SPRINGFIELD – To protect Illinois’ working class, State Senator Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) supported a constitutional amendment that would ban “right-to-work” legislation in Illinois.

“Right-to-work laws are a threat to Illinois workers and are extremely dangerous to workers’ basic rights on the job,” Joyce said. “This proposed constitutional amendment shows our support to unions, and all workers across the state, by giving them the opportunity to earn a living wage and work in good conditions.”
 
The amendment would provide that no law passed may prohibit the ability of workers to collectively bargain over wages, hours, terms and conditions of work. The measure would effectively ban right-to-work laws in Illinois, which prohibit union security agreements in which an employer and a labor union agree on the extent to which employees are compelled to join the union and pay union dues.

Non-members in a collective bargaining unit still receive the benefits of collective bargaining agreements, including the higher wages and benefits that unions earn through the bargaining process. Right-to-work laws effectively serve to increase the non-member proportion of the labor force, reducing the bargaining power of the collective.

“Workers in all industries should have the right to organize and bargain for better wages and conditions,” Villivalam said. “Illinois is one of the last bastions of the labor movement, and we must act to preserve and protect it.”

Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 11 passed the Illinois Senate and awaits consideration in the Illinois House.