Published 21 Jun, 2011
Workers in Illinois are mobilizing to stop a bill in the Illinois legislature that would eliminate collective bargaining for thousands of public workers. This is just the latest threat to workers’ rights and the middle class that is spreading across the country.
The bill, S.B. 1556, was passed by the state House and is to be voted on by the Senate on Wednesday, June 22. In an apparent reversal of his earlier support for public workers, Gov. Pat Quinn (D) is supporting passage of the union busting legislation. Thousands of workers would loose their union membership while others would be blocked from getting collective representation.
Under the legislation, the governor would be able to designate some employees as ineligible for collective bargaining, including workers in the governor’s office, public service administrators and other agencies. It is unclear exactly which workers would be targeted, but around 2,000 workers could have to leave their union and another 1,700 could be barred from forming a union.
If you live in Illinois call your State Senator today, find their number here, and call Gov. Quinn at 217-782-6830. Tell them to vote no on SB 1556 and preserve workers’ collective bargaining rights.
The bill will need a supermajority of 36 votes to pass the Senate.