Category: State Budget

Understanding the unfairness of Tier 2 and the challenges of fixing it

How to find out if you're on a Tier 2 pension, why lawmakers are so reluctant to address pensions, and more.

Veronica Lea has been a direct support professional (DSP) for 30 years. She works at Trinity Services, Inc., helping senior women with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She is the 2022 Illinois DSP of the Year.

Because of AFSCME’s efforts, direct support professionals (DSPs) and other frontline employees at state-funded disability agencies have seen their wages go up an average of more than $5 per hour over the past five budget cycles.

AFSCME members at community disability agencies are standing up for a desperately needed wage increase in this year’s state budget—with language requiring employers to pass the raise directly to frontline workers.

Marlon and his coworkers do essential work supporting individuals with developmental disabilities at state-funded human service agencies. The median wage? Just $12 an hour. AFSCME is lobbying to raise wages and ensure they go directly to workers' pockets!

Illinois' credit rating has been upgraded for the first time in more than 20 years.

In an unprecedented “virtual” legislative session, AFSCME Council 31 succeeded in positively impacting the state budget and helping pass a number of bills of importance to union members—and block passage of a number that would be harmful.

In a win for the labor movement, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act on March 9. The PRO Act reforms labor laws to give power back to workers so they can freely organize unions.

AFSCME played a key role in ensuring the allocation of nearly $700 billion in investment in public services, including $360 billion in flexible aid for struggling states, cities, counties and schools—including some $13 billion to Illinois.