Governor JB Pritzker’s administration and AFSCME Council 31-the largest union of front line Illinois state employees-announced yesterday the ratification of a new contract after membership voted overwhelmingly in favor.
The agreement was tentatively reached by negotiators for the state and the union in the early morning hours of July 1st. Over the past two weeks, members of AFSCME attended local union meetings throughout the state to review and vote on its terms. The four-year agreement is now in effect.
The agreement provides for a 4.0% pay increase retroactive to July 1st. In all, base wages will rise 17.95% over four years. Other provisions include expanded parental leave to 12 weeks, new joint efforts to improve workplace safety, and streamlining and modernizing the State’s hiring process.
Brenden Moore of the Decatur Herald Review reports that the estimated impact of the contract’s ratification over four years is about $625 million, including $204 million in this first year. Governor Pritzker has previously said that the contract’s ratification was worked into the state’s most current budget.