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Union workers protest Quinn budget cuts

By Monique Garcia Clout Street 6:27 p.m. CDT, March 15, 2012 Thousands of union workers gathered across Illinois today to protest Gov. Pat Quinns proposed budget cuts that include mass layoffs and the closure and consolidation of several state facilities, including prisons. State employees represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employeesgathered outside the governors Chicago office and the executive mansion in Springfield, chanting and holding signs that read No Quinn Cuts and Defend Human Services. Some workers even took their message to far southern Harrisburg, where they helped with tornado clean up from this months deadly storm. Edward Schwartz, a child protection worker for the Department of Children and Family Services, said Quinns proposed cuts would severely hamper his agencys ability to do its job and put people at risk. He questioned Quinns spending priorities, saying he signed a major tax increase to provide needed services but then gave large tax breaks to Chicagos financial exchanges and Hoffman Estates-based Sears Holdings Corp. Were already short-staffed, said Schwartz, who lives in Rogers Park on the citys Far North Side. I am one of those people on the front line. And if we dont have the staffing and resources that we need, its only a matter of time. Quinn has proposed sweeping cuts to deal with the states massive budget problems, saying he knows program reductions and closings are hard but sacrifices must be made. A spokeswoman for Quinn's budget office said the cuts are needed because growing Medicaid and pension costs are "unsustainable" and "continue to squeeze all areas of the budget." "The closures and consolidations proposed in the state budget are hard but necessary," spokeswoman Kelly Kraft said. "They impact every region in our state, but due to decades of fiscal mismanagement tough decisions need to be made to address the states budget challenges." Workers say they already have agreed to furlough days and delayed raises, and many more have not receive scheduled pay increases after Quinn refused to pay them citing a lack of money. The union sued citing breach of contract, and the case is still in court. It just doesnt make sense, said Lydia Williams, who works with the Department of Human Rights. He brags about creating jobs, and now you have a budget where youre going to lay off 3,000 employees? Quinn, what are you thinking? Whats wrong with this picture? Quinns office and the union are currently in negotiations over a new worker contract thats slated to go into effect on July 1. A spokesman said those talks are separate from budget negotiations, but acknowledged its an awkward situation.

Union protests Quinn plan to close Ill. facilities


8:24 PM, Mar. 15, 2012 SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTW) Worried state employees staged informational pickets across Illinois on Thursday to oppose Gov. Pat Quinn's proposal to close prisons and mental institutions. They warned that Quinn's cost-cutting proposal could make prisons more crowded and dangerous, and that reducing state police dispatchers could affect public safety. They also criticized the Democratic governor for trying to lay people off when he says putting people to work is his top concern for the state. "Quinn says he has a job program, but he wants to cut 3,000 jobs," said Jeff Bigelow, regional director for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. He was among dozens of union members marching outside the governor's mansion in Springfield. Protesters came from the Tamms "supermax" prison, the Jacksonville Developmental Center and other threatened facilities to chant "stop the cuts, show some guts." Many carried signs proclaiming, "No Quinn Cuts." Workers also were scheduled to march in Chicago and eighty other spots around the state In a statement Thursday, Quinn said the cuts are "hard but necessary" with the state budget in turmoil year after year. His proposed budget would close 14 state facilities including juvenile prisons, halfway houses and institutions for people with mental illnesses and disabilities and lay off 1,100 state employees. He says the cuts will save more than $100 million. "We need to stop being in denial," Quinn said. Pam Lanter, who works at a state police telecommunication center in Litchfield, said cutting her emergency dispatching job means the work would have to be done by someone else who is less familiar with the area. That could mean dangerous delays when rural callers can only describe their location by local landmarks, she said. And Randy Clark, a lieutenant at the Tamms prison, said Illinois needs a place to house its most violent offenders, such as the one he says stabbed him at another prison in 1992. "There may be necessary cuts throughout the state, but I don't think closing the one and only supermax in the state is the answer," Clark said. In Chicago, dozens of AFSCME workers picketed outside of downtown state government offices. Pat Ousley of South Holland has worked for Illinois Department of Employment Security for more than three decades. She objected to Illinois giving tax incentives to companies such as Sears during such dire financial times. She said she would rather support another income tax increase than see jobs cut and facilities closed. Sophia Tareen contributed to this report from Chicago.

AFSCME brings protest to Executive Mansion


By DOUG FINKE Posted Mar 15, 2012 @ 11:00 PM More than 200 union members marched outside the Illinois Executive Mansion Thursday, part of a statewide series of protests against Gov. Pat Quinns proposal to close state facilities and cut state jobs. With chants of Business gets a handout, workers get left out and Stop the attacks, were fighting back, the marchers paraded on the east side of the mansion during the noon hour. Quinn was not in Springfield. The governor is certainly going to hear about it, said Kent Beauchamp, a regional director for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Hes going to know there are people out there who are opposed to his cuts, particularly when he has to do it in order to pay for the huge tax breaks he gave to the largest corporations in this state. Lawmakers last fall approved tax cuts for Sears and CME group after both companies threatened to move their operations out of Illinois. Sears was given a $150 million break spread over 10 years. CME won concessions worth $85 million at the start. However, the figure is expected to grow to $271 million next year and $361 million a year later, according to figures from Senate Democrats. To pay for them, hes got to shut down public services, hes got to close facilities, hes got to lay people off who provide services, Beauchamp said. We would like our local state legislators to stand with us, stand up for working people and stand against these cuts of Gov. Quinns. Quinn wants to close four mental health facilities, two prisons and dozens of agency field offices. The administration said the closures could save $100 million. The closures and consolidations proposed in the state budget are hard but necessary, said Kelly Kraft, deputy director of Quinns budget office. Due to decades of fiscal mismanagement, tough decisions need to be made to address the states biggest challenges. She said soaring costs for pensions and Medicaid are crowding out other parts of the state budget. Kirk Dutton is AFSCME vice-president at the Tamms supermax prison, one of the facilities Quinn wants to close. It is home to the worst of the worst of state prison inmates. Theres no place to put them, Dutton said. It keeps all of the other facilities safe. Adam Newhall of Highland works at the Department of Revenue. He just returned to his job after a tour in Afghanistan with the Army Reserve. While I was gone, Quinn cut our raises, Newhall said. He just decided to ignore the contract. I counted on having money to help take care of my family while I was gone.

AFSCME Protest at Governor's Mansion


Governor Pat Quinn has proposed several budget cuts to get the state out of the red. Thursday, hundreds of people were in the capital city, protesting the cuts that could affect them. The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, or AFSCME, wanted to express how harmful they think the budget cuts would be. Supporters and employees came from some of the facilities Quinn wants to shut down, like the Jacksonville and Murray Developmental Centers. Caregivers, correctional officers, and many others rallied in front of the Governor's mansion to get their message across. Jeff Bigelow of AFSCME Council 31 says, "This community, our community is telling our legislature in Springfield that they better say no to this Quinn budget. It's bad for Illinois, bad for the communities, it's bad for the workers, it's bad for everybody." The rally at the Governor's mansion was part of a statewide day of action for AFSCME to protest the Governor's proposed cuts. 50 additional events were planned throughout the state. Posted: Thursday, March 15 2012, 08:53 PM CDT

Gov. Pat Quinn draws ire of union protestors over cuts


4:54 PM, Mar 15, 2012 SPRINGFIELD, IL (AP) - Worried state employees are staging informational pickets across Illinois to oppose Gov. Pat Quinn's proposal to close prisons and mental institutions. One protest outside the governor's mansion in Springfield on Thursday drew workers from the Tamms "supermax" prison, a developmental center in Jacksonville Developmental Center and many other threatened facilities. Members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees say closures mean fewer Illinois jobs and more dangerous prisons. Illinois has struggled to pay bills with the budget in crisis. Quinn says the state must find ways to cut costs.

