We wanted to keep you informed on our ongoing lawsuit involving the 48-cent raises that we won in last summer’s budget agreement, which Governor Rauner has been illegally withholding.

In March, a Judge ruled with us, stating that Rauner’s actions in withholding the raises were illegal and ordered him to implement our 48-cent raises and pay out the back pay to August 5, 2017 that is owed.

Unfortunately, Governor Rauner decided to appeal that decision instead of doing the right thing and following the law. Rauner also requested to stay our raises during the appeal process, meaning he would not have to pay anything out until the appeal is settled.

Yesterday, a Judge granted Rauner’s request for the stay but also ordered DHS to set aside the money for our raises and our back pay in a special account, to ensure the money is there whenever the case is settled. This means that while Rauner will not have to pay out the raises while the court case continues, we do have a guarantee that the money we are owed will be protected and waiting for us if and when we win the next case. This is an important protection and we are happy the Judge made this decision. 

While we continue to fight for our raises in the courts and in our communities, there are two great upcoming opportunities to get involved:

1. Attend one of our April home care membership meetings, click here to view all of the meeting locations and start times.

2. Mark your calendar for May 16 and plan to attend our next big Home Care Lobby Day. More details will be coming soon. 

We hope to see you at a membership meeting and at Lobby Day. We’re not backing down and we will keep fighting Governor Rauner until we get every penny that we are owed!