Two bargaining units for the state’s largest employee union have announced an agreement with the Pritzker Administration on mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations.
The latest agreement comes with AFSCME units from congregate facilities within the Illinois Departments of Human Services and Veterans’ Affairs. Employees under all union vaccine agreements are required to get their first shot by today and their second shot by November 30th. The agreement covers roughly 7,800 employees statewide.
Governor J.B. Pritzker says he was proud to work with state labor leaders to get the deal done to protect those in congregate facilities.
In addition to the announced agreements, the State and AFSCME have reached an impasse at the bargaining table for employees at the Departments of Corrections and Juvenile Justice. Interest arbitration will be entered into for just over 10,000 employees for these two departments. For an additional 1,900 non-security employees at those two departments, the State has informed AFSCME that it will implement the following terms: employees must get their first shot by today and their second shot by November 30th in accordance with state law. These employees will be subject to the IDVA/IDHS agreement.
AFSCME has indicated that on behalf of the non-security personnel, they will bring their case to the Illinois Labor Relations Board for further review. AFSCME contends to its members that negotiations are not at an impasse but ongoing.