Local Unions Rally Against Governor's Budget Plan


By Stephanie Tyrpak and Randy Livingston Story Created: Mar 15, 2012 at 6:41 PM CDT JACKSON AND PERRY COUNTIES -- It was a day packed with protests stretching across the state. The call to action was led by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees. In our area, the AFSCME Union held rallies in Pinckneyville, Centralia, Chester, Carbondale, and Jonesboro. Organizers say the rallies today were meant to raise awareness and send a message to the governor. The protesters in our region feel Quinn's proposal to shutter and consolidate state facilities would hurt small communities. They call the cuts unfair to southern Illinois. "Widespread, sweeping, detrimental to everybody that lives down here," said Local 2335 Union member Jeffrey Hoch. For the second time in a year, the Illinois Youth Center in Murphysboro is facing down the governor's budget plan. Workers are rallying to save their jobs. "Economic devastation to the area is $23.5 million with the closure of our facility alone," said Hoch. Local legislators are fighting off a big blow to southern Illinois communities. "It's good on one hand when you cut somebody," said State Senator Gary Forby, "But when it costs you more on the other hand, it doesn't work." Quinn is looking to close or merge almost 60 state facilities, cutting thousands of jobs. Three of those facilities are in Jackson County: the Illinois Youth Center, a halfway house and forensics lab in Carbondale. "We've got a governor that keeps throwing things out and seeing if it sticks," said State Representative Mike Bost, "Then scares people like this." The cutbacks across southern Illinois could also put a strain on the Pinckneyville Correctional Center. "They want to make us what's called a 'center of excellence,'" said Local 943 Union President Randy Hellmann. Employees there believe the governor's plan for consolidation may call for moving hundreds of high security prisoners with psychological issues to Perry County. "We were supposed to be housing medium security inmates," said Hellmann, "Not that type of dangerous felon." The employee union is hoping to put an end to those safety concerns, while in the middle of contract negotiations with the state. The union president calls it a tough process when pay raises have been deferred twice and contracts have been broken. "We don't accept it," said Hellmann. "We're no longer going to take it." Local lawmakers were at many of the rallies today. Senator Dave Luechtefeld asked to tour the IYC in Murphysboro, but he was not allowed into the facility.

Local critics say new Illinois budget plan could impact public safety
by Marc Cox / 4 News KMOV.com Posted on March 15, 2012 at 5:24 PM TROY, IllinoisA group of critics in Southern Illinois are opposing a budget plan to close 16 of the states 20 dispatch centers for the state police. Those cuts would include the Collinsville District 11 Dispatch Center, a communications center that doesnt just dispatch traffic calls on the interstate. It also communicates with undercover drug teams and members of the fugitive task force. So when Officer Michael Braxton was shot in East St. Louis March 6 at the Orr-Weathers housing project, some police worry remote dispatchers wouldnt have been much help. They call in and its not a specific address or at the 50-mile marker. Its Im in the Orr-Weathers housing project. These people answering the phones in Springfield will have no idea were these things are at, said Troy Police Chief Bob Rizzi. Thats why some call the cuts a public safety issue, especially in a region with a high violent crime rate. Under the Illinois Governor Pat Quinns plan, Springfield would be the nearest dispatch center. It would also cost $15 million to consolidate, which leaves the state looking for money. Theyve got to make cuts somewhere. Why not make the cuts here? Well a couple months ago Governor Quinn gave hundreds of millions in tax breaks to big corporations like Chicago Merc Exchange and Sears, then turns around and wants to cut middle class jobs, said Carla Gillespie, dispatchers union representative. At this point the plan still needs funding, but continues to move ahead in the State Capitol. A spokesperson for Illinois State Police says its premature at this point to comment on specific plans, but added the department does not believe it would impact public safety. That clearly puts them at odds with their own employees and other local law enforcement agencies.

Protesters gather in Carbondale


BY STEPHEN RICKERL, The Southern March 16, 2012 Pat Yohe, a public health employee and member of AFSCME Local 1048, protest Gov. Quinn's proposed cuts to state facilities in Southern Illinois Thursday in Carbondale. CARBONDALE Legislators and union members gathered Thursday in Carbondale to protest Gov. Pat Quinns proposed cuts and closure of several stateoperated Southern Illinois facilities. Dozens of members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees picketed at the town square to draw attention to the affects Quinns cuts would have not only on jobs in Southern Illinois, but the quality of services the state would be able to offer. State Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, said the governor has not presented a good argument that closing and consolidating facilities will actually save money. The numbers, Bost said, actually show Quinns proposal will cost the state in the long-term. Bost said the proposal and all its consequences need to be calculated. Weve got a governor who just keeps throwing this out to see if it sticks and then scares people like this. We as legislators from this area are standing with our constituents to do everything we can to make sure these closures do not occur. Bost said major reforms in Medicaide and welfare are needed if the state is going to find the billions of dollars needed to balance its budget, State Sen. Gary Forby, D-Benton, said the proposed closures are not the way to balance the budget. The way to balance the budget is to put people back to work, not laying people off, he said. Weve got to put people to work; thats the bottom line. Barb Reardon, president of AFSCME Local 1048, said Quinns proposals will not have the money-saving outcome they are intended to have and will only cost jobs and quality of service. All of these services that hes trying to shut down, stating for financial reasons hes already given away more tax cuts to corporations that would cover what he says he will save, Reardon said. And shutting down these facilities isnt going to save anything, and theyre certainly not going to help the clients we serve. Reardon said closing Department of Human Services offices and consolidating state police dispatch and crime labs is going to not only cost jobs, but are going to affect the elderly who need DHS services, the safety of state troopers and the services available to the public. This governor says hes pro-labor and he talks about jobs for Illinois, but this will cost many jobs in Illinois, Reardon said.

Protesters to Quinn: Keep Aurora Adult Transition Center open


By Stephanie Lulay March 15, 2012 5:18PM AURORA Janet Bradley had a message for lawmakers Thursday afternoon: closing the Fox Valley Adult Transition Center on Route 31 will set the women housed there up for failure. Shouting stop the attack, were fighting back and Gov. Quinn, keep your word about 40 employees, former inmates and lawmakers protested the planned closing of the Fox Valley facility at 1329 N. Lake St. Area businesses that employ the women had Save Fox Valley ATC signs on their marquees, too. The Fox Valley Adult Transition Center the only transition center for women inmates in the state will be a casualty to Quinns budget cuts announced in February. The center is slated to close its doors to 128 female offenders in August. The center assists women getting back into the community after being released from prison, providing education, counseling and workforce training. Women housed at the Fox Valley ATC work to gain full-time jobs and also participate in GED and college classes, and receive counseling on life skills, child care, anger management and avoiding substance abuse. Strict oversight Instead of housing these inmates at adult transitional centers, Quinns plan is to send them home to be monitored electronically, according to the governors office. But Bradley, president of Local 419 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, and Gary Puckett, a counselor at the facility, said that plan wont work. More of the women are drug offenders or addicts. Without strict oversight, theyd be set up for failure, Bradley said. Bradley said that under Quinns plan, only about half of the residents will qualify for home monitoring. The other half will be sent back to prison. She said 97 percent of the residents are working in the Aurora area, and the women are routinely drug tested and undergo work checks. Starting over Six of the states seven adult transition centers would close under Quinns proposal. Closing the transition centers would save the state about $17.7 million annually, according to the governors office.

Closing the Fox Valley ATC would save about $2.6 million and would result in 18 layoffs. Puckett said the women living at Fox Valley ATC paid $219,000 to Springfield in the form of rent last year. He said they also pay Social Security and child support. Bradley said the women pay 20 percent of their earnings in the form of rent. After taxes, the women collectively earned more than $1 million last year, Puckett said. So many of these women never worked a day in their lives, Puckett said. They have to work on themselves. Thats why they are here. According to the Illinois Department of Corrections, the Fox Valley ATC is the least expensive transitional facility in the state, with an average cost per inmate of $18,245. Tamms Correctional Center, a maximum security prison also on the chopping block, spends more than $64,000 per inmate yearly, and would save the state $26.2 million if closed. Support for center State Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, DAurora, said Thursday she is sending a letter to State Rep. Luis Arroyo, head of the Public Safety Appropriations Committee, asking for the centers be fully funded in Fiscal Year 2013. ATCs prepare offenders for their release into their communities by providing jobs, education and counseling and a gradual return to responsibility and freedom, she wrote. Kane County Board member Bonnie Kunkel of Aurora said that keeping the center open is one the more cost-effective deterrents to criminal activity. We cant send women back to a bad environment, she said. George Schuss of Aurora was a resident at the Aurora facility in the late 1990s, when men were housed there. He said the programs there helped him overcome substance abuse problems. This is a blessing here, he said. Approximately 2,250 women have lived at the Fox Valley ATC since it became a womens facility in August 2000. Puckett estimated that 50 percent of the women who go through the program avoid jail time in the future, compared to a 15 percent success rate for women who do not enter this sort of program.

