Dear IFT Leader,
I’m reaching out to you today with a call for solidarity with our members in the Illinois Federation of Public Employees, Local 4408 (IFPE) as they fight to improve their workplace, fill union positions, and stop the state of Illinois from outsourcing their work.
For years, the mechanics who service heavy duty trucks and equipment, off-road equipment, and agency and staff vehicles for Illinois have been short-staffed and severely lacking the tools needed to do their jobs. Rather than address the problem by filling the dozens of vacant positions, state agencies outsource their work, paying upwards of $170/hour to a third-party company and overspending by millions.
Additionally, instead of providing mechanics with the up-to-date equipment needed to do their job, the state is paying even more to this third-party company to use their diagnostic tools. However, providing mechanics with appropriate equipment and software would cost less and improve efficiency.
IFPE has been raising this issue through bargaining and arbitration for years with state agencies, but those agencies fail to adhere to the decisions made. We hope to make legislators and the governor aware of this issue and encourage them to hold these state agencies accountable. It’s time to do what’s right: fully staff mechanic positions, provide the necessary tools for the job, and attract and retain workers by ensuring these are good-paying, stable government jobs.
You can write to your legislator here to ask them to address this problem. Please share widely with your members and allies.
Thank you for your time and support. Together, we are stronger.
In solidarity,
Daniel J. Montgomery, IFT President