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Big Labor is strong in Illinois, and it has marshaled its forces against attempts by local politicians to free their constituencies from the state’s burdensome forced unionization laws. Illinois State House politicians are working hard to get a law to the governor banning any individual towns or cities from exercising freedom against Big Labor. Greg Bishop reports for the Illinois News Network:
No local government in Illinois would be able to restrict collective bargaining issues for public or private unions under a measure that is one step closer to being sent to the governor’s office.
State Rep. Lance Yednock, D-Ottawa, sponsored Senate Bill 1474 in the House. He said the U.S. Congress didn’t include political subdivisions in the National Labor Relations Act that regulates collective bargaining agreements.
“And doing so, Congress decided to avoid the confusion of having 7,000 units of local government in Illinois with thousands of different laws it would create,” Yednock said. “The [Seventh Circuit appeals] court referred to this situation as an impossible position and a nightmare.”
Supporters of SB1474 have argued that it would only allow the state to set such policy and prohibit right-to-work zones. Supporters also said it would codify federal labor law by prohibiting local government from limiting collective bargaining.
State Rep. Keith Wheeler, R-Oswego, supported the bill.
“And all the language that was in the original bill that would have to do with penalties, that’s all been removed from the bill,” Wheeler said.
An earlier version of the bill called for municipal officials who voted for local right-to-work zones to face criminal charges.
If the idea of criminal charges for local elected officials who fight Big Labor for employees’ freedom doesn’t scare you, what would? Read more here.