AFSCME "No Quinn Cuts" Pickets Hit Murray Center


3/15/12 @ 11:22:17 pm

Murray Center employees, parents and residents picket as part of "No Quinn Cuts."

Murray Center employees, parents and residents joined employees of Centralia Prison for a statewide protest against Illinois Governor Pat Quinn's proposed cuts. The American Federation of State Council and Municipal Employees organized the No Quinn Cuts pickets at more than 50 locations across the state Thursday.

AFSCME Council 31 Staff Representative Ed LaPorte says the governor's plans go beyond the proposed closure of Murray Center. There is an attack by this governor on our members across the state of Illinois. He is proposing an almost 10-percent budget cut to every single department in this state. We are not going to allow him to balance the budget on the backs of our members, LaPorte says.

Picketers try to get the attention of passing vehicles.

AFSCME Local 401 President Joe White says that the No Quinn Cuts campaign is meant to highlight the many different kinds of cuts proposed by the governor. White says the cuts would produce job losses, loss of a home to residents at Murray Center, and loss of services that affect nearly everyone in the state. People think lines at the DMV are long or lines at social service agencies are long. With these cuts, they're just going to continue to grow longer, White says.

The Murray Center picketers dressed in green shirts along Highway 161 and asked drivers to honk in support of the facility.

State Workers Protest Proposed Budget Cuts


Story date: Thursday, March 15, 2012 from Illinois Public Media News State workers demonstrated at dozens of locations around Illinois on Thursday protesting Gov. Pat Quinns proposed budget cuts that would eliminate 3,000 state jobs. At the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus, about 20 members of AFSCME Local 2971 marched outside the State Regional Office Building on South 1st Street. The local represents state workers in a nine-county area. And its president, Rebecca Hardin, said the governors cuts would close two state police dispatch centers in her region- part of consolidation plan reducing the number of centers statewide to just four. Hardin said employees at the Ashkum and Pesotum call centers who are not laid off would have to transfer to Springfield or Des Plaines to keep their jobs. So theyll be in charge of counties that theyre unfamiliar with, Hardin said. Its going to put a lot of harm and risk on the troopers. Its going to be a very stressful job, because the people are so dedicated to handling the calls and knowing the areas, and theyre not going to know those areas. Quinns proposals would also close state Human Service offices in Edgar and Douglas Counties. Residents of those counties who receive services such as LINK cards and Medicaid would have to travel to other counties when they need to visit a DHS office. Other proposals around the state would close prisons in Dwight and Tamms, and a developmental center in Jacksonville. AFSCME spokesperson Tara McCauley said none of the governors cuts are needed to balance the budget. Instead, she says the governor and lawmakers should undo the tax breaks recently granted for corporations like Sears. Those breaks came one year after a lame-duck Illinois legislature passed a state income tax increase. Meanwhile, AFSCME is negotiating a new contract with the state, but McCauley said she does not think Quinns proposed cuts have anything to do with the bargaining process. The current AFSCME contract expires June 30.

Protestors take aim at planned closing of Decatur Adult Transitional Center


By KENNETH LOWE - H&R Staff Writer Posted: Friday, March 16, 2012 DECATUR Picketers waved signs and chanted Thursday at the corner of Pershing Road and 22nd Street, protesting the planned closure of the nearby Decatur Adult Transitional Center. The halfway house in Decatur is one of six such facilities Gov. Pat Quinn has proposed closing in his pending budget plan. The budget proposal would leave only one such facility operational in the entire state. Quinn has said that in place of the work-release programs that define such facilities, the state Department of Corrections will focus more on electronic monitoring. Angel Wilson, a counselor at the Decatur facility, was among those picketing Thursday. She said eliminating the many programs halfway houses offer denies opportunities to inmates as they try to return to society near the end of their prison terms. Inmates at halfway houses must find a job, a situation that grants them income and possibly opportunity after their release. If we release them with a bracelet, Wilson said, referring to the electronic monitoring devices, their children still need to be clothed and fed. Theyre going to go back to what they were doing. Macon County Board Chairman Jay Dunn, a Democrat, also joined picketers. He said the facility is good for Decatur and Macon County, citing the work inmates do in the community and the money they spend at local businesses. This comes up every year, Dunn said of Quinns proposals, which in the past have included prisoner releases and layoffs that would have affected the Decatur Correctional Center, a minimum-security womens prison. The prisons and jails are overcrowded, and were not rehabilitating (inmates), were not looking at alternatives. According to state figures, the Decatur Adult Transitional Center incurs about $2.1 million in operating costs annually, serving about 110 inmates and employing 22 staff members. A legislative hearing will not be mandatory to discuss the closure because of the low number of staff affected. The center is slated to close Aug. 31.

Dozens Gather to Protest at "No Quinn Cuts" Event in Decatur


"No Quinn cuts!" and "this is what democracy looks like" were some of the chants as several dozen Decatur Adult Transitional Center and union workers held a rally in front of the ATC that is on Governor Quinns budget chopping block. It was part of a statewide effort called Day of Action to protest Quinns proposals and big business tax breaks. There were over fifty similar rallies held at locations all across Illinois. Decatur ATC Corrections Counselor manager Michael Ross says the closure of the center would have an immediate and lasting impact on Decatur. "We do a lot of volunteer work in the community," says Ross, one of 22 ATC employees. Ross has worked at the ATC for over 20 years. "The effects of closing this facility will be immediate. We want to be there for the city of Decatur, for Mayor McElroy. We've come to depend upon their gratitude and their help in affecting these young men that we have. It's good for the community certainly, but it's good for our offenders as well to have that degree of community participation." Ross lists the Decatur Celebration and Mt. Zion Pony Express Days among the activities where the ATC inmates help out with trash duty and other volunteer efforts. Macon County State's Attorney candidates Jay Scott and Steve Langhoff were present at the rally. The ATC is on Pershing Road at the 22nd Street intersection. Quinn has indicated about half of the 100 plus male inmates would be released with monitoring devices, the others relocated.

Workers protest proposed state cuts Rally in Dixon one of 40 across the state
BY EMILY K. COLEMAN Created: Friday, March 16, 2012 1:15 a.m. CDT DIXON Amid the green shirts and the green signs, one protester marching along the old Lee County courthouse lawn was still in her scrubs. Because of her contract, the Dixon Correctional Center nurse couldnt speak to the media, but she was out, picket sign in hand, protesting Gov. Pat Quinns proposed cuts and facility closures. She was one of at least 60 state and Kreider Services workers protesting in Dixon at one of at least 40 rallies across Illinois. Theyre all members of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees union. (When the services agencies like Kreider provide moved to the private sector, AFSCME continued to represent those workers, AFSCME spokesman Kathy Steichen said.) The governor proposed about 60 closures and consolidations, including shutting down the controversial super-max Tamms prison. Thats where we send the worst of the worst, said Rick Ruthart, a corrections officer for the last 17 years and president of Local 817. You get rid of Tamms, and where are we going to send these guys? And thats a deterrent for the guys that are in prison. If you act up and you misbehave, theres a possibility you could go there. None of Dixons facilities were marked for closure, but Lynette Roach, president of Mableys Local 172, isnt breathing a sigh of relief. We were not on the slate this time, but that doesnt mean we wont be out here supporting our other facilities, our union brothers and sisters, because we could be tomorrow, Roach said. Roach works in Mableys recycling department as a mental health technician and vocation instructor. Twice weve deferred our raises, she said. Weve stepped up to the plate. Youve got big corporations who the governors giving big tax breaks to. Maybe they need to step up to the plate and defer the tax breaks that they were given. Roach was one of the AFSCME members out under Dixons arch in July, protesting the governors decision to cancel a planned 2 percent raise for state workers. Among the union-provided signs that also were waved during Julys protest, there was an addition: End corporate tax breaks. But the budget doesnt come down to just closures. Grants like those Kreider Services receive have been reduced over the years. Bob Logan, of Franklin Grove, works in residential care for Kreider and is their locals president. He also is running for the Lee County Board. The cuts affect all of us, Logan said. Kreider Services has been significantly hurt by the cuts, which then makes it difficult for us to negotiate with Kreider (in terms of wages) because the moneys not there. Kreider employees have received very nominal increases that havent kept up with the cost of living, he said.

