The votes have been cast, and all eyes are on AFSCME Council 31, as they prepare to release totals on a state worker strike authorization vote. 

 

The largest state employee union will reveal their results before the week is out. AFSCME officials say thousands upon thousands of members voted during the three week period. 28-thousand of the union's 38-thousand members are eligible to take part in a walkout while Corrections personnel are forbidden from striking. 

 

The Rauner Administration insists a strike would be illegal for all state workers based on an agreement signed last fall. A strike authorization vote doesn't necessecarily mean the union will strike. 

 

The union is currently challenging Governor Rauner's attempts to implement contract terms in court. AFSCME officials recently announced they would accept a four-year wage freeze and higher health insurance costs but the Rauner Administration rejected the proposal.