SPRINGFIELD - Union leaders and state senators Thursday urged the Senate leader to allow a vote on a measure to ban mandatory overtime for state workers.

Henry Bayer, executive director of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees' Illinois chapter, spoke at a news conference, along with union members and state senators, at the Capitol to unveil a union report on compulsory overtime among state employees.

The union says $66 million in overtime pay was doled out to employees in the corrections, veterans affairs and human services departments.

AFSCME spokesman Anders Lindall said the report is drawn from the testimony of dozens of state employees.

"We solicited to actual frontline employees," Lindall said. "You're hearing in their own words the actual scope of the problem."

Bayer said that while some mandatory overtime is appropriate in some cases, the state has been relying on it far too much and has worn out employees as a result.

"When our members came to work for the state of Illinois, they signed up for public service, not servitude," Bayer said.

Bayer said the measure does not prohibit overtime; it only bans the state from forcing employees to work overtime on penalty of disciplinary action.

Derek Schnapp, a spokes-man for the Department of Corrections, said the argument is something that ought to come up in contract negotiations.

"We feel that's what the negotiation process is when our agency has that with the union," Schnapp said. "We feel there's already a process for that."

State Sen. Mike Jacobs, D-East Moline, said the senators would ask Senate President Emil Jones to call the measure for a vote. The House approved the measure 108-2 in April.

"This is not only an issue for AFSCME; this is an issue for all of labor," Jacobs said.

State Sen. John Jones, R-Mount Vernon, said the situation causes undue danger for employees.

"Somebody is going to be seriously hurt in one of these institutions, and we're going to pay the price for it," Jones said.

The legislation is House Bill 5661.

Kenneth Lowe can be reached at kenneth.lowe@lee.net or 789-0865.