SJ0022 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SJ0022 LRB095 11066 WGH 31390 r

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, In the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 (29 U.S.C. Sec. 151, et seq.) the United States Congress declared it to be the policy of the United States to encourage the practice of collective bargaining by protecting the exercise by workers of full freedom of association, self-organization, and designation of representatives of their own choosing for the purpose of negotiating the terms and conditions of their employment or other mutual aid or protection; and

WHEREAS, The freedom to form or join a union is a fundamental human right; and

WHEREAS, Unions benefit communities by strengthening tax bases, promoting equal treatment, and enhancing civic participation; and

WHEREAS, Fifty-seven million United States workers have indicated that they would join a union if given the opportunity; and

WHEREAS, Even though the nation's workers ostensibly have the freedom to choose whether to organize, in reality they are routinely denied that right; and

WHEREAS, When the right of workers to form a union is violated, wages decline, race and gender pay gaps widen, workplace discrimination increases, and job safety standards lapse; and

WHEREAS, Each year, 20,000 of America's workers are illegally threatened, coerced, or terminated for attempting to form a union; and

WHEREAS, Most violations of workers' freedom to join a union occur behind closed doors, and each year millions of dollars are spent to frustrate workers' efforts to organize; and

WHEREAS, A worker's fundamental right to join a union is a public issue that requires public policy solutions, including legislative remedies; and

WHEREAS, Federal legislation, the Employee Free Choice Act, has been introduced in the United States Congress (H.R. 800) in order to restore workers' freedom to join unions; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge the Congress of the United States of America to enact the Employee Free Choice Act that would protect and preserve the freedom of America's workers to organize and join unions by authorizing the National Labor Relations Board to certify a union as the bargaining representative when a majority of employees voluntarily sign authorization cards (commonly known as "card check" recognition), providing for first contract mediation and arbitration, and establishing meaningful penalties for violations of a worker's right to join a union; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate, the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and each member of the Illinois congressional delegation.