Anybody voting yet? Amendment to allow unionization

[live love laugh]

I hadn’t familiarized myself before going in to vote today. After reading it I voted “yes”. Seems pretty straight forward—I was a little apprehensive because the last election the tax increase for the rich ballot language was very convoluted.

[JohnSJ]

1. I am not from Illinois, but why do they need an amendment to allow unionization? I thought if

enough workers in an organization wanted a Union, there was no law that stopped them from organizing?

[live love laugh]

5. I too thought it was national law but here's the proposal...

PROPOSED AMENDMENT
TO ADD SECTION 25 TO ARTICLE I OF THE ILLINOIS CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE I BILL OF RIGHTS
SECTION 25. WORKERS' RIGHTS

(a) 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.

[JohnSJ]

8. Sounds similar to what their doing here in California with a woman's right to choose, making it part

of the Constitution.

I suspect a firewall to protect the right, in case maga republicans try to make it illegal

Thanks for the context of the amendment

If I was from Illinois, I would vote for it

[Midnight Writer]

2. It is a legit amendment. I checked into it.

I, too, was afraid it was some kind of "Right To Work" scam, which sounds nice but is actually anti-labor.

But from what I can tell, this is a good thing to vote for if you support employee's rights.

[live love laugh]

7. I'm glad I voted "yes".

[Atticus]

3. It is absolutely a legitimate amendment which will guarantee the right to unionize and bargain

collectively. It will become a part of our state "Bill of Rights" if passed.

The wingnuts are apoplectic about it. Their professionally printed signs urge its defeat by saying "Say NO to more taxes!" even though the amendment does not even mention "taxes".

Vote YES! I did.

[notinkansas]

4. The achilles heel in Illinois is the real estate tax burden.

It's awful - the second highest in the country, I think. So opponents of the proposition believe that they can use that to get a knee-jerk reaction from taxpayers. Don't buy it. Vote for worker's rights.

[live love laugh]

6. That the RW is against it makes me giddy. Thanks 😊

[James48]

9. The reason this is on the ballot

In Illinois is to protect against future action to make Illinois a “right-to-work” state. This will allow agreements between Unions and Companies to agree to mandatory dues for employees.

Vote YES.

We didn’t have this in Michigan, and (R)’s destroyed our labor unions with a RTW law.

[live love laugh]

11. Good to know why they're codifying it.

[frazzled]

10. Let me explain why I am voting no

Of course I am for the right to bargain collectively and protect workers rights and safety. That's the hook of this amendment, and my first impulse was to vote yes, of course ... even though the right to form unions is already largely protected.

It's the second part of the initiative that threw me off, however: the part where the legislature is barred (forever) from making any laws that would affect these rights.

We've been here before, with a similar clause attached to a pension provision enacted in the state's constitution back in the 1970s. And it proved to be a big problem back during the recession, because the State Supreme Court had to nix an agreement made between the government and the unions because it was prohibited by this added article. Other blue states (California and Massachusetts, in particular) were able to negotiate some changes with the unions regarding pensions that allowed the states to ameliorate their financial positions and proceed with other important programs. Here in Illinois, however, and Chicago in particular, the inability to have such flexible negotiations led to the necessity for massive budget cuts in other areas that really hurt people who need services and help the most: in mental health facilities, public hospitals, and other programs. It hurt people, and we're still recovering.

No one knows what will happen in the future that might require adjustments. And I don't think a constitution should ever prohibit the legislature from at least making its legislative proposals ... proposals that can be shot down by the courts on the basis of more general principles.

On this basis alone, I am voting no. I just don't think a constitution should ever prohibit a legislature from acting in perpetuity. If the first paragraph alone were to be added to the constitution, I'd vote yes. The second part is a grab and a lock, and that, for me, deserves a no vote.

[ShazzieB]

12. Ballotpedia has a pretty good writeup on this.

Amendment 1, the Illinois Right to Collective Bargaining Measure is on the ballot in Illinois as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 8, 2022.

A "yes" vote supports amending the Illinois Constitution to:

• state that employees have a "fundamental right to organize and 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" and

• prohibit any law that "interferes with, negates, or diminishes the right of employees to organize and bargain collectively."

A "no" vote opposes amending the Illinois Constitution to:

• state that employees have a "fundamental right to organize and 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" and

• prohibit any law that "interferes with, negates, or diminishes the right of employees to organize and bargain collectively."

Lots more here: https://ballotpedia.org/Illinois_Amendment_1,_Right_to_Collective_Bargaining_Measure_(2022)

I plan on voting for it.