Click here for linkThe cuts are coming in the face of a budget deficit that doesn't leave enough money to pay the workers, the governor says. Quinn also plans to close a prison, juvenile detention center and homes for the mentally ill.
If no cuts are made, several agencies will run out of money by spring, Quinn says.
"We can't spend money we don't have," Quinn said Tuesday.
The state's largest government employee union, AFSCME, promises to sue if the layoffs are made, much like they did over blocked pay raises.
And just like the pay raise situation, Quinn says these layoffs aren't his fault.