A state labor board has denied a request by Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration to bypass an administrative judge and expedite ruling on whether negotiations have stalled with AFSCME.
Now, the union is taking preliminary steps in preparation for a possible strike.
AFSCME members don't *want* to strike, says spokesman Anders Lindall. But the union is laying the groundwork, just in case.
"We've got nearly 80 local unions of state employees and so they are having their conversations with their members, on the ground, where they live and work, to give them all the information and answer all their questions. Ultimately they're going to be the ones who make decisions about how we respond to the governor's confrontational tactics."
Lindall says Governor Bruce Rauner is trying to unilaterally impose demands - like pay cuts, and higher health insurance premiums - on the thousands of state employees who are members of AFSCME.
The Rauner administration says the two sides are so far apart on negotiating a new contract, there's no point to further talks.
AFSCME has never gone on strike in the roughly 40 years Illinois has had collective bargaining.
The two sides have been at odds since Rauner was a candidate, and criticized "government union bosses."