By RFD Radio/WFMB

SPRINGFIELD – A pillar of the Gov. Bruce Rauner’s Turnaround Agenda has been to reform workers compensation.

Lawmakers did that in 2011 and passed a bill. For now that’s good enough according to the AFL-CIO. Union President Mike Carrigan said he and his members have no interest in tying more reform or changes to the system to a budget deal that could cause injured workers to deal with lesser benefits.

“We are in no mood, we have no appetite for (workers comp) reform and we will use our collective resources to vigorously oppose workers comp changes,” Carrigan said.

He added if Rauner really wanted a compromise on more reforms he would have treated the process with greater care from the start.

“If workers comp was a real priority to him and he knew the history of how workers comp is done, then I would have through a year ago, eight months ago, six months ago, there would have been meeting to only focus on workers comp,” Carrigan said.

The AFL-CIO said costs for workers comp in Illinois have decreased faster than any other state since 2011.

Critics point to a study that shows Illinois still has the 7th highest workers comp cost in the nation.