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Quinn ordered to set aside union wage increase funds

By WEEK Creative Services
August 30, 2012 Updated Aug 31, 2012 at 9:14 AM CDT

COOK CO. Ill. -- A judge has ordered the Quinn administration to set to aside an estimated $18 million for state worker pay raises. However, this does not mean the raises will be payed out.

Thursday's decision is part of a year long battle between Governor Pat Quinn and AFSCME workers over unpaid wage increases.

Quinn last year canceled raises for about 30,000 unionized employees, saying the General Assembly did not allocate enough money.

An arbitrator ruled that the pay freeze was a violation of the state's collective bargaining agreement and ordered the governor to pay the increases. The governor appealed the arbitrator's award.

In a statement released Thursday, the union called the ruling important because the state could have claimed not to have the money if it had not filed pay vouchers by August 31.

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