Quinn terminates contract between state and largest public employee union | News

PINCKNEYVILLE, IL (KFVS)- The Pat Quinn administration has terminated the contract between the state of Illinois and its largest public employee union.

Over the past year, the governor of Illinois has been at odds with members of AFSCME over prison closings and pay raises.

An administration spokesperson says there has been no progress regarding retirement health care and the union's demand for a pay raise despite the state's troubled finances.

A union spokesperson says the action will have no immediate effect because the contract terms remain in effect for the time being. But some AFSCME members worry it's an attempt to break union ties.

"This is union busting at its finest," Randy Hellman, AFSCME Union President, Pinckneyville Prison. "I could not be more disappointed in a governor that goes around the state and says he is union friendly. A governor that has come to our union and said I want to work with you, all during his candidacy. And then to come after our union and try to blame all of the state's fiscal problems on our members is unacceptable."

The AFSCME union represents some 40,000 Illinois workers in various state agencies.

The state has extended the contract three times since it expired in June 2012.

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