and Jerry: You really can’t be serious! The County board meeting ended at 3:00 am on Friday… it began at 10:00 am on Thursday. Several of our brothers and sisters were present in and around the county board room the entire time. Perhaps they need a little sleep or to catch up on their cases or personnal lives.
Although I have not seen the budget and have no insider knowledge, (nor am I a union executive board member) I can’t imagine that you should believe what you see on page 7 of the Fun Times. Budgets do not list numbers of people…they set out gross numbers. I would guess that if the Fun Times says we are losing 10 brothers and sisters, it really means that the budget for frontline lawyers was cut by about 500K. That is really a drop in the bucket and is a credit to our union and to Ed. Its such a small amount of money that it would not surprise me if Ed and/or the union can “find” the money elsewhere and save these 10 jobs that the Times refers to. Compare that to what has happened at Mr. Devine’s office and we should all be taking our union executive board members and AFSCME staff to lunch or better. Let’s all chill and see.
Bruce
February 24th, 2007
Chill? I’ll do that when you pay my mortgage. But my point was that Communication is awful. Rumors run rappant. When people hear layoffs they need to hear a little more than we’ll get back to you maybe Monday afternoon. And I shouldn’t have to search the damn paper for answers to any question I have about my job when I’m number 28. Mind you, I just picked that stupid number on Thursday when everyone else did it their first day on the job.
I don’t doubt that union people were up late but if it would have taken an extra 10 minutes to tell me if my head was getting chopped or that we have a number but we are trying to get it down, I would hope my “brother or sister” would do it for me. I don’t doubt their working hard. MY point is COMMUNICATION. I would love to get solid information and stop my heart from pounding.
Why does the information from the “Fun Times” turn out to be the same information that PD higherups or that the union later says? I’m sure a baseline number was dropped. There are sources outside the union that knew things before we were finally told. Plus, don’t get me started on Ed.
As to finding money that’s a joke. How do you find millions of dollars, where was it hiding? I don’t give a hoot what happens to Devine’s office because I pay my dues to a union for a reason. My beef ain’t with you its with our system and it definitely has to be re-evaluated.
February 24th, 2007
Well Doris, I certainly hope you keep your job and run for union office in the next election. Then you can dedicate youself to the important task of improving communications in the local and all the other work of the union. BTW, you will not get any salary, benefits, or even a discount on your union dues as a local officer or steward. You will get the “pleasure” of members that think that paying their $10 a week ends their responsibilities.
February 24th, 2007
Actually I have no problem with being involved as a rep for 1st Muni. Great ideas have to come from some place, why not me. I’m fabulous!
Personally, I wouldn’t say that about my brothers and sisters. For me, I had no idea we had no reps for 1st Muni when Ms. Haynes transferred. Point being, communication was lacking to let me know that. I only found out when I had bond court with her and she told me.
February 24th, 2007
Double Amen
February 24th, 2007
Do you get a free trip to Hawaii as a union rep?
February 24th, 2007
Jerry: I know that you are fabulous too and would certainly vote for a free trip to Hawaii for you if you were elected to union office.
February 25th, 2007
Doris: I am a union steward for 555 W. Harrison and I must say that any information you have gotten at your site as far as fliers, postings, etc. has come from me. I have no duty to send anything to your site and I don’t know you. I am not your steward but because no one at your site or anywhere else in the entire first municipal division wants to step up and volunteer I do it out of kindness so that you all will receive at least some amount of communication and information…and I don’t just do it for your site. I also send information to traffic, and each and every one of the branch courts, as a courtesy. It is unbelievable that out of all of those sites not one person is willing to give up any of their time to become a steward. However, everyone has time to complain about the few people who are working for the union. The reason that no definitive number has been given out is because no one knows for sure yet. There probably is a number right now but that number will likely change in the next few hours or days and I am sure that the executive board doesn’t want to tell people that they are getting laid off only to be yelled at the next day by people like you when that number changes again. They are trying to be cautious and I for one can’t blame them.
February 25th, 2007
I was the person who was there all night! Even after the board approved the budget at 1:00am and all the amendments were done at 3:00am, the numbers kept changing. All we know for sure is that the executive board and Ed have gotten 25 APD positions put back into the PD budget so far. However when tring to find out from the County the number of APD positions that were originaly slated to be cut, we are being told diferent numbers from differnt people and that we may not know the number until after the budget error process is completed. They are currently going through the budget error process, which is supposed to be done by the end of this week. I didn’t read the papers because I knew whatever numbers they had would be wrong. We will not post a number until we are damn sure that the number is correct. If we post that we lost ten and we lose 25 or more we would have given false hope or in the alternative if we lose nine or none we would have caused unneeded sorrow. We believe there has been to much of that going around all ready. I want to thank all those brothers and sisters who joined the executive board at the budget hearing, including several from 1st Muni who stayed until 1:30 am. However I didn’t see you there Doris? Thanks to all of you for your support and caring.
