County Board seeks to curb health-care costs, pay increases

Chicago Tribune

February 16, 2005

By Mickey Ciokajlo

A divided Cook County Board Tuesday approved a pair of toothless but symbolic measures to try to start reining in escalating personnel costs.

Commissioners backed a resolution calling on the administration to bargain with unions to increase employees' contributions to their health care. They also backed a resolution to restructure pay scales that include generous yearly raises.

But the debate underscored the difficult political position that many commissioners are in as they seek union support yet lean against voting for new taxes to balance the 2005 budget.

Board President John Stroger's administration is now negotiating with most of the county's unions, which represent about 80 percent of the workforce of more than 26,000.

Though additional union concessions would have a minimal impact on the current $73 million budget shortfall, some commissioners argued that the county must control its personnel costs better to deal with future deficits.

The county's finance team has said the government faces a $196 million shortfall going into the 2006 budget, $110 million of which is related to worker wages and benefits.

"No one in their wildest dreams and fantasies can imagine that we can keep up with that with tax increases," said Commissioner Mike Quigley (D-Chicago). "I think there's a middle ground here with our workers."

The resolutions, sponsored by Gregg Goslin (R-Glenview), merely recommend that Stroger's administration bargain with unions to restrain salary and health-care costs.

Commissioners voted 10-6 on the pay-raise resolution and 11-5 on the health-care measure. Commissioner Joan Murphy (D-Crestwood) split her vote.

Commissioner Roberto Maldonado (D-Chicago) opposed the proposals, saying the county should seek greater operational efficiencies before asking concessions of its rank-and-file workers. The measures also were opposed by Commissioner Larry Suffredin (D-Evanston), who is fighting Stroger's plan for restaurant and hotel taxes.

Suffredin said he supports seeking union concessions, but he argued that the resolutions were unnecessary since Stroger's administration, not the board, is at the bargaining table.

Christine Boardman, president of Service Employees International Union Local 73, said the "step" pay raises that the county provides on top of annual cost-of-living adjustments compensate for relatively low wages. Boardman also said the county should work with Chicago and other local governments to negotiate lower rates for health insurance. "I say squeeze the insurance companies who are making record profits and stop squeezing the employees," Boardman said.

Copyright 2005, Chicago Tribune Company

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