Ahead of amendment vote, union membership grows in Illinois
By PETER HANCOCK
Capitol News Illinois
phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com
SPRINGFIELD – As voters in Illinois prepare to decide on a state constitutional amendment that would guarantee workers the right to organize, a new study shows union membership in the state grew last year for the first time in four years.
The study also showed, however, that the overall percentage of the state’s workforce that was in a union declined from one year ago.
The analysis by the pro-union Illinois Economic Policy Institute and the Project for Middle Class Renewal at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign showed that union membership statewide grew a little more than 2 percent, to 752,063, over the previous year. That was still below the 2017 level of 828,066.
And while it may be too early to tell whether that’s a temporary blip or the beginning of a longer-term trend, UIUC’s Robert Bruno, a coauthor of the report, said there are other signs of a rebound in the labor movement.
“There’s certainly strong indicators that some significant renewal is likely to happen, that this is more than just some sort of oddity in the labor markets,” he said.
In addition to their own findings, Bruno and IEPI’s Frank Manzo pointed to a Gallup survey released Aug. 30 that showed 71 percent of Americans approve of labor unions. That’s up from 64 percent before the pandemic and is the highest approval rate Gallup had recorded since 1965.
“And that is a 23-percentage point increase since 2009,” Manzo said. “I mean, the trend line is up, up, up since 2009.”
In addition, they pointed to a 60 percent success rate for union organizing petitions in Illinois last year, the highest in more than a decade, with workers under age 35 and female workers showing the largest growth in unionization rates.
Overall, 13.9 percent of Illinois workers were represented by a union, down from 14.2 percent the previous year and 15 percent in 2017. Nationally, however, only 10.3 percent of U.S. workers were union members in 2021, down from 10.7 percent in 2017.
State and local government workers still make up the overwhelming majority of union workers in Illinois, with 49.9 percent of those workers belonging to unions compared to 8.6 percent of private sector workers.
But the unionization rate among public sector workers in Illinois has been declining, due in large part to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2018 decision in Janus v. AFSCME Council 31. In that Illinois case, the court said the state could not require public sector employees to pay what are known as “agency fees” to their unions – the part of a union’s membership dues that cover the cost of collective bargaining.
The 49.9 percent of public sector workers belonging to a union represented a 2.2-percentage point decrease from pre-Janus levels.
But unionization rates have been growing in the private sector, which was not affected by the Janus ruling, as more and more workers have begun to organize in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There is a lot of grievance, a lot of angst, about what workers experienced in the last two-and-a-half years,” Bruno said. “Very difficult working conditions.”
Bruno said the COVID-19 pandemic led to “a raising of consciousness” for “millions of workers.”
“They are now so aggrieved by those conditions that they’ve come to understand that they need a collective response,” he said.
Previously in Illinois, former Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner sought to weaken labor unions by unsuccessfully working to ban some political contributions by public employee unions and allow local governments to establish “right-to-work zones.”
In 2019, Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker signed legislation specifically prohibiting local governments from enacting such laws. And last year, state lawmakers went even further by proposing a constitutional amendment to protect workers’ rights to organize.
The proposed amendment, which will be on ballots in the Nov. 8 general election, would add a new section to the state constitution’s bill of rights. The first sentence would establish a “fundamental right” of employees “to organize and bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing for the purpose of negotiating wages, hours, and working conditions, and to protect their economic welfare and safety at work.”
The second sentence would prohibit the General Assembly or any local government from interfering with that right or from enacting right-to-work laws.
It would provide that, “No law shall be passed 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 work place safety, including any law or ordinance that prohibits the execution or application of agreements between employers and labor organizations that represent employees requiring membership in an organization as a condition of employment.”
The proposal has sparked opposition from the Liberty Justice Center and the conservative Illinois Policy Institute, which have tried – unsuccessfully, so far – to have it removed from the ballot. They argue in part that the amendment would be preempted by the National Labor Relations Act, at least regarding private-sector unions, and would therefore be unconstitutional under federal law.
In May, a Sangamon County judge rejected that argument, and in August the 4th District Court of Appeals upheld that decision. The plaintiffs are now trying to get their case before the Illinois Supreme Court.
Manzo, meanwhile, argued that even if federal law does preempt state action, a state constitutional amendment could still serve as a backstop in the event federal protections are ever taken away.
“Similar to recent decisions on reproductive rights at the Supreme Court level that have taken away rights that have long been held by a certain segment of the population and saying it’s kind of up to the states,” he said. “Should that happen for this segment of the population called workers, and rights are taken away at the federal level, or at least removed as being a federal right, or even if Congress were to just get rid of the National Labor Relations Act in a couple months, this would be an answer at the state level.”
