Advocates plan campaign for Workers’ Rights amendment

 

Bill Knight column for 8-30, 31 or 9-1, 2021

 In May, the Illinois General Assembly adopted Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment No. 11, which will be on the next general-election ballot.

“In November of 2022, voters in Illinois will consider a constitutional amendment banning any law or local ordinance ‘that interferes with, negates, or diminishes the right of employees to organize and bargain collectively over their wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment and workplace safety’,” said Marc Poulos, Executive Director and counsel of the Indiana, Illinois and Iowa Foundation for Fair Contracting, a labor-management group.

Poulos was one of several speakers addressing a statewide briefing Aug. 11 at the Chicago Laborers District Council building in Burr Ridge, with about 80 people attending and others watching via Zoom.

“For the first time, Illinois voters will have the chance to enshrine ironclad protections for working people in the Illinois Constitution,” said Illinois AFL-CIO President Tim Drea.

However, the proposed amendment doesn’t protect just unions.

“It’s about EMPLOYEES, whether they’re union members or not,” said Poulos. “It applies to everybody. It would be a constitutional right.”

The amendment would:

* give employees the fundamental right to organize and bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing, and to protect their economic welfare and safety at work;

* prohibit any law from impeding employees’ right to organize and bargain collectively; and

* that includes laws forbidding contracts mandating union membership as a condition of employment, such as misleadingly named “Right To Work” bans on employer/union agreements requiring workers represented by unions to share in the costs of representation (like Lincolnshire, Ill., unsuccessfully attempted during the Rauner administration) – and the amendment would apply to all levels of government, from public schools and townships to cities and counties).

 

The proposed amendment will need 60% of those voting on the measure itself, or a majority of those voting in the overall election.

Anzalone Liszt Grove Research found that the proposed amendment already has 63% support overall after polling more than 1,200 statistically representative Illinoisans. That includes 81% of Democrats and 57% of Republicans; 74% of Chicago residents, 69% suburbanites and 58% downstate residents; 68% of blue-collar workers and 61% of white-collar employees; 59% of non-union households and 77% of union households. (Even 46% of union households that voted for Donald Trump support the proposed amendment.)

The firm’s research also shows that 66% believe it will protect workers’ rights, although about 40% mistakenly think either it would force people to join a union or give government too much power. (In fact, it doesn’t force unionization; it gives employees freedom – a choice they may not have now. Also, it doesn’t give government too much power; actually, the amendment would PREVENT lawmakers from limiting workers’ rights.)

The proposed amendment had huge, bipartisan support in the legislature, with the Senate passing it 49-7 (with 2 not voting) and the House 80-30 (with 3 voting Present).

The campaign will include field activities and Get Out The Vote drives, plus publicity and paid advertising,

“In Illinois, everybody has somebody in their life who’s in the labor movement,” said Bob Reiter, President of the Chicago Federation of Labor.

 In that regard, advocates of workers’ rights hope to draw on Illinois’ 739,000 union members and a “Me Plus 3” initiative to expand the base of support.

“If every union member brings three people, we win,” Poulos said.

The months-long campaign is expected to cost millions of dollars to combat anticipated attacks and misinformation from opponents.

 “Everybody needs to pitch in,” Reiter said. “The enemy’s at the gate.”

Contributions, offers of other assistance, and questions may be sent to Vote Yes for Workers’ Rights, 6170 Joliet Rd., Suite 200, Countryside, IL 60525.