P.S. You are working for the wrong office if you believe what you read in the paper!
February 25th, 2007
Kyan: Whatever info you sent out south I am greatful for but I doubt we got it. Our fax is shot and we rarely get interoffice mail because no one picks it up or brings it out. You all miss the point. I and others think the communication is not where it should be. Like I said before, I didn’t know that 1st Muni had no rep until Ms. Haynes told me at bond court. I have no problem with serving. But I don’t think that the only persons entitled to blow off steam are stewards and such. You even said there may be a number. There’s nothing wrong with being cautious but that’s kind of late when we’ve heard all these rumors for so long.
Tom: Bless you for the work your doing. But I like others are simply afraid of losing our jobs. When we hear that no ones knows a number and that we have to suffer the weekend not knowing a number and somehow work through Monday wondering, its hard. And no, you didn’t see me there that night. But I did go to the meetings where I couldn’t get in the room and I shouted and chanted. I did get involved. Since I didn’t go to that particular budget meeting am I not entitled to ask for a little more information?
Is the battle over how many superviors should be let go? Or how many staff vs lawyers? No one said not to go by the paper. Our site first learned about the furlough days and such from the paper. That’s my point exactly when you have little to go on you look for what you can find. Sorry, but I guess that’s what scared people do.
February 25th, 2007
As the Chief Steward of the Union I have given up a lot of my free time to make sure you get communications, that your grievances get filed and that some of you may get to keep your jobs. In fact I was asked to volunteer for this thankless position because no one else wanted to do it. The Union is a volunteer army. If you don’t like the way things are going, perhaps you have the Union you deserve. Everyone is complacent until their relative position is threatened. That comment is for the most senior to the least senior in this office. So Doris, if you want to be accountable and have people bust into your office complaining about not getting a promotion or the fact that they got 30 day notice letter, then be my guest. I have rescheduled more jail visits and hearings and other things to accomodate executive board meetings with management, and higher level grievances while you and others are walking out the door at a time commensurate with professional responsibility.
And for the record no major news organization has a wire coming into any of our homes providing us with the news of the day prior to 6a.m. Union benefits do not provide us with insider knowledge and trips to Hawaii.
February 25th, 2007
I’ll keep that all in mind. However, I don’t believe that because a member isn’t heavily involved they can’t speak.
Read upwards, I like Hawaii and all but I never said anything about it.
February 25th, 2007
The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin quotes Ed Burnette saying on Friday morning that “his office is now facing layoffs of about 10 assistant public defenders, down form the 36 that would have lost their jobs in Stroger’s original budget proposal. Burnette said meetings were planned for Friday afternoon to find ways to cut costs without that many layoffs.”
Later, in a teleconference with Chiefs, he used a differrent number.
What does about 10 mean to you? If you are number 11 should you worry? What about resignations of other assistants within the last two weeks? What if you are number 10 and the number goes down to 8 or 7? What if number 9 quit (or made some other life changing decision) because number 9 thought he or she was gonna be layed off but Ed fired a supervisor to keep more frontline employees and number 9 and 8 still had jobs?
As we said before, when we know with ACCURACY, we will tell you.
What is unacceptable is the County Budget process, not the fact that this local doesn’t recklessly throw around layoff numbers to its members and throw their lives into either a tailspin or a false sense of security.
February 25th, 2007
Dear Folks,
How about a group hug? I really do not think that Doris or any of the assistants who are asking for more info are attacking the union representatives. They are simply looking for a forum, an ear and some support. We are fortuante that we are unionized and that the union and others interested in the fundamental rights of our clients stood up and spoke out.
It is clear that without the leadership of the union we would not be in the position we are now. That said, I am concerned that Doris and other young attorneys be allowed to voice their fears and concerns without recrimination.
We are not the only ones interested in this issue, the whole nation is watching and our struggle will be an example for all who come this way thereafter. How we stand together in the midst of this struggle is also instructive. Will we allow the powers to be to pit us against each other?
