Category Archives: President’s Message

Pensions There is little doubt that Governor Quinn will sign the engrossed legislation passed today by the General Assembly which ends subsidized health care for State employees.  Funding public pensions and other retirement benefits have continued to be one of the most controversial issues in the past few years and things are coming quickly to [...]

Sisters and Brothers, 2011 has been a very tough year for this local, but despite it all, we have met each challenge with strength and resolve. President P began the year with the FY2011 budget battle that threatened the layoffs of, at one time, some 60 assistant public defenders.  Together, we were able to advocate [...]

Brothers and Sisters:   This week County Board President P unveiled her very disappointing FY 12 budget plan which includes the loss of more than $50 million in revenue as the result of her decision to remove ¼ of one percent of the sales tax.   The dollars lost from that decision alone would have saved [...]

We fought off efforts during the Spring to gut our pension benefits but the big corporations vowed to return during the fall veto session.  Well, the fall veto session goes into swing next week and we need a few good members to step forward  and drive down to Springfield and lobby their State Senators and [...]

Sisters and Brothers: Pension Politics Tim, Brendan and I are back from Springfield on a lobbying effort by our Local and AFSCME Council 31, and other members of the We Are One Coalition to bring the truth about pensions to the lawmakers in Illinois, who are on the verge of changing the landscape of our retirement plans. [...]

Excitement is building for the WE ARE ONE Rally this Saturday, April 9, 2011 at Daley Plaza.  While the Rally begins at 1pm, and Bill Lucy will be speaking,  thousands of union activists, friends and family will be gathering around downtown during the hour before the Rally.  Already we have had many members commit to [...]