The Fraternal Order of Police is urging legislators to override Gov. Bruce Rauner's veto that could have major ramifications on state employees' next contract. The Republican's administration is negotiating a new contract with the AFSCME union, and both sides have said they're far from an agreement.
Rauner has used his veto pen to reject legislation that could automatically land both sides in arbitration. A vice president with the F.O.P's state lodge, KeithTurney, says that's the process Illinois has in place for police and firefighters, and it works.
"The law is designed to address the proposals under a last, best offer kind of situation. So what that does is it forces both parties to go into arbitration with reasonable expectations, reasonable requests, reasonable demands. Otherwise, an arbitrator, of course, is going to rule for the other party. So what that does is force sides to be a little more realistic when they go to the table," Turney says.
Turney says his organization is getting involved because otherwise state workers may strike. He says the chaos that would ensue would put extra pressure on local law enforcement.
The governor has promised he won't lock out workers and says moving to arbitration would take away his ability to do his job, but AFSCME says Rauner could force a strike by making extreme demands.
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