Organizational support for Illinois' Workers Rights Amendment starts to build

On June 2, the Peoria Labor Temple hosted a “Vote Yes for Workers Rights” fundraiser sponsored by West Central Building Trades, the West Central Illinois Labor Council, the Union Labor Life Insurance Company (ULLICO) and the Illinois AFL-CIO, with proceeds going toward fighting for workers rights and against an expected barrage of attacks on a proposed amendment to Illinois’ state constitution.

 

Last year, the Illinois legislature adopted Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment No. 11, which will be on the general-election ballot Nov. 8. It would prohibit “any law 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.”

 

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

 

The proposed amendment doesn’t protect only unions. It’s about EMPLOYEES, whether they’re in a union or not. It would be a CONSTITUTIONAL right.

 

Again, this state amendment wouldn’t provide union perks or worker privileges like free housing, discounted transportation, or clothing allowances. It simply guarantees rights for workers on the job.

 

The amendment has three parts:

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

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

* that includes laws prohibiting contracts requiring union membership, such as so-called “Right To Work” bans on employer/union agreements to mandate workers represented by unions to share in the costs of representation (and the amendment would apply to all levels of government, from public schools and townships to cities and counties).

“If we work in this country, we should have justice,” said Abel Muhammad at a rally for International Workers Day at Chicago’s Union Park on May 1. “If we have children and family in this country, we should have justice. And we shouldn’t have to beg for it.”

 

To pass, the proposed amendment will need 60% of those voting on the measure, or a majority of those voting in the overall election, and the political mood for change seems very good.

 

The COVID pandemic exposed inequities in health care, child care and job safety; grassroots engagement increased since Floyd George’s 2020 murder; a sense of unfairness has grown; and public support – increasingly among young Americans – is strong.

Everyday people appreciate regular working people and their efforts, from “essential workers” to the labor movement. Support for unions has never been greater, according to Gallup last year. About 68% of Americans approve of organized labor, up 20% since 2009. And support is especially strong among younger workers (GenZ and Millennials), who approve unions by 77%.

Of course, only 10.3% of the country’s workers had union representation in 2021, down from 20.1% in 1981, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in January. Just 6.1% of the workers in the private sector are represented by unions.

On the federal level, the PRO Act labor-law reform is marooned by a thtreatened Republican filibuster. But Illinois is a comparable oasis in a desert of anti-labor states, and now the General Assembly has empowered voters to establish workers rights.

Further, there’s positive, if modest momentum, too, with organizing or new contracts at colleges and museums, retailers such as Amazon and Starbucks, and tech, game and digital companies.

Meanwhile, the world’s 10 richest men more than doubled their fortunes, from $700 billion to $1.5 trillion during the first two years of a pandemic that has seen the incomes of 99% of humanity fall and over 160 million more people forced into poverty, according to an Oxfam report out this winter. Nine out of the top ten richest men in the world are Americans.

They include Elon Musk, whose wealth increased from $24.6 billion to $234 billion (851%), from March 2020 to March 2022, according to Forbes. During that same time, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ wealth grew from $113 billion to $161.5 billion (46%), and Bill Gates’ wealth jumped from $98 billion to $129.5 billion (32%).

College graduates’ support for labor has increased from 55% in the late 1990s to around 70% in recent years, and is higher among younger college graduates, according to Gallup. College-educated workers are translating support to action. They’re skeptical of employers’ “union-avoidance” consultants, identify as workers after surviving more than a decade of lousy job prospects, and feel confident.

 

But a juggernaut of anti-worker ads, mailers, billboards and commercials loom, so pro-amendment messaging that’s accurate (though expensive) is needed.

 

“Advertising on various platforms will start” soon, said Clint Drury, Executive Director of the West Central Building & Construction Trades Council,

 

“The money can come from [unions’] general funds, PAC funds and labor-management funds,” he continued. “There’s no limit on the contribution amount.”

 

The workers rights amendment will need financial backing from unions, community allies, and individuals,and the months-long campaign is expected to cost millions of dollars to combat anticipated attacks and misinformation.

 

That’s in spite of the proposed amendment – co-spomsored by Peoria lawmakers Sen. Dave Koehler and Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth – having 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).

 

In west-central Illinois, the only No votes among lawmakers came from Reps. Thomas Bennett (R-106), Dan Brady (R-105), Tim Butler (R-87), Keith Sommer (R-88) Ryan Spain (R-73) and Dan Swanson (R-74), and Sens. Jil Tracy (R-47) and Sally Turner (R-44). But in the House, Republicans Norine Hammond (93) and Mark Luft (91) voted Yes, as did Senate Republicans Sue Rezin (38) and Win Stoller (37).

 

“Everybody needs to pitch in,” said Chicago Federation of Labor president Bob Reiter. “The enemy’s at the gate.”

Donations and offers of other assistance may be sent to Vote Yes for Workers’ Rights, 180 N. Stetson Ave., Suite 1529, Chicago, IL 60601.