Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner recently reached four-year collective bargaining agreements with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and 16 other unions.
From the summer up until Wednesday, the governor has brokered deals with SEIU; Local 1 Chicago; the International Union of United Food and Commercial Workers; the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades; the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers; the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters; Mid-Central Illinois Regional Council of Carpenters; the St. Louis-Kansas City Carpenter’s Regional Council; the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers – Iron Shipbuilders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers; the Laborers International Union of North America; the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail & Transportation Workers; Illinois State Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers; International Union of Operating Engineers; the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry; the International Association of Machinist and Aerospace Workers; and five different units represented by Teamsters.
Collectively, the unions represent more than 5,000 state employees.
Highlights of Wednesday's deals include an expanded health insurance program that gives union employees $967 per month toward insurance costs and a new incentive program that will offer bonuses to high-performance employees.
Rauner used the success of his negotiations with other unions to put pressure on the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) who have rejected terms similar to those accepted by other unions.
AFSCME is the largest public services employees union in the United States, with more than 1.6 million members.
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