Mediator Calls Meeting of Striking Union Workers, County

Anders Lindhall, representative for AFSCME Local 1028, issued this statement announcing that striking Will County employees and county officials will meet Monday in a collective bargaining session called by a federal mediator:

Mediator tries again to restart talks

Late Thursday the mediator assigned by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to work with AFSCME Local 1028 and county management notified the parties that he is calling them back to the bargaining table on Monday morning, Nov. 25. It will be the first scheduled bargaining session since before the strike began on Nov. 18.

"Our union will make every effort to reach a settlement," AFSCME local president Dave Delrose said. "If county management is serious, they'll come to the table with a new, fair offer on pay. The big sticking point is management's stubborn refusal to offer wages that keep up with the cost of living. If they're ready to talk about fair pay, we're more than willing to listen."

Nearly 40% of county employees are paid less than $30,000 a year. A group of "Moms for a Fair Contract" who spoke out before yesterday's county board meeting described struggling to make ends meet on low pay that doesn't keep pace with rising costs. County workers haven't received a cost-of-living increase since December 2008, five years ago.

Union takes to the air on local radio

Counties employees provide important public services to the people of Will County, they deserve fair pay and affordable health care, and the politicians who control Will County need to compromise to get county employees back to work. That's the strong, clear message of two new radio spots hitting the airwaves of local, Joliet-based radio stations starting today. The ads can be heard and downloaded at www.afscme31.org/willcounty.