The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31, the union representing the largest number of Illinois state employees, announces that 81 percent of its members voted to authorize a strike—the first statewide strike ever. AFSCME 31 represents the 38,000 workers who help the disabled, work in state parks, care for veterans, and perform numerous public services. For details on the negotiations, and AFSCME’s fact sheet on the Rauner administration’s “half-truths” on privatization, see its State Contract Information Center.