By AP/KWMU
Springfield, Ill – Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has reached a tentative contract agreement with the state's largest employees union.
Blagojevich spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff says the administration has reached a tentative deal with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
Ottenhoff did not know details of the proposal and AFSCME officials declined comment.
AFSCME's four-year contract with the state expires June 30 amid a state budget that's more than $2 billion in the red.
Blagojevich wanted the 37,000-member union to agree to contribute four percent of its pension payments like he had other state employees do last year.
AFSCME opposed that because union officials said they agreed not to take a pay raise in 1991 in exchange for the state picking up all of its eight percent pension payments.