The county payroll department went back in time today, issuing paper paychecks to the entire payroll. This hasn’t been done for years due to the vast majority of employees opting for direct deposit of their check into a checking or savings account.

The county didn’t disclose what the problem with the direct deposit option was, nor if any confidential information was compromised. The raise which we have been waiting for is on this paycheck, which may have assisted in the software problem. It was a good sign though to see that the county still has the capability of generating an entire payroll manually.

Checks have been delivered to all work sites. If you have not received yours yet, check with your deputy chief in the morning. Hopefully the county will have this glitch fixed before the next payday in two weeks. Maybe they’ll crank it up again to issue the retro checks? One can only hope.

(From the Chicago Tribune…)

How to fix the mistake of the Chavez 11, aka Cook County commissioners who weakened jail-release law

It wasn’t as if the politicians of the Cook County Board weren’t warned that they were creating a Willie Horton problem.

They were indeed warned, by Cook County Commissioner Timothy Schneider, as they passed a foolish new law.

“But they didn’t listen,” Schneider, a Republican from Bartlett, told me Wednesday. “And as your column today pointed out, it led to the release of an alleged drunk driver involved in killing a pedestrian in Chicago. It was a monumental mistake.

“What they’re starting to understand is that it could get much worse. What if the next criminal they release kills another person, a child, a police officer?”

So Schneider is working on an amendment to that ridiculous law passed in September that was approved with great fanfare by Democrats on the Cook County Board.

They’re not the Horton 11.

Let’s call them the Chavez 11.

Horton was the Massachusetts convicted murderer with no chance of parole who was kindly put on furlough in 1987. While he was out, he raped a woman and became a symbol of bureaucratic stupidity.

Saul Chavez wasn’t furloughed. Instead, he was bailed out of Cook County Jail after his arrest in June in a drunken driving case and a crash that killed William “Dennis” McCann, who was walking across North Kedzie Avenue.

Chavez had been charged after witnesses said he drove his car into McCann, then ran over his body, dragging him down the street. Chavez tried to run away but was caught.

What angered the McCann family was that on Nov. 20, Chavez was allowed to leave jail because of that new law championed by County Commissioner Jesus “Chuy” Garcia and trumpeted by Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.

It allowed the county to ignore requests by federal immigration officials for notification if suspected illegal immigrants were to be released from jail. The new law applied not only to suspects being held on misdemeanor cases, but also those charged with felonies.

Preckwinkle and Garcia pushed the new measure, mindful that Latino votes were in play. I do not doubt the integrity of these two officials, but I do disagree with their policy.

The proposal passed. And the feds weren’t notified. Chavez, a Mexican national who had previously been convicted of a DUI, came up with $25,000, bonded out and disappeared. Now he’s believed to have skipped back home.

In case you’re interested, 10 commissioners voted for the law. They are Commissioners Jerry Butler, Earlean Collins, John A. Fritchey,  Bridget Gainer, Jesus Garcia, Joan Patricia Murphy, Edwin Reyes, Deborah Sims, Larry Suffredin  and Jeffrey R. Tobolski.

And their leader, Board President Toni Preckwinkle makes 11.

Schneider is trying to convince the board to amend its policy. So the Chavez 11 might welcome your call.

Schneider says he’ll introduce legislation this month allowing the county to ignore federal detainers for common misdemeanors, but to enforce them when dealing with suspects charged with felonies.

That sounds reasonable. A man shouldn’t risk deportation because he has a few too many beers in public after a hard day’s work. But if he drives drunk and kills someone, that’s different.

John Kass, Chicago Tribune

This is what happens when you start telling, or demanding that those who know and do their jobs well are instructed to do things ‘their way’. Sheriff Dart has done a fine job running the jail, but Madame Prez is upset about ‘low level’ offenders being held in custody.

But what do we know? We work in the court system, where this case wasn’t supposed to end up anyway? A $200 ticket would suffice? Madame Prez, please stick to YOUR job only. Running the county into the ground and let those in the know do their job(s)!

(From the Chicago Sun-Times…)

Suburban Cook County courthouses closing on weekends

Starting Jan. 7, all five of Cook County’s suburban courthouses will be closed on Saturdays and Sundays.

The county is working to consolidate its weekend bond court by requiring that all weekend hearings take place at the criminal courts building at 26th and California in Chicago.

Cook County officials are estimating the change will save $1.9 million in 2012.

The county’s suburban courthouses — located in Skokie, Rolling Meadows, Maywood, Bridgeview and Markham — have continued to hold Saturday bond court despite a low volume of cases at some locations. Markham also holds bond court on Sunday.

“Consolidating weekend bond court at the criminal courthouse will make the criminal justice system more efficient,” wrote Liana Jackson, press secretary for Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s office, in an email.