I would like to volunteer to establish some sort of support group to provide financial support and or counseling and job placement to any Cook County Public Defender employee layed off. Anyone else?
February 25th, 2007
Dear Folks,
How about a group hug? I really do not think that Doris or any of the assistants who are asking for more info are attacking the union representatives. They are simply looking for a forum, an ear and some support. We are fortuante that we are unionized and that the union and others interested in the fundamental rights of our clients stood up and spoke out.It is clear that without the leadership of the union we would not be in the position we are now. That said, I am concerned that Doris and other young attorneys be allowed to voice their fears and concerns without recrimination.
We are not the only ones interested in this issue, the whole nation is watching and our struggle will be an example for all who come this way thereafter. How we stand together in the midst of this struggle is also instructive. Will we allow the powers to be to pit us against each other? I would like to volunteer to establish some sort of support group to provide financial support and or counseling and job placement to any Cook County Public Defender employee layed off. Anyone else?
February 26th, 2007
As a former member of the Executive Board, this all has a familiar ring. I’ve been through grueling overnight contract negotiating sessions only to have people who couldn’t be bothered to exert themselves vent at the Board about how we didn’t get a better contract. The enemy here is the County, the management of our Office and in particular the County Board President. Don’t kill the messenger (the Union) for bearing bad news. And don’t bait on the divide and conquer. Your animosity should be directed at those politicians and managers who schemed to sacrifice your job to fatten the patronage rather than directed at our Union.
I also noticed that the newspapers reported on the County Board holding what appeared to be sham “executive session” meetings to evade the requirements of the Open Meetings Act. In addition, the County budget has long been notorious for its lack of transparency. Under these circumstances, it is unrealistic to expect a Union which was shut out of the process to instantaneously have a definite answer.
That said, our union has had a long-standing problem with communication. This website alone is a major advance towards keeping everyone informed.
And, I agree with Winona that some of our efforts now should shift to helping those targeted for layoff with their search for other jobs.
February 27th, 2007
As former vice president and chief steward, I just want echo what Monique Patterson said. Perhaps as Winona said, no one meant to attack the union representatives, but that’s how it seemed. I fully support the right of any member to speak his/her mind, but I would caution everyone to remember that when you “vent,” your words have an effect on others. Keep in mind that the union reps are just as frustrated as you are. Plus they have to listen to everyone who arrives on their doorsteps thinking they must have some kind of inside knowledge - that they don’t necessarily have.
February 27th, 2007
Last night the Chicago Tribune published this story on its internet site:
More county jobs cut in latest budget figures
By Mickey Ciokajlo
Tribune staff reporter
February 27, 2007, 8:02 PM CST
An estimated 1,700 Cook County workers will lose their jobs in the 2007 budget, about 500 more than had been reported last week, according to figures released Tuesday.
The administration of board President Todd Stroger said the numbers given out during the budget debate late Thursday were estimates. The new figures reflect the reconciliation of budget documents with all the amendments approved in a meeting that did not end until 2:30 a.m. Friday.
The new numbers are not final because some figures, such as those for the public defender’s office, still must be fully reconciled, budget officials said.
Overall, the new numbers show that the 2007 county budget will have 2,193 fewer full-time positions than in 2006. About 490 of the positions were vacant, but the rest were filled and reflect job losses by county workers. The total number of jobs for 2007 will be 23,383.
By far, the most job losses will be in the Bureau of Health, where 1,155 positions were eliminated. The figures released Tuesday did not break those jobs down by title, such as doctors, nurses and administrative assistants.
The Bureau of Administration, which runs departments such as highways, planning and zoning, will have 221 fewer positions.
In total, 1,489 of the positions cut are jobs that fall under Stroger’s control. The remaining 704 positions fall under the control of other elected officials, such as the sheriff, state’s attorney and Circuit Court clerk.
Chief Judge Timothy Evans loses 230 positions, the most among the offices outside Stroger’s control.
Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown had the second-most positions cut, with 134, followed by Sheriff Tom Dart with 129 and State’s Atty. Richard Devine with 102.
Stroger won passage of his $3 billion budget after winning the support of three Republicans and North Side Democrat Mike Quigley. The budget closed a projected deficit of $500 million without raising taxes.
Though the cuts were deep, including the closing of a dozen health clinics, Stroger originally planned to lay off far more sheriff’s police, courtroom deputies and probation officers than ultimately were let go.
Rival commissioners said Stroger’s plan leaned too heavily on frontline workers while sparing high-level employees with political connections.
mciokajlo@tribune.com
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