IDOT workers authorize strike with 95% in favor
ILLINOIS (WCIA) — More than 3,800 IDOT employees could be going on strike soon after they authorized one this week.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced that its members at IDOT overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike, with 95% in favor. This comes after the Teamsters said they’ve worked without a contract since July 1, 2023.
“Our members, who have been leading the way during this contract fight, have grown tired of the state’s unwillingness to value their hard work,” Thomas Stiede, President of Teamsters Joint Council 25. “Their overwhelming strike authorization sends a clear message, and we will do whatever it takes to get them the contract they deserve.”
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Matt McQuaid, a Teamsters spokesperson, said the primary roadblock to getting a new contract is that the state wants to switch workers to a different healthcare plan. The workers want to keep using the plan they currently have.
“Illinois has a highway budget that is bigger and better than ever, so there is clearly plenty of money there to pay us fair wages and allow us to remain on our preferred health insurance,” said Cale Shonk, a permits supervisor in Southern Illinois and member of Teamsters Local 916. “The state has applauded us for the great work we do but refuses to pay us what we are worth. It is beyond ridiculous we are being treated like this.”
At this time, no date has been set for when a strike would begin.
IDOT officials released a statement in response:
“The safety of the traveling public always has been and always will be the Illinois Department of Transportation’s top priority. The department values its hard-working staff and employees, and looks forward to continuing a successful partnership with all of its collective bargaining units now and into the future.”
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