• Posted: October 12, 2018
• IBEW Local 134

There are many things that make Illinois’ labor market unique, however one of the main benefits of living and working in Illinois is that the state remains a fair-share labor market. This means that Illinois hasn’t joined 28 other states across the country in implementing harmful right-to-work legislation.

Right-to-work states do not require employees who join a union contract to contribute their fair share of dues to what the union negotiates. This means that while many members of a union will pay their fair share in dues, other employees can simply get a free ride and enjoy the benefits that have come from hard-fought union contracts.

In Illinois, once you join a union like Local 134, you pay dues to ensure the union remains strong and able to negotiate the best possible contract for you when that time arrives. These contracts directly impact your salary and benefits.

“So-called right-to-work laws have always been sold as all-American protections of individual freedoms,” a recent Washington Post article stated. “But they are in fact dangerous, confusing restrictions on Americans’ basic rights on the job. These statues empower employers by undermining workers’ right to organize and rolling back the gains – better wages, working conditions, and hours – that unions fought to secure.

“Right-to-work laws undermined unions by outlawing seemingly obscure, often confusing contract clauses governing union negotiations. U.S. labor law dictates that nonunion members are covered by the contract that members negotiated and are also represented by the union during managerial disputes. But union negotiations require time and resources, which necessitate dues.

“Union-shop” rules ensure everyone who benefits from the union helps pay for it (rather than free-ride on the contributions from others as happens without such membership provisos). Right-to-work laws effectively ban these rules, regardless of what management agrees to and what the majority of a union wants.”

Illinois is surrounded by right-to-work states like Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Michigan, and Wisconsin. However, a recent ruling by the Supreme Court in June may alter the landscape of labor laws moving forward.

The court ruled in Janus v. AFSCME that nonunion workers cannot be forced to pay fees to public sector unions. The 40-year-old rule that was overturned in Illinois stated that public sector unions could require employees affected by their negotiations to pay so-called agency fees, which have also been called “fair share fees.” Now, employees are no longer required to pay those dues and can reap the benefits of a union without pay their dues.

Click here to read more about the Janus Supreme Court case.