Picket unites Dwight


By Cynthia Grau Pontiac Daily Leader Posted Mar 16, 2012 @ 10:27 AM Dwight, Ill. Screams of Save Dwight Prison! and signs, some homemade and some professionally printed, was the scene along Route 17 in front of Dwight Correctional Center Thursday afternoon during an informational picket. Only 10 minutes after the picket began, there were already more than 100 people, including friends, family, employees and public officials standing shoulder to shoulder in support of one cause. Dan Dunlap, president of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local #1133, which represents Dwight employees, said that the numbers were expected to grow throughout the picket, which was held from 1 to 5 p.m. Once 3 to 4 p.m. hits, well probably have around 300 to 400 people, because of the shift change here and at the Fox Center, Dunlap said. The William W. Fox Developmental Centers employees union is also AFSCME Local #1133. Dunlap said the spirits of the employees and inmates seem to be up, considering the closure threat. Everybody is positive and were going to stay positive. I think people realize that if we stay together, were going to win this. We are going to win this. Thats the message were putting out and thats the message were cultivating, he said. Dunlap said that the next public gathering that will be taking place would be in Kankakee at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday on the fourth floor of the Kankakee Public Library. Kankakee will be holding a community meeting and were planning on packing that place just like we did at the Dwight rally. With Kankakee and the amount of people who live in Kankakee, we should be just as good if not better than how we did in Dwight, he said. As more people gathered throughout the day, Dunlap just had one message he reiterated, as did others, as they were standing outside. Were open and were staying open, he said. Other officials from AFSCME and employees talked about the importance of stopping the closure. Joe Pluger, staff representative for AFSCME Council 31 said that there are 450 total employees and AFSCME isnt the only union there. There is the INA (Illinois Nurses Association), IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers), and the plumbers union, amongst others, Pluger said. He added that there were 80 demonstrations statewide Thursday, including one at the Governors Mansion in Springfield. Colleen Petree, correctional officer at DCC, said that inmates, families of inmates and families of employees are feeling the strain of the proposed closure.

The only thing I know is a lot of the inmates have stated that they dont want to move. They dont want to leave because its farther for them to go and farther for family to visit. I know theyre concerned about the programs we have here for them (including cosmetology, dog training and other programs). Everybody just needs to keep their chins up. We need to work together. We need to be optimistic and put forth the effort. This is a fight we all have to do to help our lives and the changes going on. I know my kids are worrying about us having to move, having to leave their friends and moving farther away. We all just need to band together and fight this to the very end, Petree said. Jim Boland, vice president of AFSCME Local #1133 and Shane Long, executive board member of AFSCME Local #1133 both shared the same sentiments that it was overwhelming to see the support of all the people in the communities coming together to support the cause, citing the rally at Dwight Township High School and the picket, which more than 500 people attended Thursday.

AFSCME defends Dwight Correctional Center


By: Kent Casson | Yesterday DWIGHT The Dwight Correctional Center was one of the many statewide locations used by AFSCME to rally against Gov. Pat Quinns proposed budget cuts. AFSCME Council 31 staff representative Joe Pluger says hundreds of people showed up for the four-hour picket outside the prison on Thursday afternoon. They were motivated and energized to stop this closure. It would have a direct impact on their family, their well-beings and their jobs, said Pluger. We had AFSCME members come from Sheridan, the veterans home in LaSalle, the Fox Center and people from Pontiac so we had (representatives from) several facilities show up. Pluger says if the Dwight Correctional Center closes, the economic impact on the area would exceed $50 million. A closure hearing is tentatively set for April, but has not been confirmed. Meanwhile, the Livingston County Board approved a resolution supporting the Dwight prison. Board Chair Bill Fairfield says this is a fight everyone must join. The county board has to take this on and work hand in hand with our friends in Dwight to try and keep this open. It means a lot to Dwight, the people that work there, also it means a lot to the families that have persons there, said Fairfield. AFSCME representatives also attended Thursdays Livingston County Board meeting.

Hundreds picket in effort to rescue Dwight prison


By Roger Miller Thursday, March 15, 2012 DWIGHT Patty Frye of Pontiac stood out in a tie-dyed top in a crowd wearing mostly green Save Dwight Prison T-shirts, but she reflected the mood of the group just the same. Im angry and scared, very scared, she said. Worried that Dwight Correctional Center may close but determined to prevent it, about 200 people turned out Thursday afternoon to picket. They lined Illinois 17 in front of the prison just west of town, waving signs matching their T-shirts and chanting as passing drivers honked in support. Fryes two daughters and a son-in-law work at the states only maximum-security prison for women. If Gov. Pat Quinns proposal to close the lockup by Aug. 31 goes through, Frye fears the three will lose their jobs and lack the seniority to move elsewhere in the Department of Corrections. They have established their lives around their jobs, said Frye, who moved from Peoria to Pontiac three years ago to be near them. They have kids in school. They bought houses (in Pontiac). We wont know what to do if this place closes, she said. Were scared, all of us. DOC estimates closing the prison, which houses about 1,000 inmates and employs about 350 workers, would save about $37.3 million a year. The Greater Livingston County Economic Development Council estimates, however, it would cost the region more than 700 jobs and about $45 million annually in economic activity. Frye said she has been writing letters and has collected 15 pages of signatures on a petition at Pontiac Kitchen, a restaurant where she works. That activist attitude was common among people at the rally. Well do whatever can be done, said Nicole Barr of Seneca. Well do what we need to do, even if we have to go to Springfield. Barr came with her grandmother, Mary Darm of Morris, and her 3-year-old daughter, Aubree. She fears her husband, a correctional officer at the prison, will lose his job. It would definitely change our lives for the worse, she said. Correctional Officer Andrew Bufford, secretary of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1133 at the prison, was grateful for the turnout of community members and friends and families of employees. They energized us, he said, calling the event a momentum builder. The rally was among about 50 events staged statewide Thursday as part of AFSCMEs Day of Action campaign against Quinns proposed budget cuts, which include closing 59 facilities. Speaking with people at the rally were State Rep. Jason Barickman, R-Champaign, and state Sen. Shane Cultra, ROnarga, both of whom praised the turnout. They noted Quinns plan for the budget to take effect July 1 is far from done deal, so public activism now can make a difference.

Hundreds Rally Loud and Proud to Save Dwight Prison


By: Kim Behrens Updated: March 15, 2012 DWIGHT--These people are on a mission to get their message heard loud and clear. Dwight prison needs to stay open. "Me and my wife both work at the prison and the loss would be extremely difficult for us as well as many of the people out here," said Prison employee Jim Boland. The Boland family and their nine year old son Clayton are joining hundreds in the fight to save one of the area's largest employers. "You got people here from town, you got family members here," lists Boland. "You've got employees from other prisons coming to show their support. This is not a good idea to shut the prison down. Especially Dwight." "I've lived here for 27 years and I've seen a few businesses close," said protester Lisa Kious. "It's not good. It's not good for the economy." Especially when it's the only maximum security women's prison in the state. "This community is a small community. I've worked in corrections for 28 years as a nurse and I know the need for these facilities," added protester Robin Best. Their vivid shirts and signs, many in village colors, caught the attention of several drivers passing by. Retired prison officer Roy Moore even got his dog "Ginger" in the spirit. "It says "Save Dwight Correctional Center. And then on the top it says, "Don't make me have to bite you!" said Moore. "If the Governor gets his way and he closes this prison it's going to take a lot of jobs away. I think he needs to be bit by somebody. If not by my dog then by somebody because he's not thinking!" The protesters hope with each sign, shirt, and car honk, they're one step closer to saving the place they say not only keeps people safe... it keeps a community employed. "It warms your heart, because everybody knows how hard it is to get a job right now," said Boland. A second prison rally is scheduled for early April.

