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Wednesday, September 23, 2009 9:27 PM CDT
Prison guards wait for decision after hearing
BY KURT ERICKSON, JG/T-C Springfield Bureau
VIENNA — It could be Monday before hundreds of state workers find out whether they will be laid off.
A Southern Illinois judge said Wednesday he will review testimony taken in a packed Johnson County courtroom before he decides whether to block the Sept. 30 layoff plan imposed by Gov. Pat Quinn.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union argued before Circuit Judge Todd Lambert that the potential fallout from the layoffs needs to be ironed out before the workers are let go.
For example, because union workers have the right to bump less senior colleagues, each person laid off affects up to 13 others down the line.
“You can’t simply unscramble the eggs,” said AFSCME attorney Gil Feldman.
Lambert’s decision could affect an initial wave of about 500 workers set for layoffs on Sept. 30, including 57 at the Decatur women’s prison, 121 at the two prisons in Logan County, 70 at the East Moline Correctional Center and 50 workers at the minimum-security facility in Vienna.
AFSCME also contends understaffing at prisons could lead to safety issues that need to be addressed before the layoffs – eventually affecting up to 2,600 workers – go into effect.
Assistant Attorney General Karen McNaught, arguing on behalf of the Quinn administration, said nothing in the current AFSCME contract precludes the governor from moving forward with layoffs in order to balance the state budget.
Quinn’s move is among a number of controversial decisions designed to keep state government operating during the state’s latest budget problems. The governor also is backing an early release plan for up to 1,000 inmates in order to ease overcrowding in an already understaffed prison system.
Quinn is hoping lawmakers agree to an income tax increase in January that would bring in added cash to hire workers back.
Without the layoffs, Quinn senior advisor David Haught told the court that other areas of state government will be cut if the layoffs don’t go into effect. Included in the possible mix of additional cuts are school programs, college scholarships and social service agencies.
McNaught drew catcalls from the audience — made up mostly of prison guards — when she said Illinois Department of Corrections officials are attempting to redistribute guards and prisoners throughout the state in order to eliminate the use of overtime, which has cost the state tens of millions of dollars in recent years.
During a rally outside the courthouse, AFSCME workers said the huge amounts of overtime have made prisons dangerous places to work because guards are working longer hours.
The rally and hearing also drew the attention of local officials who are battling Quinn’s plan. Vandalia Mayor Ricky Gottman, for example, is opposed to cutting 110 positions at the minimum-security lock-up in his community.
If the layoffs are blocked and no new revenue comes into state coffers, corrections officials say the state will need to lay off an additional 50 guards per month.
Contact Erickson at erickson@lee.net / 217-789-0865
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