IT MAY be a new year according to the calendar, but the same old battling over the budget is still keeping the Cook County board tied up in knots. And it’s no joking matter, as the wrangling is now threatening the jobs and livelihoods of AFSCME members.
Letters sent to the union by the office of board president Todd Stroger this week raised the possibility of an unspecified number of layoffs if commissioners do not approve new revenue necessary to balance the budget. Unfortunately, the Stroger letters inaccurately tried to place blame for the budget stalemate on commissioners who in fact have expressed their support for needed revenues, among them Larry Suffredin and Roberto Maldonado.
AFSCME continues to support these revenues as part of a larger agreement to reform county health services under independent leadership. “Cook County government needs revenue and reform,” AFSCME director Henry Bayer said. “You can’t have one without the other, and President Stroger should be focused on reaching consensus rather than making threats.”
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