Workers rally to keep Illinois Youth Center open


By Bob Okon March 15, 2012 9:56PM JOLIET Workers at Illinois Youth Center-Joliet questioned what would happen to the states most hardened juvenile criminals as they rallied Thursday to save the facility from the governors budget cuts. Gov. Pat Quinn has characterized Joliet as the least rehabilitative of the state prisons for juveniles and wants to close it at the end of July. Joliet guards and counselors, however, say Joliet gets young offenders after they no longer have been able to adapt to less restrictive environments at other Illinois Youth Centers. When it comes to the point that they could not be controlled any longer, they come here. This is the end of the line, said Rosemary Bridges, a juvenile justice supervisor at Joliet. Thats what the governor is failing to mention. This is the end of the line. Some of the workers questioned whether Quinn had a full grasp of how the states youth centers operate when he targeted Joliet for closure. Not a clue, said Gregory Riddick. Let him put one of these uniforms on and move these kids from building to building. Let him see what its like. Here, you dont have these kids walking behind you. Theyre going to bust you in the head. One of the youths recently brought to Joliet had been sentenced to 97 years in prison, Riddick said. In a typical van load of new arrivals, four in the group are likely to have combined prison sentences of more than 100 years, he said. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1753, which represents 225 members in Joliet, organized the rally. At least 200 people were there, AFSCME members from Stateville Correctional Center. Theyve got to stop coming to Joliet every time they want to do a closing, Ralph Portwood, president of AFSCME Local 1866 told state Rep. Jack McGuire, D-Joliet. McGuire was one of a number of legislators and political candidates who talked with workers at the rally. Portwood pointed to the closing of the Joliet Correctional Center on Collins Street, past attempts to shut down Stateville and the closing of two smaller facilities in the Joliet area over the years. New state Sen. Pat McGuire, DJoliet, said the only explanation he has for targeting the Illinois Youth Center-Joliet is a one-page sheet that calls Joliet the least rehabilitative facility. McGuire said he was hearing a different story from Joliet employees at the rally. The Illinois Youth Center on McDonough Street does look like a prison, surrounded by high, barbedwire fence. But workers at the rally said the facility also has a number of rehabilitation programs, including a school to help them finish their secondary education.

As for the barbed wire: We have to look like this. Were a maximum facility for young adults, said Sharon Konopka, president of AFSCME Local 1753 and a counselor at the youth center. Konopka said many of the youths at Joliet are 17 and older. Theyre fully developed young men, and they have committed violent and heinous crimes, she said. You cant have a campus-like environment for murderers and rapists and people facing 50 years in prison. Theyre going to run. A spokesman for the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice has said the state has maximum security facilities at its youth centers in Kewanee, Harrisburg and Warrenville, while St. Charles is being equipped for maximum security. However, the departments Web site only describes Joliet and Warrenville as maximum security facilities. And Warrenville is for female inmates only. We specialize in dealing with these types of kids, Bridges said. Were trained from the day we arrive here on how to carry ourselves and how to relate to these kids.

AFSCME workers protest Quinn cuts


Thursday, 15 March 2012 21:30 | Written by Jim McCabe

Workers from the Jacksonville Developmental Center and Jacksonville Correctional Center marched. Employees of the Jacksonville Developmental Center and Jacksonville Correctional Center marched on Morton in front of the JDC as part of a statewide coordinated effort by AFSCME. The correctional center in Jacksonville is not one of the two prisons Governor Pat Quinn wants to close. However, Cameron Watson, president of AFSCME Local 3549, which represents the corrections officers, says they marched to send a message. Quinns plans with his cuts are going to drastically overload the parole system. he wants to cut parole in half, which will double the case loads for the parole agents, he explains. Tamms Correction Centers been very effective in helping drive down staff assaults. Back in 2006, we had a severe sexual assault on one of our members at Jacksonville Correctional Center, and that inmate got transferred to Tamms. Tamms was built to hold violent, aggressive offenders as well as the gang leaders and stuff to help get the gangs out of the prisons. So, it does affect us, even though our facilitys not slated for closure, continues Watson. Workers at the Jacksonville Developmental Center were also present at the march. About 400 jobs would be lost if the JDC closes. Watson hopes legislators in Springfield can do something to prevent that from happening. Hopefully the legislators step up [and] appropriate the funds to keep these facilities open, he says. [Quinns administration] still [has] no real plan on what theyre going to do with these residents when they release them into the communities. DHS says they have one, but they dont. [At] the COGFA hearing, it was clear they still have no real plan. Quinn wants to transition residents out of the JDC into community homes. So far, AFSCME officials say only two residents have been transitioned. They maintain theres no room for them in the community.

Registering their protest


March 16, 2012 Picketers march along Morton Avenue in Jacksonville Thursday to draw attention to budget cuts and closures proposed by Gov. Pat Quinn. Worried state employees are staging the informational pickets across Illinois to oppose the proposal to close prisons and mental institutions, including the Jacksonville Developmental Center. Members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees say closures mean fewer Illinois jobs and more dangerous prisons.

AFSCME, supporters protest Quinn's closure plan


BY CODELL RODRIGUEZ, The Southern| Posted: Friday, March 16, 2012 JONESBORO Members of the local AFSCME union at Tamms Correctional Center joined elected officials and community members to protest Gov. Pat Quinns proposed closure of the prison. The protest occurred Thursday at the Jonesboro town square and included speeches from state Sen. Gary Forby, DBenton, and Union County States Attorney Tyler Edmonds. Turnout was excellent despite the rain, said Toby Oliver, a member of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. He said the prison takes some of the most dangerous criminals and is a safety valve for the entire (Illinois) system. Retired Warden George Welborn assured the staff that the state is better off with the work that they do. People simply dont know what you do on a daily basis, Welborn said. Forby said closing the facility will not save the state money, and the prison is necessary to keep the worst of the worst behind bars. He criticized Quinn, saying that cuts always start in Southern Illinois and that the only way to fix the economy is to create more jobs. He told the protestors to keep voicing their opposition and, This is a fight were going to win. Edmonds agreed the prison is essential. He said cuts should not take place in prisons or in law enforcement, referring to the planned closures of the Illinois State Police crime lab in Carbondale and the consolidation of several state police communications centers. We have to tell the governor that prisons and state police are not the place to balance this budget, Edmonds said.

Rallying To Save Tamms Prison


By [Fanna Haile-Selassie, Ben Jeffords] Story Updated: Mar 15, 2012 JONESBORO -- Despite a rainy day, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, correctional workers, and supporters spent four hours Thursday protesting Governor Quinn's proposal to close Tamms prison. The gathering in Jonesboro was part of the union's statewide "Day of Action". With so many jobs on the line, protestors said they wanted to show the governor they're going to fight the cuts. "We cannot afford to lose good union jobs in southern Illinois. So let's tell the governor, let's prioritize public safety, let's prioritize good paying jobs here in southern Illinois," said Union County State's Attorney Tyler Edmonds. While they appreciated every honk and scream of support, the prison union workers and families were really trying to attract the eye of the governor. "I hope he sees what's going on. I hope he sees the lives he's going to affect, the towns he's going to affect, and opens up his eyes and comes back to the table to talk," explained AFSCME Council 31 Representative Jeremy Noelle. It was deja vu for many of those protesting Thursday. It was only six months ago they were trying to save union jobs after Governor Quinn proposed several facility closures. "It's one of those deals where you hear it every year. It's always somewhere else, but this time it hits right here," said Tamms Correctional Lieutenant David Teske. Closing Tamms could put both Teske and his wife out of work. "I'm not selling the farm just yet. You can't just go in a hole and hide," said Teske. "We're on the page of let's go fight this and figure it out and win the battle." It's not only employees at Tamms taking up the fight, union workers at other local state facilities who say they could be the next to go have joined. "The State of Illinois wants to save some money, we ought to go up there to the higher up and cut them, not down here at the bottom," yelled State Senator Gary Forby. Noelle said, "We do realize we're in a financial restraint, but come to the table, talk, like we have for years in Illinois. His way of doing things is his way or no way." Until those talks resume, union workers said there will be more rallies in the future. Governor Pat Quinn has proposed closing 14 state facilities and consolidate dozens more. He says doing so would save the state money long-term.

