Southern Illinois Judge Impedes 2,500 Layoffs

Judge Todd Lambert of Saline County, Illinois prevented the layoffs of 2,500 state employees. Governor Pat Quinn requested the layoffs in an attempt to balance the state’s budget. Judge Lambert ruled that the state cannot go forward with the layoffs until grievances raised by the union were resolved. This could take months.

Spokeswoman Ashley Cross reacted to the judge’s decision, saying, “Illinois is experiencing an unprecedented economic crisis and budget reductions must be made, including cuts to the state’s administrative and personnel costs.”

The union claims that the state did not comply with bargaining rules in regards to the impact these layoffs would have on employee. On the other hand, the Quinn administration is claiming that they followed the rules, even offering wage freezes and furlough days as an alternative to such a high number of layoffs.

The union has also expressed safety concerns regarding the cuts to state prisons that they suggest are already understaffed.