SPRINGFIELD - Gov. Pat Quinn's plan to cut 1,000 jobs from the Illinois Department of Corrections makes no sense, a spokesman from a prison workers union said Wednesday.

Quinn's proposal - part of a plan announced Tuesday to cut $1 billion in state spending - is intended to help combat the rising cost of overtime, officials said.

Anders Lindall, spokesman for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents thousands of prison workers, dismissed that reasoning.

"It makes no sense at all," Lindall said. "Further cuts to prison staff would only drive up overtime cost, and the state would continue to pay more to operate prisons than if they were adequately staffed."

Lindall said state prisons already have experienced major cuts in the past eight years. That has led to the state prison system being "dangerously understaffed," he said.

He said about 16,900 employees staffed adult and juvenile facilities in June 2001, and that number dropped to 12,700 by January 2009. Over the same period, overtime has risen from $12 million in 2001-02 to $67 million in the fiscal year that ended Tuesday.

The DOC Web site said the 1,000 job cuts would be part of a $125 million cut in the department's budget, which was proposed to be $1.37 billion for the fiscal year that began Wednesday. Lawmakers and Quinn have yet to complete a budget.

The proposed cuts also include 12 furlough days for workers and downsizing some prisons.

"Like many other state agencies, we are faced with some serious budget issues," DOC spokesman Derek Schnapp said. "It could mean layoffs, and like our director (Michael Randle) has said, nothing is off the table as we continue to look at various scenarios on how we can meet those budgetary constraints and sill not compromise safety and security."