The so-called “Workers’ Rights Amendment” would lead to substantial tax increases for working Illinoisans and small business owners.
The No. 1 priority of Illinois’ government unions in 2022 is to pass an amendment to the Illinois Constitution in November. They’ve branded the constitutional question as the “Workers’ Rights Amendment,” and they’re spending millions of dollars on misleading TV ads to promote it.
But Illinois voters won’t see the words “Workers’ Rights Amendment” at the top of the ballot. Instead, they’ll see a question labeled “Proposed Amendment to the 1970 Illinois Constitution.” That’s Amendment 1.
The plain text of Amendment 1 does four things:
- Creates a “fundamental right” for government workers to unionize and bargain, on par with the freedoms of speech and religion.
- Expands bargaining for government worker unions beyond wages and benefits to include broad new subjects, including “economic welfare.”
- Prohibits state and local lawmakers from passing taxpayer-friendly reforms, such as limits to the length of government union contracts or improved disciplinary measures for misconduct.
- Bans right to work, a policy that would prevent workers from being fired for refusing to pay money to a union.
Examined one by one, these elements show the amendment is much broader than proponents are claiming.
Illinois Policy Institute research shows, if approved, Amendment 1 would:
- Guarantee higher taxes and debt in Illinois, including an estimated $2,100 property tax hike.
- Worsen Illinois’ reputation as one of the most unfriendly states in the nation for small businesses.
- Prevent commonsense, good-government reforms to use taxpayer dollars more efficiently – and potentially overturn more than 350 existing Illinois laws.
- Grant government union bosses more power than those in any other state, by far.
Here’s everything Illinoisans need to know about Amendment 1
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