AFSCME Council 31 is the Illinois state chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), a union for public sector workers. In Illinois, AFSCME is the "exclusive bargaining representative for approximately 40,000 state employees working in more than 50 departments, authorities, boards, and commissions under the authority of the Governor."
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1930s
During the Great Depression, a group of workers created a group to protect their jobs. The organization that grew out of the group became AFSCME. In 1936, the American Federation of Labor granted a charter to AFSCME.
1940s
The first local chapter of ASCME in Illinois was formed in 1942. It had 20 members.
1960s
By the 1960s, AFSCME had over 240,000 members nationwide.
1970s
In 1973, Illinois Governor Daniel Walker granted union rights to the Illinois chapter of AFSCME. Prior to Walker's decision, AFSCME members were unable to collectively bargain. No state laws existed that allowed it.
1980s
In 1983, all public employees in Illinois were granted access to unionize. The number of members soon increased from 40,000 to 60,000.
Leadership salaries
The following table shows the gross salary and total compensation for the top five-paid employees of AFSCME Council 31:
In 2013, the average income of employees making over $50,000 per year was $96,645. For employees making below $50,000 per year, the average income was $23,976.
Political action
On its website, AFSCME Council 31 encourages its members to politically organize: "Unions can never hope to match the hundreds of millions of dollars big business pours into every election. But working people have superior numbers, so they can get out in the streets and work for candidates."
Due to AFSCME Council 31's political action throughout the decades:
Protests
The following table documents protests by members of AFSCME Council 31 and its local organizations:
Arbitration - 150 layoffs
During the Illinois state budget crisis in 2015, Governor Bruce Rauner initiated layoffs of around 150 state workers. The issue went before an arbitration panel, which sided with Rauner's decision. As a reaction to the arbitrator's decision, both the state and AFSCME Local 31 filed lawsuits. The arbitrator based his decision on the argument that the governor was within his rights to make the layoffs. The state and the nation's largest union of public employees will head to court over an arbitrator's decision that Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner was within his rights to order the layoffs of more than 150 state workers last year.
The state filed a suit before a Sangamon County, Illinois judge to uphold the arbitrator's ruling. AFSCME Council 31 filed a counter-claim asking for the ruling to be vacated.
According to Crain's Chicago Business, "In response to a grievance by the union, the arbitrator ruled that the union failed to prove that the Rauner administration acted improperly or violated contract language governing layoffs. The arbitrator said the administration had the right to exercise broad powers to deal with the state budget crisis."
Standoff with Governor Bruce Rauner
Governor Bruce Rauner and AFSCME Council 31 have negotiated and fought over state employee benefits. As of July 2016, the issues between the two parties were not resolved.
The following table outlines the major items in Governor Rauner's reform proposal and AFSCME's position.
State v. American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees, Council 31
In 2008, AFSCME Council 31 and the state of Illinois agreed on a multi-year contract that covered members' wages, hours, and employment conditions. The contract went from September 5, 2008 to June 30, 2012. One provision of the contract called for a wage increase on January 1, 2009, and then every July 1 and January 1 through the end of the contract. The wage increase amounted to 15.25 percent through the overall life of the contract.
During the Illinois budget crisis, the state could not afford the increase scheduled to go into effect on July 1, 2011. AFSCME Council 31 sued in the circuit court of Cook County. AFSCME won the suit at the trial level. The state appealed and lost at the appellate court. The case was then brought before the Illinois Supreme Court. The court held that the arbitration award violated Illinois public policy, and reversed the judgments that AFSCME Council 31 had won at the appellate and trial court levels.