Illinois’ jobs recovery from COVID-19 is among the slowest in the nation, so common sense should tell state lawmakers to avoid policies that could make the state’s economic outlook worse.
Yet a proposed constitutional amendment would take Illinois a step backward. If enacted and passed by ballot measure, Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 11 would incorporate a ban on right-to-work laws directly in the state’s constitution. The proposed amendment passed the Illinois Senate on May 21. If approved by the Illinois House of Representatives, it will appear on the November 2022 ballot.
Instead of focusing on fixing Illinois’ economic woes, politicians are kowtowing to labor interest groups, abusing the purpose of the state constitution, cluttering it with policy preferences and placing Illinois at odds with the more pro-growth policies of the majority of states.
In areas with a right-to-work law, workers in the private sector have the right to form unions, but nonmembers cannot be required to pay fees to a union in order to keep their jobs. Right to work already exists for workers in the public sector following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Janus v. AFSCME.
From a legal perspective, the state constitution is the wrong place to wage a battle over economic policy.
Constitutions exist to establish the structure of government and, importantly, to protect people from the government – not to force one particular interest group’s policy preferences on the public at large. If lawmakers move forward with this legislation, Illinois could become the only state in the nation banning right-to-work laws in its state constitution. The amendment would tie the hands of future lawmakers should subsequent events make them want to reconsider the policy.
Read more of the Illinois Policy perspective here.
Related: “Unionization amendment clears Senate, would prohibit ‘right-to-work’ laws in Illinois”
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