The County Leadership has decided to delay our contract talks until after the primary election is held on February 2nd, in hopes of trying to figure out just what kind of financial shape the county will be in for 2011 by whom the winner of the race for county president will be! A wait-and-see approach to see who will be leading the way as the 2011 nightmare begins to unfold.
If you have been reading the papers or watched the debate, 3 of the 4 democratic candidates for county board president have announced that they will roll back the remaining .05 of 1% tax if they are elected. As previously reported here, that roll back will continue to deepen the deficit for 2011, possibly doubling the deficit to 400 million dollars. This is a major problem for us. More deficit equals more cuts. Even the county can do simple math!
Where will the county make up that deficit? The only place they have control of–us. Once again as we have reported, the county is seriously looking at reducing the total number of its employees to save money. They attribute for every 1% raise will equal 44 employees being laid off. The county estimate for AFSCME is between 500 and 900 employees who will be laid off. The county hasn’t fully looked at alternative options to save money, which include the elimination of worksites, but not jobs. The AFSCME Locals have been brainstorming where possible cuts can be made within our departments without losing union members.
AFSCME recognizes the current financial problems abounding in the county, city and state. Cook County is the only solvent government body in 2010, but they insist on following the lead of the city and state in putting the financial problems on the backs of their employees by limiting pay raises and demanding increased contributions in health care.
We have given up larger wage increases throughout the years to keep our health care benefits strong and affordable. Now the county wants it both ways. They want to pay you less wages, but have you pay even more to keep you and your family insured. The county can self-insure itself, but chooses not to do so. This smacks of political insidership and reeks of kickbacks. Having only one insurance provider doesn’t help clean up this image either. Being an election year, raising taxes is out-of-the-question. And the roll back is real, as demonstrated by the celebration of those shameless individuals running to retain their positions as county commissioners upon removing a 1/2 of a cent. Never in any election has a penny been so much of an issue!
AFSCME Council 31 has chosen not to make an official endorsement of any candidate for County Board President. Neither has the Chicago Federation of Labor, nor the Illinois Democratic Party. Does this bother you? We are playing the wait-and-see game just like our ‘friends’ on the other side of the table, and hope that all works out well! 500 people may have a greater interest than most in the outcome of this primary! Remember to Vote on February 2nd or before with early voting! Let’s hope that the winner will be supportive of the Union that makes up the greatest workers in Cook County!