Farm families are “our families, our neighbors” and are owed “an eternal debt of gratitude,” Gov. Pat Quinn said Monday in a brown, drought-stricken field in rural Jefferson County. Meanwhile, workers and families affected by upcoming state facility closures lined the entrance to a farm where reporters and others gathered before driving several miles to a remote field for a news conference.
Quinn did not stop to speak with the protesters who included both prison and developmental center employees as well as families who have relatives who use the facilities slated for closure, according to Ed Caumiant, regional director for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31.
Unions and lawmakers representing workers affected by the closures have asked Quinn to reconsider. The General Assembly included enough money in its budget to fully fund their operation and save jobs, they argue.
Quinn, a Democrat, said the closures will go forward, noting that some of the facilities are only half full. “We are not building prisons or any center for the sole purpose of employment. We have to understand the common good comes first,” Quinn said.
Monday was Quinn’s first appearance outside of the Chicago area in about a month. That also is roughly the last time it rained in Waltonville field where the news conference took place. The area received sixth-tenths of an inch on June 11, Quinn noted Monday.
You can read Jayette's full report at: http://watchdog.org/41638/quinn-prisons-not-here-for-sole-purpose-of-employment/
1 comment:
Does the Gov do rain dances also??
Post a Comment