SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (Legal Newsline) -- Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said last week she won't drop a lawsuit over back pay for union workers, even at the behest of Gov. Pat Quinn.
According to The Associated Press, Quinn wants Madigan to drop the suit so he can implement a new state contract. He says doing so will save hundreds of millions of dollars.
In March, the governor and 30,000-plus members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees finally agreed to a three-year contract.
For more than a year, Quinn had refused to pay more than 5 percent in raises promised to AFSCME.
So, the union sued.
In December, a circuit court ordered Quinn to pay up, to which the governor appealed.
But now that Quinn and AFSCME have agreed to a new contract, both parties want the suit dropped.
Madigan's office told the AP Thursday that it won't drop the suit until its lawyers know whether state lawmakers will actually pay the $140 million in back wages.
The attorney general said she needs to keep her legal options open, according to the AP.
From Legal Newsline: Reach Jessica Karmasek by email at jessica@legalnewsline.com.