Arbitrator: Ill. gov. must give workers pay raises
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn violated a union contract with nearly 30,000 state workers by refusing to give them a pay raise July 1, an arbitrator ruled Tuesday.
Edwin Benn ordered Quinn to start paying the 2 percent increase and provide back pay within 30 days.“As a matter of contract, the state cannot simply refuse to pay the increase,” Benn wrote in his opinion.
Quinn’s administration said the matter envelops broader issues than the arbitrator could consider and that the Democratic governor will appeal in state court.The raises are promised in a contract with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. But Quinn has argued he doesn’t have to pay them because lawmakers, electing to spend $2 billion less this fiscal year in a budget crisis, didn’t include enough money for them.
The administration says the increases would cost about $75 million for the fiscal year that ends next June.
“Funding these raises would mean that these agencies would not be able to make payroll for the entire year, disrupting core services for the people of Illinois,” spokesman Grant Klinzman said, referring to the agencies where the state employees work.
Quinn officials estimate if the state is forced to pay the increases, 14 agencies would face a $200 million deficit by year’s end, including $90 million in the Department of Human Services and $57 million in Corrections.
AFSCME applauded the decision.