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government that is distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
Local News
Boys Volleyball | Richards weathering struggles after run of success
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent After a tough weekend at the Smack Attack tournament, Richards got back into the win column with a two-set victory over Eisenhower in a South Suburban Red match. The Bulldogs made quick work of the Cardinals, winning 25-16, 25-15 on April 23 in Oak Lawn to snap a five-match…
SD218 puts on annual Arts Extravaganza
Spread the loveBy Kelly White The arts have become a major portion of the curriculum Community High School District 218. Showcasing those many talents, the Friends of CHSD 218’s Education Foundation proudly hosted its 15th annual Arts Extravaganza on April 5 at Eisenhower High School in Blue Island. “The Arts Extravaganza is a great event…
Gaming licenses to be tougher to get in Orland Park
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva It’s going to take longer to receive gaming licenses in Orland Park. The village board passed an ordinance April 15 that would allow table service businesses open at least 36 consecutive months to apply rather than the previous 18 months, and extended the probationary period to 18 months instead of…
Palos Park passes $16 million budget
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva The Palos Park Village Council approved the 2024-25 budget, which totals a little more than $16.3 million at the April 22 village council meeting. According to village documents, it represented an increase of a shade over $603,000 from last year. The village is expecting $13.4 million in revenue and $1.86…
Fire damages Al Bahaar Restaurant in Orland Park
Spread the loveFrom staff reports Orland Fire Protection District firefighters responded to a fire Monday evening at the Al Bahaar Restaurant, 39 Orland Square Dr. At first, restaurant owners suspected the fire alarm was triggered by a malfunction, but as firefighters inspected the restaurant to reset the fire alarm, they detected a burning smell. “What…
Year of growth | Evergreen Park enjoying inaugural boys volleyball season
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent After almost 70 years of existence as a high school, Evergreen Park finally has a boys volleyball team. The Mustangs are playing their inaugural season with a junior varsity squad, with some matches being played at the varsity level. Head coach Brian Zofkie is leading this group with assistant…
‘Brazen and cowardly’: Police, community outraged by officer’s slaying
Spread the love. By Tim Hadac Police and others across the Southwest Side reacted with outrage this week over the slaying of a Chicago Police officer in the early morning hours on Sunday. Officer Luis M. Huesca was shot to death on the street in the 3100 block of West 56th Street at 2:53 a.m.…
Swanson scores, assists in Red Stars’ win over Reign
Spread the loveThe Red Stars improved to 3-1-1 by beating the Seattle Reign, 2-1, on the road on April 21. Mallory Swanson had an assist on an Ali Schlegel goal in the fourth minute and added a goal of her own in the 31st minute. Swanson missed last season after sustaining a knee injury on…
Neighbors
Softball | Jocelyn Hovanec scores two runs, Ks 12 in Chicago Christian win
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Chicago Christian is working to find its footing in the inaugural season of the Chicagoland Christian Conference. The Knights entered this week 6-8 overall and 4-6 in the CCC, putting them in fifth place with just two conference games to play among their final seven regular-season contests. The Knights…
Boys Volleyball | Chicago Christian finishes April strong, takes second at Ridgewood Invitational
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent A busy and largely successful final seven days of April saw Chicago Christian briefly climb back to the .500 mark after a tough first month of the season. The Knights (11-12, 4-4 Chicagoland Christian Conference) have won seven of their past 10 matches, all of which were played over…
Work moving forward at Marquette Park
Spread the love. Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 . In the March 29 edition of the Greater Southwest News-Herald, I wrote a story about a town hall meeting at Marquette Park, we learned of some of the upcoming plans the Park District has for…
Sophia Smith’s brace sinks Red Stars
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Home has not been that sweet lately for the Chicago Red Stars. The team lost its second straight game at SeatGeek Stadium with a 2-0 setback to Portland in front of an announced crowd of 4,443 on April 27. Portland star Sophia Smith scored in the 10th and 26th…
Nazareth Academy celebrates ‘special talent’ J.J. McCarthy in NFL Draft
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch Dennis Moran has no doubts that J.J. McCarthy – the former Nazareth Academy quarterback who is now with the Minnesota Vikings – will succeed in the National Football League. Moran was among about 60 or so Nazareth Academy fans, friends and coaches who gathered Thursday night at The Stadium Club…
Brother Rice names Al Perez next soccer coach
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent A few new coaches are dotting the area high school athletic scene. One of the more notable hires was Brother Rice bringing Al Perez aboard as the soccer coach. Perez led Chicago Public League power Washington to a Class 2A state championship in 2013, a fourth-place finish in 2015…
Police Council rallies to save ShotSpotter
Spread the love. By Alexis Bocanegra Your correspondent in Clearing and Garfield Ridge (773) 949-1509 • grcl.alex23@gmail.com . Chicago Lawn (8th) District Police Council members Mark Hamberlin, Al Cacciottolo and Jason Huff have created an online petition to save ShotSpotter. As you may have read in the Clear-Ridge Reporter & NewsHound back in March, Mayor…
Capacity crowd speaks out against Evergreen Park dispensary
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle Additional chairs had to be brought out to seat an overflow crowd of Evergreen Park residents who attended a meeting April 15 regarding a proposed cannabis dispensary for the village. And many who were in attendance voiced their opposition to having a dispensary in Evergreen Park. Most of the people cited…
Countryside puts dog park on hold, will require leashes in two parks
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch The city of Countryside has put on hold building a dog park, but canines and their owners are still in store for a treat. The city council has unanimously approved a plan to permit dogs in City Park and Countryside Park this year. Previously, they were not allowed in the…