Published: July 02, 2008 12:56 pm            

Heartland locks out workers

Exactly one year after more than 30 Heartland Human Services employees walked off their jobs, the resulting strike is far from resolved ...

.... except it’s not an employee strike anymore, but an employer lockout, say representatives from both sides of the dispute.

Heartland Executive Director Cheryl Compton confirmed this morning members of Local 3404 of the American Federation of State, Federal and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) have been barred from returning to work until an agreement is reached between the agency and union.

“That is an option we have under the law,” Compton said. “They have to agree to a contract under terms and conditions the agency can live with.”

Local 3404 has been seeking a contract that would include a variety of wage and benefit concessions. But Compton and board members have suggested the concessions would make it difficult for the agency to survive in the wake of persistent state budget cuts.

Local 3404 members asked last Friday to return to work. At that time, Compton met with the group briefly in the agency’s lobby and told them she wasn’t prepared to have them back until she could consult with the agency’s attorney.

Jeff Bigelow, regional director for AFSCME, confirmed he had received a letter from the agency’s attorney announcing the lockout. Bigelow said the lockout displayed “complete hypocrisy” on the part of both Compton and the board.

“They have repeatedly said they want us to come back to work, yet when we make that effort, they don’t want us back,” he said. “What does this say about Heartland Human Services and their lack of care and concern for the residents of the community?

“It (the lockout) starkly reveals what they are all about,” he added.

Bill Grimes can be reached at 217-347-7151 ext. 131 or bill.grimes@effinghamdailynews.com.