By Illinois Radio Network

SPRINGFIELD – Another union has a new contract with the Rauner administration, marking the 19th such agreement on the books.

The agreement reached with the union representing conservation police includes a four-year wage freeze.

But the state’s largest employee’s union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), continues to stall in their negotiations.

According to Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Ivan Esorio, AFSCME needs to face the state’s fiscal reality.

“To their credit, several unions have recognized the dire straights the state finds itself in and basically have done their bit, which makes AFSCME’s single-minded opposition a bit puzzling,” he said.

Illinois taxpayers face unprecedented government debt with a backlog of unpaid bills at more than $10 billion and unfunded pension liabilities at nearly $130 billion, plus billions for state government retirees’ health care.

Esorio said AFSCME’s stubbornness could strengthen calls for labor reforms.

“If Illinois is to avoid having to come back to ask for concessions in this fashion in the future, the state will need some long-term structural reforms — such as limiting the scope of collective bargaining,” he said.

AFSCME is costing the state $2 million every day that goes by without terms being in place, according to the governor’s office. AFSCME calls this claim frivolous.