'Brain drain' feared in job shift / State turning contracted positions over to in-house union workers
Source: Mary Massingale, Copley News Service (IL), Friday, December 9, 2005
As state government prepares to shift hundreds of contracted positions to union jobs by the end of the month, some contractors are warning a "brain drain" could cripple state programs serving the poor and disabled. ….. As part of an agreement with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the state is eliminating 913 "personal-services" contract workers by Dec. 31 and replacing about 600 of them with current and newly hired union employees. Of those 913, 308 are computer contractors and 280 will be replaced. The remaining contract positions are primarily clerical jobs.