Union employees picket against prison cuts in Illinois


Posted: Mar 15, 2012 5:44 PM CDT Updated: Mar 15, 2012 7:03 PM CDT Carly O'Keefe JONESBORO, IL (KFVS) - State employees represented by the AFSCME Union gathered en masse Thursday to protest state cuts and proposed facility closures. It was part of what AFSCME titled a "Day of Action". Informational pickets took place at 80 different locations around the state including Jonesboro, Carbondale and Pinckneyville. Thursday morning, employees of Tamms, Shawnee and Vienna Correctional Centers, as well as Choate Mental Health and the Anna Veterans Home lined the Jonesboro town square in bright red T-shirts holding signs that read: "No Quinn Cuts." The group in Jonesboro focused primarily on the proposed closure of Tamms Correctional Center that they say would put 300 people out of a job and force 398 of the "worst of the worst" inmates in the state out of the Super-max facility at Tamms and back into other facilities throughout the state. An afternoon rally in front of Pinckneyville Correctional Center aimed to support other facilities slated for closure, but employees remain fearful of what facility closures might mean for Pinckneyville. Union members on the informational picket line told Heartland News they'd heard whispers as to possible changes to the type of facility Pinckneyville could become that concerned them. According to IDOC spokesperson Stacy Solano, there are a variety of possibilities on the table for remaining facilities in the state. "The Governor has tasked most agencies with reducing spending by approximately 9% which equals around $112 million for the Department of Corrections," Solano said. "Given the resources available, DOC is creating a more specialized and focused service delivery system and is looking at new, efficient and innovative ways to provide offenders with services. This will be accomplished by designating certain facilities that will focus on different areas such as mental health services, substance abuse treatment, vocational programming, etc." When asked if such changes could take place at Pinckneyville Correctional Center, Solano would only say there are still many details to be worked out and further specifics will be provided at a later time.

Prison employees protest potential state shutdown


Kendall Downing Story Created: Mar 15, 2012 at 5:42 PM CDT JONESBORO, Ill. They stood in the rain at the square in Jonesboro, Illinois, Thursday morning. Many employees of Tamms Correctional Center in Alexander County brought their families along, a sign of just how dire the circumstances are. Weeks ago in his budget address, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn proposed closing the state's only supermax prison. Tamms Correctional Center employs nearly 300 people from across southern Illinois. It's been in operation since the late 1990s and holds almost 400 of the state's most violent inmates. The governor wants the facility to close by August. Tamms employees came together Thursday to protest that proposal. "I planned on staying there until I do retire," said Connie Ashworth. Ashworth has worked at Tamms since it opened. "I live four miles from the prison. I watched it be built. I waited for the opportunity to get a job there," said Ashworth. Hundreds of her coworkers stood Thursday morning despite the showers. They were looking for support from the community. "There's a relatively small number of inmates who cause the vast majority of the problems," said George Welborn. Welborn was the first warden at Tamms. He said the facility's made other prisons in the state safer and to close it now would make all that work a waste. "A lot of planning went into it. A lot of staff training went into it. And I believe this is a political decision. It's not a budgetary decision," said Welborn. State Senator Gary Forby believes the governor's plan to balance the budget is the wrong approach. "There's no place in the state of Illinois where you can send these people. That prison is doing exactly what it's supposed to do. Shutting these places down will not help balance the budget," said Forby. Connie Ashworth said the target on Tamms gives her fuel to fight. "We have a cause, and we're all out here for that cause," said Ashworth. She hopes this rally will show Springfield folks like her are more than just a number. "We hear that date of August and every day you think, well, it's another day closer," said Ashworth. The governor's office said closing Tamms would save the state nearly $27 million a year. Union representatives said they have more events in the works in the coming weeks as they fight to keep the prison open.

Dwight prison union members rally in 2 locations


03/15/2012 Lee Provost and Dimitrios Kalantzis, The Daily-Journal Hundreds of people gathered outside the Dwight Correctional Center on Thursday in protest of Gov. Pat Quinn's proposal to shutter it by August. The most recent protests show a growing and largely expected backlash to a plan that would shed 359 jobs and save the state an estimated $48 million, according to the governor's office. "They had a good turnout," said Dwight Mayor Bill Wilkey, who attended Thursday's rally. "A lot of support from all over different areas. Kankakee. Pontiac." Crowd estimates ranged from 400 to 600, according to Wilkey and at least one organizer on the ground and coincided with a smaller rally about 150 in Kankakee. Susan Carrasco, an employee with the state's child and family services, was among one of dozens of other state employees walking a picket line along South Schuyler Avenue in Kankakee. "People are already hurting," Carrasco said. "This only hurts more. "If you affect Dwight, it affects Kankakee and it affects Joliet. I think that's the message we want to get through." Quinn has proposed shutting down the state's only maximum security women's prison as well as Tamms Correctional Center, which houses maximum security male inmates. The governor also proposed closing six adult transitional centers, which are effectively evening prisons. Those inmates likely will wear electronic bracelets. If the closures happen, inmates from Dwight will go to Logan Correctional Center, nearly two hours southwest of Dwight. The governor argues that Dwight's prison, which opened in 1930, is outdated and would require "significant capital upgrades to remain operational," according to material provided by his office. State Sen. Gary Forby, D-Benton, has proposed legislation, Senate Bill 3564, that would allow General Assembly members to have a voice in decisions to close state facilities, such as prisons. The bill is expected to come to a vote in the Senate by the end of March. "The governor is just one person," he said in a news release on his website. "It seems crazy to me that he can make the decision to close a prison, mental health center, or a developmental disability care center without every really consulting the Senate and the House. He doesn't need us to pass a law to close a facility; he can just do it." A Dwight resident, Carrasco said the rural community would be devastated by the prison's closure and that's something that Quinn hasn't considered.

"Dwight will slowly die if this is allowed to happen. There goes the community. He's always talked of helping Illinois. But now this effects not only the people who work there, but the communities they live in. In my mind, he's attacking the middle class." Dorothy Riley, a rural St. Anne resident, retired from Shapiro Developmental Center on Dec. 31. She was supporting her fellow union workers. "This is about protecting the people who can't defend themselves," she said in regard to the residents cared for at Shapiro. Shapiro isn't targeted for layoffs, but the facility is not replacing workers who leave either. "I know finances are a concern, but they always go after people who work the hardest, who work closest to the residents," she said. "Today may have a slight effect on awareness. At least I hope it does."

Members of AFSCME Local 51 protest Quinn budget cuts Group says closing center will have rippling effects
By ERIC ENGEL of the Journal Star Posted Mar 15, 2012 @ 10:45 PM PEORIA Gov. Pat Quinn will create a vicious cycle with his proposed budget cuts, union officials said Thursday, leaving even more people in need instead of honoring his contract to support jobs. Lori Gladson, president of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 51, joined a few dozen protesters Thursday afternoon at Main Street and Jefferson Avenue to challenge Quinn on what she called a "ransom being held." "Cutting middle class jobs and closing local businesses that provide free benefits to the people affects everyone," said Gladson, who also is a Tazewell County human service caseworker. "(Quinn) is trying to take the 'human' out of human caseworkers." In Quinn's proposed budget the Peoria Adult Transition Center is scheduled to close, leaving more than 220 inmates who are housed in the Downtown facility, just blocks from the protest site, to be released prematurely back into the community. His budget also proposes closing two adult prisons and two youth centers as well as 16 Illinois State Police regional emergency call centers, leaving public safety concerns related to overpopulated penitentiaries and minimal availability and succinctness concerning authority response. Lott Pickett, a correctional residence counselor at the transistion center, said the protest "is not about money, it's about saving our jobs." "The rehabilitation process in prison has kind of been lost, and at PATC we provide a transition from the institution to the community," said Pickett, speaking of a facility that not only teaches life skills but requires inmates to work without being a burden to taxpayers. "They arrive with no job and no skills and leave with money, a job and a chance to reintegrate with their families so they can be a parent and a teacher." Having spent part of his life incarcerated, 20-year-old Jared Fortune said the transition center has given him a new perspective. "I'm very thankful for the transition center because it's made me become a man and helped me realize how to keep a job and work hard at it," said Fortune, who will be released from the center March 22. He signed an apartment lease Thursday. "I know I've messed up, but people don't really understand how much it would hurt a lot of guys trying to improve if the transition center closed down." Pickett said the budget cuts will result in "crime all the way around the board," and Gladson reiterated that Quinn's budget would cause a trickle down effect on the entire community. "Quinn says he's trying to save money, but at what expense?" asked Gladson. "We wouldn't be in these positions if we didn't want to help people." Gladson is asking those who are concerned to visit www.NoQuinnCuts.com and sign a petition against the budget cuts.

