An Illinois appellate court has ruled that back wages owed thousands of state government workers from 2011 to 2013 must be paid.
The court said the Legislature’s failure to appropriate enough money to cover is not a reason to renege on them.
“It’s an important victory for the union and for state employees in the agencies that still have not been paid in full,” said AFSCME Council 31 spokesman Anders Lindall. “I think this is a victory for anybody that works for a living.”
“How are you going to pave a road or build a bridge or operate a school or anything else if the person on the other end of the deal sees this precedent that you simply can say, well we’ve decided to spend this money in a different place so now we’re not bound by this contract,” Lindall continued, agreeing with the appellate court’s decision.
The ruling supports an independent arbitrator’s decision that the government’s failure to pay up violated the union contract. A circuit court agreed the money should go out.
The appellate ruling rejects an appeal by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan. A spokeswoman says the Attorney General is reviewing the decision. The ruling instructs a circuit court to follow the arbitrator’s decision.