Eye On Illinois: New union contract includes action steps for staffing concerns

Tuesday was a good day for organized labor, as both the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and Teamsters announced deals.

The Teamsters’ preliminary agreement with UPS is a private sector story with global supply chain implications, but AFSCME Council 31′s official contract with Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration will, as usual, have long-lasting public implications.

The initial instinct is to focus on the dollars: base wages will go up 17.95% over the four-year deal. Pritzker’s office said the total cost is about $625 million, including $204 million in the current fiscal year, which apparently is covered in the already approved state budget.

Without downplaying the significance of those numbers – raises will grow in importance if they squeeze other budget priorities – other portions of the agreement are more immediately interesting while also warranting closer long-term scrutiny.

The terms include several items aimed at improving the state’s hiring process and employee retention. The new contract language reflects the state’s switch to an electronic system for filling open positions and joint commitments to streamlining steps to filling vacancies. A new labor-management committee is tasked with identifying hiring roadblocks. There will be a pilot program testing recruitment bonuses for tough-to-fill jobs and a commitment to making sure current employees away on parental leave aren’t cut off from applying for openings.

Employee shortages affect much of state government, including areas outside the thousands of AFSCME jobs, like education and law enforcement. When examining persistent problems with agencies like the Department of Children and Family Services, it’s become rote to note the vacancy rate north of 20%. A frequent Eye On Illinois talking point is the idea of scaling solutions across agencies, so if some of the plans in this new contract prove fruitful expect to hear more about broader implementation.

It might be news to the people who complain about the expense of employing tens of thousands of state workers, but many of the jobs aren’t especially desirable. Salaries and benefits don’t always compare favorably with private sector opportunities. Virtually every workplace benefits from having enough employees to complete required tasks as well as staff continuity – constant new hire training saps productivity – and many public-facing struggles flow directly from not having enough good folks on the job.

Both Pritzker and AFSCME leaders have the burden of showing the new contract’s hiring goals can deliver intended results. Organizers from other public sector unions should be proactive about implementing any useful idea into their next deals while also honoring the potential of preparing to show why a good-on-paper idea flopped in practice to keep it from spreading.

Raises grab headlines, and workers deserve fair compensation. But this deal’s softer details might have the most lasting significance.

• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Media. Follow him on Twitter @sth749. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.