AFSCME wants a southern Illinois lawmaker to pledge she'll vote to override an expected veto of a bill which would let an arbitrator settle the stalled contract talks between the union and the governor's administration.
State workers and their families gathered outside Representative Terri Bryant's Murphysboro office Tuesday.
AFSCME Regional Director Eddie Caumiant says Bryant should understand the union's perspective since she used to be one of them.
"She's a longstanding state employee. She was, in fact, an AFSCME member for some period of her career, later with the laborers. She understands this process. She should be very familiar with what it is and what it isn't."
Bryant says this is nothing new in negotiations between labor and management. Since the two sides disagree on whether or not there is an impasse, she'll let the Illinois Labor Relations Board decide after hearing from both sides.
"They need to be sitting at the table working out their differences. I'm hopeful that in the end the Illinois Labor Relations Board is going to rule that they need to go back to the bargaining table."
Bryant says she doesn't believe lawmakers should be involved in collective bargaining.
"Really the only way to solve the issues is for the governor and AFSCME to get back to the negotiating table and to settle the current contract. So, both entities have a responsibility to the taxpayers to present options that's not only fair to employees, but also reasonable to the taxpayers of Illinois."
Illinois' Labor Relations Board will hold a hearing to decide if Rauner and AFSCME have reached an impasse.
