SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Believing that communities should not face the devastating consequences of services being shut down by a state worker strike or lockout, state Rep. Mike Smiddy, D-Hillsdale, issued the below statement after he helped advance a measure to put contract dispute resolution in the hands of a third party arbitrator this week:
“After months of negotiations, Governor Bruce Rauner’s administration and public sector workers have still been unable to reach a labor contract. Failure to reach an agreement can result in a complete shutdown of government services in Illinois, and that will leave thousands of our most in-need neighbors without the critical, often life-saving, services they depend on. That outcome is unacceptable, and we need to take concrete action to ensure that does not happen. Over the last eight months of budget disputes, this governor has shown just how far he is willing to go to achieve his radical agenda, and if he’s allowed to continue his attack on public workers, middle class families and our entire local economies will suffer.
“My answer is to take extreme options like a lockout or strike off the table, because we can find a contract that is respectful of working family’s needs and the state’s fiscal situation through mutual compromise and good faith negotiations. We cannot risk the unacceptable damage to our most vulnerable neighbors, and this bill will prevent these terrible consequences by requiring an arbitrator to craft a fair contract if the two sides remain unable to reach an agreement. I will continue to approach the state’s challenges by looking for a balance and compromise, because I know we can resolve our differences.”
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