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Unions React to Budget Proposal
A contract's a contract to the unions representing state employees and teachers. They reacted unfavorably to Gov. Pat Quinn's budget address, in which he proposed those workers pick up a larger share of health insurance premiums and pension contributions, as well as four unpaid days off for state workers.

A Statehouse news conference featured leaders from AFSCME, the Illinois Education Association, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Service Employees International Union, and the Teamsters.

IFT president Ed Geppert said, "Teachers in a classroom, state workers throughout the state, are not AIG executives getting million-dollar bonuses." He says for all the work Quinn has been doing to try to distance himself from ousted former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, "it's the same, sad, anti-state worker plan that we saw before."

At least one alternative came from the group: leave the personal income tax exemption alone for upper-income brackets. Quinn's proposal would increase the income tax rate from 3 percent to 4 1/2 percent but triple the exemption, which is now $2,000.

(Illinois Radio Network)
03 19 09 by Newsroom
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