Local union protests Quinn budget cuts


By Paul Strater March 15, 2012 PEORIA, Ill. -- Governor Pat Quinn's efforts to balance the state budget through spending cuts aren't sitting well with some people. The governor dropped a bomb of budget cuts during this year's budget address. One of the shells landed at the Peoria Adult Transition Center. Thursday night Members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees protested the planned closure of that facility they say is vital to the community,. "We provide offenders with a transition back into the community. So when offenders leave the correctional system, they're equipped with life skills, educational skills, and job skills," said Lott Pickett, a corrections counselor at the Peoria ATC Jared Fortune is one of the ATC's success stories. "I get out in seven days, and the time that I have been in the center it's allowed me to find a job, save money so that I'm able to come back in society and go back to my old ways, and just recently the center had helped me find a place to live with seven days left to go in my incarceration," said Fortune. Rally organizers say that 20 cents of every dollar these inmates earn at their jobs is paid directly into the state fund. And both the employees and the inmates generate tax revenue for the state and Peoria economies. Governor Quinn's office said, in a statement, "The closures and consolidations proposed in the state budget are hard but necessary. They impact every region in our state, but due to decades of fiscal mismanagement, tough decisions need to be made to address the state's budget challenges..." Organizers say these rallies will continue, warning that without the jobs the governor proposes to do away with, human services will just become "services".

Group protests outside Pinckneyville prison


BY BRENT STEWART, The Southern March 16, 2012 PINCKNEYVILLE As their shift ended Thursday afternoon, officers filed out of Pinckneyville Correctional Center and lined up near Illinois 154, trading in their uniform blues for orange T-shirts that read Union Busting is Disgusting. More than 100 correctional officers were lined up along the highway about 3 p.m. Thursday to oppose Illinois Gov. Pat Quinns budget cuts and disputes over union contracts, holding signs that said Stand up for the middle class and chanting Quinns cuts, no guts. They could be going home, but theyre staying because this is their future, said Pat Rensing, a correctional supply supervisor the prison and secretary of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees local 943. Randy Hellmann, the locals president, said Thursdays protests werent aimed solely at the governor, but also at the legislature. This isnt a Republican or Democrat issue, Hellman said. (Legislators) have to stand up. They dont get a free pass. Their budget should restore the Quinn cuts. Hellman said he expected about 300 people to join in, including members of trade unions, coal miners and other concerned citizens. Its being portrayed always the state workers, theyre the problem with the budget, Hellman said. Understand this, you could lay off every state employee in every agency and youd still have a $4 billion budget deficit. Rensing said that she had worked in corrections for 28 years and when she began working, she starting building toward retirement. Theyre pulling the rug of comfort (from under) me breaking promises, leaving a future fractured, Rensing said. I dont even know, should I stay or should I go.

Illinois government workers picket against proposed cuts in staffing, facilities


Mar 15, 2012 By DOUG WILSON Herald-Whig Senior Writer Dozens of Illinois government workers picketed during their lunch hours at Third and Maine Thursday, in protest of proposed staffing and facility cuts. "In the last 10 years, through attrition, they've cut as many jobs as they can. We have 25 percent less staff than we did 10 years ago," said Marcia Heitz, who works at the Department of Children and Family Services office in Quincy. John King, president of AFSCME Local 1787, said Gov. Pat Quinn's budget cuts would hurt the state's economy and lots of people who are eligible for service, as well as the employees. "His budget would cut 2,000 to 3,000 jobs statewide. He said he wanted to create jobs. How are you going to do that when you're cutting jobs?" King said. During Quinn's budget address last month, he told lawmakers that painful cuts are needed to restore the state to financial health. Years of deficit budgets have crippled the state and a combination of spending cuts and taxes or other revenue sources are proposed by Quinn. "I am proposing a budget that includes serious spending reductions and major reforms in order to restore fiscal stability to our state and build and grow our economy," Quinn said. One area office that would be affected by Quinn's proposed cuts is the Department of Human Services office in Pittsfield. That office is slated for closure and workers, as well as those seeking service, would have to travel to Quincy. "They're not saving on (staffing expenses), they're just relocating them to another facility," King said. King said the Jacksonville Development Center's proposed closure also would hit that community as jobs are eliminated. It would be a blow to JDC residents as well, King said. "To the people who have been there, it's their home," King said. Reductions in some health care and mental health programs also will reduce federal matching dollars, King said. Heitz, the AFSCME vice president for outlying areas, said political leaders are dishonestly blaming the budget problems on pensions for government workers. She said the Legislature's failure to make annual pension contributions has led to the current crisis. "For 33 years I have paid out of every single paycheck. I've watched since the 70s, but especially since the 80s while the Legislature has skipped payments. It would be illegal if a private company did it," Heitz said. This year's pension obligation would be $1.6 billion if the state had kept current on pension contributions, instead of more than $5 billion, Heitz said. There will be no picketing at the Illinois Veterans Home, where state laws require more care staff starting July 1, to meet rising levels of direct care. AFSCME is the largest state employee union and has 550 members in the Quincy local, which serves 12 counties.

AFSCME pickets Quinn's proposed cuts


QUINCY, Ill. (WGEM) -- Illinois' current governor is facing backlash against his proposal to close prisons and mental institutions. Thursday, worried state employees picketed across Illinois-- including here in Quincy. Members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees gathered at the intersection of Third and Maine in Quincy to voice their opposition to Pat Quinn's proposed closures, including the Jacksonville Developmental Center. Nearly 3,000 state employees could lose their jobs. The union members said they are also concerned about how the cuts will affect people who use government services. "For people from Pittsfield that's going to have to apply for benefits, they're going to have to drive to Quincy and spend more money and they don't even get that much benefits that they'd be able to afford that," said John King, the President of the AFSCME Local 1787. Similar pickets were held all over the state including outside of the governor's mansion in Springfield.

Illinois state workers protest budget cuts


Steven Martens The Quad-City Times | Posted: Thursday, March 15, 2012 More than 50 state employees from the Quad-Cities gathered Thursday to protest budget cuts proposed by Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, saying they would endanger the public and place a greater burden on an already overloaded social services system. Quinns $33.8 billion budget includes closing the states only super-maximum correctional center in Tamms and the womens maximum security prison in Dwight and calls for 9 percent across-the-board budget cuts in most state agencies. Union members gathered at a building at 500 42nd St., Rock Island, which houses offices of the departments of Children and Family Services, Human Services, Employment Security and the Environmental Protection Agency. Carlene Erno, who works for DCFS and is president of the Association of Federal, State, County and Municipal Employees, or AFSCME, Local 2615, said it wasnt right that while large corporations continue to get substantial tax breaks, the state is considering making more cuts to state agencies that are already overburdened. You need to find a middle ground here, Erno said. It cant always be us giving. Erno called further cuts to state agencies a Band-Aid and urged the legislature to come up with a better, long-term solution. What we want is for our legislature to come up with a budget that actually works, she said. Ted Van Patten, a corrections officer at the East Moline Correctional Center, said every corrections facility in the state already is overpopulated, and the proposal to close two more facilities would only make the problem worse. I think more cuts right now is ludicrous, Van Patten said. Van Patten said further cuts in departments that provide social services will make those services harder to get, which will cause more people to turn to crime and place an even bigger burden on the corrections system. Tammy Rotz, who works for DHS, said the department already has not been filling vacated positions, which contributed to the caseload in her office more than doubling in the past four years. Our ability to be able to serve the customers has been so diminished that were just constantly putting out fires every day instead of providing services our customers need, she said. Anthony Holland, chief legislative aide for Rep. Rich Morthland, R-Cordova, attended the rally and said while everything has to be on the table when it comes to the budget, Quinn needs to find a new approach. He keeps playing the same tune, and it is still out of tune and out of touch, Holland said. Quinns office did not return a phone call seeking comment about the protesters concerns.

