CTA drivers plan Monday walkout

Lawmakers in Springfield next week won't directly feel the impact of a morning rush hour without Chicago Transit Authority buses or trains.

But voters will, said Amalgamated Transit Union leaders, who plan to stage a 24-hour "walk-off" that could start at midnight Sunday, affecting Monday commuters.

The intent is to pressure legislators to pass a budget that will forestall a looming public transit doomsday, organizers said Thursday. The Illinois General Assembly is in overtime as legislators struggle with gridlock over a way to fund mass transit.

If no budget solution is found, CTA, Metra and Pace workers will face layoffs and riders will be looking at rate hikes and service reductions.

"People are being threatened with layoffs before Christmas, and it's all due to state legislators," ATU Local 308 Vice President Byrant Alexander said.

For Chicago commuters trying to reach work Monday without public transit, the pain will be real and there should be a trickledown to the city and 40 suburbs served by the agency, union officials predicted.

Pace officials, meanwhile, said they were hopeful their drivers wouldn't join in.

"Any job action would be counterproductive to work in Springfield," Pace spokesman Patrick Wilmot said.

There are 22 CTA stations that connect with Pace routes in locations including Skokie and Rosemont. In addition, both Pace and CTA buses connect at myriad stops in the suburbs, such as Westfield Old Orchard Shopping Center.

Metra spokeswoman Judy Pardonnet said the organization did not anticipate any job action by its workers.