At last—back wages paid for missed steps

In the wake of the court ruling that AFSCME won last year finding that Bruce Rauner acted illegally when he froze employee step increases on July 1, 2015, the Pritzker Administration has been working to restore fairness for AFSCME members.

In April the governor restored all AFSCME members to their appropriate step, complying with a Labor Board order that our union won invalidating Bruce Rauner’s step freeze.

The Illinois Labor Relations Board order stipulated that AFSCME members be made whole for the step increases they did not receive. That means that state employees are now receiving a lump sum payment for the wages they would have received had they been placed on the appropriate step(s) at the appropriate time.

This month Governor JB Pritzker is honoring that commitment: Most state employees have now been paid the back wages owed for their missed step increases!

Across Illinois, AFSCME members are happily welcoming these payments, which will enable them to catch up on many of the personal debts and responsibilities they’ve had trouble managing during the Rauner years.

If you are a state employee and your agency has not yet issued the steps back wages payments, check with your Payroll Department to find out when these payments will be made. Click here for an FAQ about steps back pay.

With interest…

There’s still one last “step” in the step increases battle AFSCME members fought so hard and long to win.

AFSCME anticipates that in October state employees will receive the interest owed on their back wages. The interest payments are also ordered by the Labor Board in compliance with state law.

Because we remained united and determined in defying Bruce Rauner for four years, we're standing strong today.