Protesters call Quinn budget cuts dangerous


March 15, 2012 By Bill Mayeroff More than 50 people picketed outside the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services office in Rock Island Thursday to protest Gov. Pat Quinn's proposed budget, which calls for closing two prisons and other cuts. If the fiscal year 2013 budget passes, a woman's prison in Dwight and the "supermax" Tamms Correctional Center would be closed, according to Greg Johnson, a supply supervisor at the minimum-security East Moline Correctional Center and president of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 46. "Tamms is a real concern because at Tamms, they house the worst of the worst," Mr. Johnson said, adding that the closing likely would mean more prisoners transferred to the East Moline prison, which has an average daily population of about 1,400 inmates. Worse, Mr. Johnson said, is that the ratio of inmates to correctional officers would increase from the current 40 inmates to 1 guard on first shift, 60 to 1 on second shift, and 90 to 1 on third shift. The ideal ratio, he said, is 12 to 1. The prison in East Moline, originally designed for 700 inmates, already is "well over capacity," Mr. Johnson said. "They're double-bunking different areas," he said. "As a result of the cuts (the average daily population) could be well over 1,500." That's dangerous, Mr. Johnson said. "We have more inmate assaults, more disciplinary problems than we've ever had. It puts prison staff in danger. It also puts the surrounding community in danger. We're a minimum-security facility. We don't have guards in towers." Rita Trulson, who has been a caseworker for the Illinois Department of Human Services for more than 30 years, said that if Gov. Quinn's proposed budget passes, she may retire by the end of the year, even though she doesn't want to. Ms. Trulson, of Silvis, said past budget cuts have increased her caseload to somewhere between 1,000 and 1,500 cases, and if the budget passes, it will only go up. "It's more than I can handle," she said. "I'm not going to get anything done." Illinois state Sen. Mike Jacobs, D-East Moline, attended the picket and agreed that the governor's proposed budget should not be passed. "The last thing we want is to put women and children in danger," he said. "I believe these cuts do that." Sen. Jacobs said cutting funding to the Department of Human Services and Department of Children and Family Services, as Gov. Quinn's proposed budget would do, is not the right way to save money. He said lawmakers need to "go line by line through the budget," and vowed to vote against it, which he said he believes most legislators will do. "We'll make short work of his budget."

State Cuts Protest


Stateliners are protesting some of the cuts Quinn wants to make. Posted: 4:07 PM Mar 15, 2012 ROCKFORD (WIFR) -- Stateliners are protesting some of the cuts Quinn wants to make. Dozens of AFSCME workers gathered outside the Zeke Giorgi center today to demonstrate against the closing of more than a dozen state facilities including the Singer Mental Health Center here in Rockford. The workers argue Governor Quinn's budget cuts slash services for the most vulnerable and wipe out thousands of jobs. Kathy Lane, the Union President from ASFCME Local 448 said, "What's more concerning is the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and Sears both got a 300-million dollar together tax break and we don't believe that's appropriate when the state of Illinois is in such dire need that you're giving corporations a tax break but you are cutting services from the state of Illinois' citizens." The demonstration was one of 50 events scheduled across the state.

Public service workers take part in statewide "Day of Action"


Public service workers around Illinois rallied Thursday in protest of Governor Quinn's proposed cuts to disability services, public safety, and jobs. In Rockford, employees and supporters of Singer Mental Health Center, state police, DCFS, human services, and other groups and organizations rallied in front of the Zeke Giorgi Center. They are hoping to bring attention to what they say is a harmful budget plan laid out by Governor Pat Quinn earlier this year. Some of the cuts in the proposed plan include closing Singer Mental Health Center and others like it around the state as well as several prisons. Funds to other community agencies such as youth centers and halfway houses will also face cuts. According to protestors, this could mean the loss of thousands of jobs around Illinois. Rallies will continue throughout the state on Thursday as part of an organized "Day of Action" by the "No Quinn Cuts" campaign.

Singer Mental Health Center union workers protest


Mar 15, 2012 @ 05:30 PM Union employees from Singer Mental Health Center protested the proposed closing of the center on Thursday, March 15, 2012, in front of the Zeke Giorgi building.

Prison Workers Unite To Save Jobs And Keep Workers Safe


Posted: Mar 15, 2012 10:22 PM CDT Budget cuts sparked rallies and protests all over Illinois Thursday by state employees and their supporters. Workers at the Christian County Correctional Center say those closures increase the amount of danger they could see everyday. "Puts a tremendous amount of stress on everyone," says Local 3653 President Terry Baker. Brandon Hamm also works at the Christian County Correctional Center and has concerns as well. "They've injured other inmates, killed inmates, you know injured staff, killed staff," he says.

State employees protesting budget cuts


Hundreds of frontline union workers are protesting Governor Quinn's budget cuts today. AFSCME Council 31 is sponsoring more than 50 events across Illinois where state employees will express concern over the governor's plan to close 59 facilities. More than three thousand workers are expected to lose their jobs if Quinn moves forward with the closures. For more information, check out No QuinnCuts.com.

Union Members Protest Closures


Union members rallied around the state saying the state should stop mismanagement before it cuts jobs and facilities. Chuck Stout, a union man from Springfield, says state workers understand tough decisions must be made. But the Illinois has cut to the bone and the only way to pay off the $8 billion in unpaid bills is to increase revenue, such as creating a progressive income tax. But he says that thats unlikely. Because wealthy people control the state of Illinois and the General Assembly and thats the bottom line, Stout says. Wealthy people who have deep pockets and a big voice that is much stronger than the people have here. The Center for Tax and Budget Accountability recently released a report advocating for a progressive income tax and said Illinois spending has remained relatively over the past two decades after adjusting for inflation. Although the governor says hes spreading the pain with the facility closures Stout says the cuts affect rural communities more especially deep southern Illinois. Steve Nordyke, president of an AFSCME chapter in Springfield,says he doesnt trust the governor because he denied public employee pay raises after campaigning on it. Absolutely. If youre not a person of your word how can you have any credibility or trust, Nordyke says. (Posted 3/16/2012 at 10:29am)

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Unions call for repeal of business tax breaks to stave off closures
By Ashley Griffin Show some guts, not cuts! and Quinn says cutback, we say fight back! were some of the chants from hundreds of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees who protested in front of the Executive Mansion in Springfield Thursday afternoon. The protest brought together hundreds of caregivers, child protection workers, correctional officers, state police personnel and other state employees who could possibly lose their jobs under Gov. Pat Quinns FY 2013 proposed budget. Quinn aims to cut most state agencies funding by 9 percent and close several state facilities, including mental health centers and residential centers for the developmentally disabled. But according to some workers, instead of cutting, Quinn should repeal the tax breaks for businesses that was passed last December. According to Jeff Bigelow, a regional director for AFCSME Council 31, repealing the tax cut package would be an easy way to avoid these cuts. They want to cut the Jacksonville Developmental Center [and] another developmental center, Bigelow said. They want to cut mental health centers. They want to cut adult transition centers. They want to cut prisons. They are closing 24 offices where people go apply for food stamps, and Medicaid, putting it further out of reach for people who cant afford to get there anyway because they dont have money to put gas in the car. Everything that they are doing is government for the rich and cutting back for the rest of us, and were saying they are wrong. But the tax breaks, geared at keeping the CME Group and Sears in Illinois, were the product of months of negotiations, and lawmakers are unlikely to repeal them. Quinn argues that the cuts and closures are necessary and part of an overall plan to trim state costs. The closures and consolidations proposed in the state budget are hard but necessary, Kelly Kraft, Quinns budget spokeswoman, said in a prepared statement. They impact every region in our state, but due to decades of fiscal mismanagement, tough decisions need to be made to address the states budget challenges, If action to change Medicaid and pensions this legislative session does not take place, more and more services will be reduced or eliminated just to pay these costs. We need to stop being in denial, need to stop delaying payments and need to stop the disinformation campaign in order to resolve our Medicaid and pension challenges and to make certain [that] education, public safety and our most vulnerable are always protected. While AFSCME members marched and chanted today, most lawmakers and Quinn were far from Springfield. The legislature is not in session this week, and many lawmakers are presumably doing last-minute campaigning for next weeks primary election. We wanted to let [the General Assembly] know they are going to hear about it, whether they're here or not. Well let them know that people oppose Gov. Quinns proposed cuts because they definitely hurt public service, said Kent Beauchamp, another regional director for AFSCME Council 31. It's really outrageous that he is making these cuts as a way to pay for the huge tax break that he gave to large corporations in this state. What hes saying is that My priorities are giving tax breaks to the corporations and not providing services to the public. Thats exactly what he is saying. Todays demonstration in the capital was one of 50 protests AFSCME plans to hold statewide.

State Employees Rally to Keep State Facilities Open


Posted on March 15, 2012

Across Illinois today unionized state employees protested the proposed closures of state facilities, like centers for the mentally disabled and prisons. Randy Clark, a correctional lieutenant works at the super max prison in Tamms Illinois. He says the proposed closure would put lives in danger. Rachel Otwell has the report.

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