After 15 months of negotiating, Illinois' largest government-employee union has reached a tentative contract deal with the administration of Governor Pat Quinn. AFSCME spokesman Anders Lindall says the specifics will be kept private for now: "It's a three-year agreement. The details are going to be reviewed by our entire rank-and-file membership. ... The ratification process will get started the week of this coming Monday, March 4." Published reports indicate union members would get pay raises -- even though Quinn declined to pay out some raises from the last contract. These are said to be the longest contract talks in Illinois history, and come after a year in which the union fought Quinn over pay raises, facility closures and whether the state should cut benefits for retirees.
