Will County Union Says Strike's On for Monday

AFSCME Local 1028 representative Anders Lindall issued a statement this morning announcing that Will County employees are set to strike Monday. Below, read Will County Executive Larry Walsh's statement, in which he accuses the union from walking away from the bargaining table.

Statement from Anders Lindall:

Representatives of the Will County board refused yet again to soften their demand to double what county employees pay for health care or offer fair wage increases after employees went four years with no cost of living raise.

County management's failure to compromise forced the end of union contract negotiations and will trigger a strike set to begin Monday.

County employees voted to authorize a strike more than a month ago, but their union, AFSCME, made every effort to seek a compromise, even delaying a planned work stoppage to return to negotiations this week.

"County workers went above and beyond at the bargaining table, just like we do in serving our community every day," AFSCME Local 1028 president Dave Delrose said.

"For the past three weeks, management has refused to meet us halfway, demanding employees pay unaffordable costs for health insurance that would more than negate their paltry offer on pay," Delrose added. "Management knew its demands would force a strike but still they refused to compromise."

To help the county through tough times, employees represented by AFSCME agreed to forego a cost-of-living pay increase for the past four years. Today 40% of union members earn less than $30,000 annually.

Current contract talks have dragged on for 15 months with little sign of compromise by county management and little involvement by county executive Larry Walsh.

AFSCME represents more than 1,200 employees in the county court system, health department, highway department, Sunny Hill Nursing Home, county jail, and in the offices of the sheriff, coroner, recorder, assessor, clerk, chief judge, circuit clerk, executive and state's attorney.

"Larry Walsh and the county board leave us no choice but to strike for fair pay and health care we can afford," Delrose said. "We ask the support of all Will County residents who rely on the services we provide: Let the politicians know you support county workers."We want to work and serve the people, but management's demands have gone too far for too long. We are united and ready to stand together for fairness as long as it takes."

A work stoppage for numerous county employees could hinder critical county services for Will County residents. The looming strike is the result of Local 1028’s action to terminate its contract with the county after the union's unwillingness to compromise on increased health care contributions and their wage demands.

“I have said throughout these negotiations that a strike is not good for anyone; no one wins with a strike,” said Executive Walsh.  “I was very disappointed to learn that AFSCME employees who claim to want to avoid a strike wore red stickers throughout all of our recent negotiation sessions proudly proclaiming “Ready to Strike”,” said Walsh. 

“Although these employees are legally within their right to strike, they seem to embrace the idea of a strike rather work out a settlement at the table which is truly unfortunate for all Will County residents who want to see services continue and workers working.”

Walsh and the county's negotiation team have been meeting with AFSCME Local 1028 for over 15 months, the last 5 months with the aid of a federal mediator, and the main sticking point remains increased health care costs and wage increases. 

The county returned to the bargaining table, at the request of the federal mediator, in a good faith effort to avoid a strike. However, the union has demonstrated an unwillingness to accept the county’s budgetary limitations and has continued its push for higher wages. In the early hours of Friday morning, the union refused to provide a counter offer and ended the negotiations and walked away from the table.

In the most recent sessions, the County has significantly modified its insurance proposals in an effort to address the concerns raised by AFSCME including shifting more of the cost of insurance to higher wage earners to provide more relief to lower wage earners.

“The Board has worked closely with the Executive’s office and our negotiators in an attempt to reach a reasonable and fair contract for our employees,” said Will County Board Speaker Herbert Brooks, Jr. (D-Joliet).

“Through it all, we must balance the many priorities for the county, whether it is employee wages, health care, or the county's many needed capital projects.  Unfortunately, resolution has not been reached yet and time is running out before AFSCME Local 1028 strikes.”

Speaker Brooks and Will County Republican Caucus Chair Jim Moustis (R-Frankfort) noted the Board has worked cooperatively on many issues this past year and hope this can continue as the Board seeks to pass a balanced budget in November and resolve the contract dispute.

“The Board's message has been consistent that there is only so much revenue to pay for county operations,” said Moustis. “We have already given some, but we are united in saying we cannot break the bank in order to get a contract deal done.  Unfortunately, staffing reductions seem likely with the significant costs that continue to grow with our workforce.”

The Executive’s office, along with the county's labor attorney, make up the County’s negotiation team. However, the Board plays a critical role in ultimately approving any deal that is reached. In addition, as the legislative branch of county government, the Board is responsible for approving the budget and setting parameters for the negotiations.

The county and AFSCME Local 1028 returned to the bargaining table both on Wednesday, November 13th and Thursday, November 14th in a last ditch effort to avoid a strike. The union delayed a previously plan to walk on the 13th until Monday, November 18th to allow for the additional talks. However, with the notice that has been given already, employees can strike any time after Wednesday, November 13th.

“I truly hope that we can avoid a strike and keep our workers in place and collecting their paychecks,” said Executive Walsh. “We are just approaching the holiday season and this would really put a negative tone on this part of the year.  More importantly, the bad feelings that come with a strike will linger for a long time.”