To hold hearings on the weekends, she said, each suburban courthouse needs a minimum of one judge, one assistant state’s attorney, one public defender, three clerks and seven sheriff’s deputies to be present. Jackson said that the average number of total weekend hearings across all suburban municipal districts ranges from 87 defendants on Saturday to 37 on Sunday.

“Holding bond court on the weekend is expensive and diverts resources that could be dedicated to other functions within the county. The consolidation will allow public safety resources to be more efficiently utilized,” she said.

Jackson said local police will be responsible for transporting their defendants to bond court at 26th and California.

Guess that it’s true that Madame Prez is now running the County Jail and Court system?!?!? We’re not sure how this will impact our weekend coverage for Pre-Trial Bond Court yet for our staff at 26th St.

The county had added to the payroll, hiring Mary Robinson as the new Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Planning officer.

Any correspondence can be forwarded to her at mary.robinson@cookcounty.gov.

We wish you all a very joyous holiday season. May your gatherings be filled with joy, laughter & love.

For those who will be retiring at the end of 2011, thank you for your devoted service to AFSCME Local 3486 and the Cook County Adult Probation Department. Enjoy your rest! You’ve certainly earned it!

2012 will be another turbulent year, with budget and personnel cuts and the reopening of a new contract with the county. It’s not fair that we just completed 3 years of contract negotiations, and yet a new labor agreement is on the horizon.

We, as the officers of YOUR local, will continue to represent you to the best of our ability, to ensure that contract language is upheld and followed.

Have a safe and prosperous holiday season!

(From the Chicago Tribune…)

House Democrats try to weaken Illinois pension reform

Less than two weeks after passing major legislation to crack down on pension abuses by union leaders, House Democrats on Sunday sought to roll back some of the reforms.

Late last month, the House voted to send the governor a measure that would stop the practice of basing public pensions on heftier union salaries and kick two well-paid teacher union lobbyists out of a public pension system they were able to join after substitute teaching for a single day.

The new legislation would make an exception for current union officials who are on leaves of absence from their regular jobs to get the more lucrative pensions. The latest measure also would let those two teacher union lobbyists stay in the teacher pension system.

House Republicans accused the Democrats of trying to blow a hole in the pension abuse legislation.

But Democratic Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Orland Park said he’s sponsoring the revised version because the other one could run afoul of the state’s constitution. The reason, he said, is because it would reduce benefits of current union leaders and potentially some retirees. The points reflected concerns of the city laborers retirement fund, whose leaders warned that the legislation lawmakers already passed would trigger lawsuits. McCarthy’s legislation would prevent future cases of abuse.

Republican Rep. Darlene Senger of Naperville dismissed the constitutional arguments, saying she was “very suspicious” of the Democratic push. She noted that federal subpoenas have sought information about the inflated salaries of Chicago union officials revealed in reports by the Tribune and WGN-TV.

“We’re trying to do our best here to make sure that we come up with something that halts the abuses,” Senger said.

Republicans also feared the new bill would allow current union members who are double-dipping in Chicago public pensions and union pensions to keep doing it despite attempts to stop it in the prior bill.

A House panel advanced a measure that could be used later to make the pension changes in the full House. But lawmakers may not take further action until the governor acts on the bill already before him.

The earlier bill, now awaiting action by Gov. Pat Quinn, would boot from the Illinois Teachers’ Retirement System Steven Preckwinkle and David Piccioli. The two lobbyists for the Illinois Federation of Teachers took advantage of a 2007 law that allowed them to become eligible for a public pension by subbing for one day.

McCarthy said the Senate could address the lobbyist matter by passing a separate bill the House approved that also would knock the two lobbyists from the teacher pension fund.

Think the phones have been ringing constantly in some offices?

(From the Chicago Tribune…)

Pension abuse reforms sent to governor

Emanuel said need to cut pension costs left unaddressed

Numerous high-profile union leader pension abuses would be reined in under sweeping legislation that lawmakers overwhelmingly sent today to Gov. Pat Quinn, who had urged the General Assembly to pass the measure.

The legislation, coming in response to Tribune/WGN-TV investigations, would block union leaders representing city workers from double dipping into both union and public pensions and rein in the practice of basing public pensions on heftier union salaries. It also took the step of kicking out of the state’s public pension system two well-paid union lobbyists that lined up a sweet public teacher pension after subbing in a school for one day.

House Republican Leader Tom Cross of Oswego, who sponsored the measure, said it was “insane” that a 2007 law allowed two lobbyists to for the Illinois Federation of Teachers, Steven Preckwinkle and David Piccioli, to count all of their time with the union toward a pension with the Illinois Teachers’ Retirement System. The union pair had no prior teaching experience when the law put them in line for a public pension for life.

