I’d Call It a “Mexican Stand-Off”, But…
…it’s Illinois. “Fat Pat”, as Crusader calls him (more commonly referred to as Illinois Governor Pat Quinn), thought he’d lay off almost 2000 goverment worker bees and close seven state facilities in order to…um…bridge some serious cash flow problems. Not so fast there, you.
Illinois Can’t Lay Off 1,900 State Workers: Arbitrator
….Edwin Benn, the arbitrator, cited a 2010 agreement between Illinois and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 that prohibits the state from laying off unionized employees until fiscal 2013 begins on July 1, 2012. Under that deal, the union agreed to $400 million in concessions in return for a guarantee of no lay-offs through the end of fiscal 2012, the ruling stated.
The arbitrator said the state was liable for wages and benefits lost by the 1,680 unionized workers targeted for lay-offs.
You’d think a Democratic governor in a MOST Democratic of state with a Democratic legislature all wrapped up could get a little love out of his folks in tough times, right? Ah…no.
…Quinn blamed the Democrat-controlled Legislature for sending him a $33 billion fiscal 2012 general funds budget that locks in spending levels for state agencies but did not appropriate enough money to keep some state services operating.
SNEAKY BASTARDS! Poor Fat Pat has to take the fall, while the guys in the Legislature can slide back in their chairs and truthfully say, “Hey, Big Guy! Sent you a budget.”
In an earlier ruling, the arbitrator kinda sorta stuck it to the state just to make sure the union message got across…
…Benn in July ruled that the state was required to hike workers’ pay by 2 percent in fiscal 2012 after Quinn nixed $75 million in raises, contending the budget did not appropriate the money.
…so this really shouldn’t have been a complete surprise. I’m sure all those peeved Illinois voters will hold their miserable representatives accountable.
By the way…
…The cash-strapped state still owes billions of dollars for bills and other obligations incurred in fiscal 2011 despite a hike in income tax rates in January.
Ooopsie.
In a Republican administration, there’s a fair chance someone would have checked the Unicorn and Fairy Dust math before the toiletpaper left the State House for signature, but, then again, that could just be me being a hater.
Nanny State, People, Politics | tree hugging sister | 
October 3, 2011 5:05 pm
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It would be cruel of me to laugh.
Yet another reason I’m glad I moved to Wisconsin.
I’m sure Wisconsin and Indiana will welcome all those Illini with welcome arms. How long before Caterpillar bails on that state?
Illinois governments — from the state down to the smallest village — suck at budgets. In large part because public budgets are viewed as a source of income for multiple politicians. There’s always some part of an appropriation unofficially set aside to supplement the meager salary of public officials and employees.
And if an elected official does not have their hand in the till, or is feeding contracts to a family member, it’s because they’re senile, and the senior aide is doing the double book keeping.
So no one really looks at the budget, except to make sure their personal earmark is there. Thus, I am not surprised that Fat Pat screwed the pooch by not reviewing the budget properly.
Of course, all this schadenfreude is at the expense of the Illinois taxpayer, many of whom can’t vote with their feet.
But it’s high time that they stop voting the way their g’g’g’g’g’ great grandpappy did.
Democrats versus unions. Kind of like mongooses versus cobras. Interesting to watch as long as you’re not to close to it (i.e., not actually living in Illinois).
Heck, they got all that corn, why not just make whiskey and sell that to get out of their financial trouble?
“Fat Pat”
I think Crusader and THS are turning into…..”Girthers”!
🙂
Public employee unions are going to be the downfall of this corrupt system that runs things now.With the state dealing with the unions,there’s no one representing us-the payers of the contract-It’s like Hitler playing golf with Neyveatova-
or the guy that Hank Williams Jr. referred to.