Champaign County workers represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 900 voted on May 29 to authorize a strike if deemed necessary. 90% of eligible employees voted, of whom 96% were in favor of strike authorization.
Negotiations have stalled for 150 days following the expiration of the union’s contract with Champaign County at the end of 2024. AFSCME Council 31 wrote county officials “still have failed to come forward with the fair wage increases and affordable health insurance they know are needed to settle a new contract.”
Emily Rodriguez, the chair of the Champaign County Labor Committee said in a statement that they remain “committed” to continue negotiations with AFSCME.
“We believe our current offer is fair, ambitious, and one that our neighbors can be proud of,” Rodriguez said. “I remember my vote to authorize a strike against UIUC as a picket captain of GEO in 2018. It was a momentous vote I was proud to make.”
The Daily Illini talked to Augustus Wood, assistant professor in Labor and Employment Relations, about the implications of the vote.
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Strikes and strategy
Striking is often considered a last resort for workers in labor disputes. Exercising that right often comes at great personal cost.
“Striking is the most difficult, hard thing to do,” Wood said. “You’re essentially quitting your job in order to exercise your power to obtain better conditions, a better workplace and a better life … It is the last tool in our box and the powerful thing that we do have is to withhold our labor.”
Withholding labor, or the threat of withholding labor, is a crucial part of union negotiation strategy. Wood called the ability to authorize a strike “one of the most important tools a union has.” The goal is to persuade the employer to come to the table to settle before the strike occurs.
“You want to tell the management side, or in this case, the government side, that we are willing to take the next steps to a strike so that you scare them by saying ‘they’re serious about this, we should settle it before it gets that far,” Wood said. “We want to make sure that we give management a chance to resolve the issue before they force us into a strike.”
Public sector unions
While private unions negotiate and bargain with their employers, public unions bargain with local legislators. The Champaign County workers who voted to authorize a strike if necessary are part of a public union that represents government employees. These employees work in every Champaign County department, including the Courthouse, Brookens Administrative Center, the Highway Department, Animal Control, the Coroner’s office, and the County Jail.
However, Wood says the public sector has moved ideologically close to the private sector.
“Government, since the 1970s, has moved toward a model of profit accumulation,” Wood said. “Many governments, particularly federal and state, operate on the same mentality and processes of private business now, in that they operate on cost and benefits.”
Due to Champaign County’s financial state, increasing wages and benefits for county employees is challenging. The county faces a budget gap of over $4.2 million, which would be exacerbated through increased labor costs.
“This is going to be a tough one because the county does not have money in the ways they should because of the past decade or so of the state as well as the federal (government) cutting funds across the board to counties,” Wood said. “There are money issues within Champaign County.”
Underserved communities
24% and 25% of households in Champaign and Urbana respectively live beneath the federal poverty line, both much greater than the average 11%. Furthermore, since the University maintains a tax-exempt status, Champaign and Urbana can’t raise money through that avenue.
Champaign County’s budget in 2025 is approximately $185 million. $39 million, about 21% of that, comes from “Intergov Revenue,” which the US Census Bureau defines as “amounts received from other governments as fiscal aid.” The average county in the United States receives 37% of its revenue from intergovernmental sources, per 2021 data.
Meanwhile, the average Champaign County employee receives a wage 30% lower than other counties across the U.S., according to 2022 data. AFSCME Local 900 members emphasized the importance of county employees providing services and their need for fair wages.
“We’re proud of the work we do,” said Oscar Alvarado, a member of the AFSCME Local 900 bargaining committee. “And like every working person, we’re simply asking for what’s fair — a wage that keeps up with the cost of living, and health care that doesn’t punish us for getting sick.”