A spokesman for the two lobbyists has questioned the constitutionality of the move, citing a long-held belief that public pensions cannot be scaled back midstream.

“The bill is blatantly unconstitutional because its impairs a benefit to which they are legally entitled. They are reviewing their legal options,” said spokesman David Ormsby.

But proponents have argued they have a right to make sure public funds are used appropriately.

Also under the legislation, lawmakers aim to end the practice in which some city of Chicago municipal and labor union workers have taken leaves of absence from their city jobs, moved to full-time positions with their unions and then collected pensions from both. The bill would eliminate the double dip possibility for current and future union officials.

The bill went to Quinn on a 108-4 vote, with one lawmaker voting present.

“I am pleased with the General Assembly’s action to improve our pension system in order to prevent the flagrant abuses that have recently come to light,” Quinn said in a statement. “Taxpayer money must be protected, which is why I supported lawmakers’ move to address egregious abuses of the pension system. I support immediate reform of pension abuses, and I look forward to reviewing and taking action quickly when the bill reaches my desk.”

In Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said it’s appropriate for lawmakers to address the labor leader pension loopholes, but he also wants them to deal with the overall structural problems he says will soon cripple the state’s pension systems.

Emanuel said the changes approved today don’t go far enough.

“We have a problem, and that’s not the problem by itself,” Emanuel said.

“We have a bigger problem as it relates to pensions,” he said while speaking to reporters at an unrelated news conference. “Fixing what happens at the leadership level is fixing that problem, but not the pension problem.”

“It is unfair to people who are planning a retirement on a system that can’t pay out benefits in seven or eight years, and it’s unfair to the taxpayers who are going to be left on the hook,” the mayor said. “That’s why the pension system needs to be fixed, so both those who are paying into it can reliably retire on it, and those who are also accountable for its solvency — i.e. the taxpayers –need people who will make sure that it’s honest to the taxpayers.”

“And right now we have a system, throughout the city and state — multiple plans — that can’t do that. So therefore, while it’s appropriate to take the steps to fix what your newspaper has been focused on, that is not fixing the pension problem that taxpayers and public employees will rely on in the future,” he said.

We can thank the media for the passage of this bill, revived from the dead and now awaiting passage into law with the governor’s autograph. This will ultimately filter its way into Cook County, so the battle still rages on…

(From the Chicago Tribune…)

County budget cuts staff, raises taxes on liquor, cars

Board OKs Preckwinkle spending plan 16-1

Isn’t this the same as the ‘Penny Tax’ that she is eliminating? Didn’t that spread out the tax base evenly instead of selectively as these taxes do? Can anyone please explain this madness?

And as for paying to come to work, that’s NOT a done deal yet no matter what she told the press! Yes, she’s laughing AT US and at all of Cook County for electing her president! Thank You Commissioners Sims, Collins, Steele etc. Don’t even bother to ask for an endorsement for re-election!

At today’s scheduled County Board meeting, the moment we have been waiting for finally came. The Board approved our 2008 – 2012 contract as had been anticipated with the passage of the Teamsters agreement earlier.

If past record holds true, we can expect to see the retro money in about 60 days.

Negotiations on the 2013 contract already look more contemptible, as the County will bring their ‘money saving ideas’ to the bargaining table. (Unpaid Holidays, longer workdays, shorter unpaid lunches, shorter vacation accrual, elimination of personal days and floating holiday etc.) You remember, all of the items Madame Prez wanted AFTER we had reached a contract agreement, and we refused to give back even though she went directly to the media painting us as ‘The Bad Guys’ for not relenting to her demands? Thought so.

The 2012 County Budget looks like it will be passed without much fanfare on Friday, 11/18/11. That will include new taxes, employee layoffs and new parking fees for all of us! The commissioners just don’t seem interested in fighting with Madame Prez and will roll over yet again. Too bad. Putting the ‘Penny’ back into play would solve most of the county’s budget problems, but they seem reluctant to challenge and would rather see new fees and service cuts. We will demand that any new parking fees imposed on employees be bargained over, and not just absorbed.

If the budget passes as written, we would lose 48 officer positions. We have 54 vacant positions currently due to the first layoff and subsequent staff reductions . We have not heard if we are losing any additional officers.

The County Board today proposed a new way of limiting vacation accrual for new hires, so that upon retirement or leaving service with the county, no vacation time would be paid for after leaving. This idea has been sent to the Finance Committee for further discussion. Expect to see the other ‘time’ issues to make a comeback in the coming months too. But for now, savor the moment of a new contractual agreement! Friday will be a whole new ballgame!

The Bargaining Committee thanks you for all the support you have given us during these long negotiations. The fight is not over…it’s only on recess!