While the General Assembly is doing overtime regarding the Illinois budget, negotiations with the governor’s office for university-wide health care benefits are also going into extra session.

On June 23, eight Eastern employees and one community member went to Springfield to lobby for health care costs and 16 days later, a decision still hasn’t been agreed upon.

Negotiations between the governor’s office and the Association of Federal, State, County, and Municipal Employees, (AFSCME) for the cost of health care is concerning many employees through the state of Illinois.

Approximately 5,000 people arrived in Springfield to rally the increase of health care in Illinois.

“The reason the rally was held is that negotiations between AFSCME and the governor’s office of the State of Illinois are not going well,” said Charles Delman, president of Eastern’s University Professionals of Illinois chapter. “And in particular, the state was asking for significant increases for the cost of health care for current employees and future retirees.”

Many employees on campus, including faculty members, building services, cooks and clerical employees are represented by AFSCME.

Delman sent a standardized message to all University employees and the people who responded were English professors Deb Valentino and John Allison, chemistry professors Jon Blitz and Barbara Lawrence, Audrey Edwards, department of secondary education, and Tom Edwards.

They collectively rode together to Springfield for the rally. Anne Fritz, assistant professor of biologic sciences, and Gary Fritz, associate professor of biological sciences, joined later.

Illinois has been discussing the raising of emergency room visits by $200, raising premiums by 50 percent, and switching from a co-pay system, where you pay a fixed amount and the rest of the treatment is covered, to a 90/10 system, where you have to pay 10 perfect of the bill upfront, Delman said.

“They are talking about a very significant reduction in benefits for everybody,” Delman said.

Many members of AFSCME spoke at the rally about their experiences and difficulties with negotiating, and the unproductive atmosphere at the negotiating table.

“It was a rally, so people gave rousing speeches, and also related some of the facts that were pertinent,” Delman said.

The members of the rally marched from the state capitol to the Hilton Hotel, which is where the negotiations meetings were being held.

“It was a show of strength, really,” Delman said. “Now we’re waiting to see what will happen.”

After the rally, negotiation sessions were held. Delman said more progress was made, but AFSCME was still not satisfied.

“When will it be over? Who knows,” Delman said. “It will be over when they reach a settlement agreeable to both parties.”

Ashlei Maltman can be reached at 581-7942 or at anmaltman@eiu.edu.