URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees gathered to picket outside of the Champaign County Courthouse Tuesday afternoon.
They said the major "sticking points" in negotiations has been about pay and insurance. The union’s previous agreement with the county expired at the end of last year, and a vote last month saw 96% of votes were in favor of a strike if necessary.
"When the workers don’t show up for the courthouse, how’s court going to happen? You know, if animal control isn’t there, how are the animals going to be taken care of? How are the citizens of Champaign County going to be taken care of," said Cecelia Phillips, local AFSCME president. "It’s not something we want to do because we all love our jobs; we love what we do. But it’s also important that at the end of the day, we go home and can put food on our tables."
There are two more planned mediated negotiation sessions. Phillips said if a new contract isn’t done by then, a strike could happen.
Champ,Feeds,News
via News | WCIA.com https://www.wcia.com
June 25, 2025 at 11:18AM
Illinois Delivered 