Members of AFSCME Local #401 came out in freezing temperatures on Friday to demonstrate their discontent with current working conditions and call for the replacement of current Murray Center administrators. The union has given a vote of no confidence on facility director Robert Mason, assistant facility director Sara Myers, and assistant facility director Kayla Dunaheee. AFSCME president Robert Dickinson said that the directors have failed to meet the responsibilities of their positions.
“It’s led to constant sixteen-hour shifts,” Dickinson said. “We’ve had staff shortages that have caused those sixteen-hour shifts, and operating those sixteen-hour shifts without breaks and lunches… It’s just complete incompetence. They lack oversight; they lack any kind of accountability. This place runs wild, and it’s a major safety concern not only for our members and our staff that work here, but for the individuals that we take care of.”
Union members are calling for stronger disciplinary action against those who do not follow the rules.
State Representative Charlie Meier supports the union and says it’s the first time he’s heard of a union going so far as to demand more discipline.
“We have to have from the top down leadership, and this administration, which promised with Choate that they were going to straighten things out and they were going make things better, thas showed their lack of leadership even by promoting people from Choate further up in the administration when that has been a failed situation down there. It’s time for true leadership, and we want to make sure that Murray Center remains the shining star for the State of Illinois.
Meier says the problem starts at the very top with Governor JB Pritzker and the head of the Department of Human Services, who he believes is unable to address the issues and has made them worse by failing to provide training to administrative staff.
The President of the Murray Parents Association, Rita Winkeler, is also throwing her support behind the union’s efforts for reforms and believes the problem goes to the top of the state government.
“We have always had really high standards. We just don’t want to be okay, we want to be great. So we are going to continue to support our staff. We want a quality workforce. We’re very grateful that the staff has seen the need to really have good oversight and accountability and to expect that from everyone.”
Winkeler is also concerned about the failed Choate management being moved to the Murray Center. She sees some positives in the effort to hire new staff.
The Illinois Department of Human Services has released a statement to WJBD-WSIQ news on the picketing and no-confidence vote.
The statement reads: “The Illinois Department of Human Services is committed to creating a safe and welcoming work environment. All employees have the opportunities and venues to voice concerns, file complaints, and seek resolution for workplace issues without fear of retaliation. These rights are enshrined under labor laws and collective bargaining agreements. We encourage any employee with concerns to utilize the many available avenues for formal reporting should they have a matter in need of resolution.”
Ino Saves New
via rk2’s favorite articles on Inoreader https://ift.tt/OXDEvY0
February 3, 2026 at 05:49AM
Illinois Delivered 