State employees set rallies to support public services, call on Gov. Rauner to settle fair contract

After six months of negotiations over a new union contract for state of Illinois employees and with less than a month until the current agreement is set to expire on June 30, the Rauner administration continues to make extreme demands, leaving the two sides very far from a settlement.

It’s against this backdrop that thousands of public service workers employed by state government agencies will participate in one of more than 100 planned public events this week. The events – including rallies, marches, leafleting, food drives and more – will raise awareness of the vital public services provided by state employees in every Illinois community, and urge support for settling a fair contract without disrupting those services.

State employees should contact their local union leadership for information on events in their area!

Public service workers in state government protect public safety, prevent child abuse, care for veterans and people with disabilities, fight crime, respond to emergencies, help struggling families, protect public health, ensure clean air and clean water, maintain state parks and much more.

State employees have never been locked out or forced to strike in some 40 years of collective bargaining in Illinois. But as a candidate, Gov. Rauner repeatedly vowed to “shut down state government” in order to weaken the rights and drive down the wages of public service workers. Since taking office, he has pushed for budget cuts that are harmful to children, seniors and middle-class families, and has spent months giving speeches that attack working people instead of compromising to solve real problems.