Before voting for Governor, Senate, Congress or anything else, Illinoisans will have the chance to weigh in on a plan to guarantee workers the right to unionize and collectively bargain.
The constitutional amendment would add a new section to the state’s Bill of Rights, that reads:
Employees shall have the fundamental right to organize and to 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. 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.
Joe Bowen from the “Vote Yes for Workers’ Rights” campaign explains why proponents think the amendment is necessary for Illinois:
Austin Berg from the Illinois Policy Institute, explains why some oppose the proposed constitutional amendment:
