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1 | SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, In the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 (29 | ||||||
3 | U.S.C.
Sec. 151, et seq.) the United States Congress declared | ||||||
4 | it to be the
policy of the United States to encourage the | ||||||
5 | practice of collective
bargaining by protecting the exercise by | ||||||
6 | workers of full freedom of
association, self-organization, and | ||||||
7 | designation of representatives of
their own choosing for the | ||||||
8 | purpose of negotiating the terms and
conditions of their | ||||||
9 | employment or other mutual aid or protection; and
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10 | WHEREAS, The freedom to form or join a union is a
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11 | fundamental human right; and
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12 | WHEREAS, Unions benefit communities by strengthening tax | ||||||
13 | bases,
promoting equal treatment, and enhancing civic | ||||||
14 | participation; and
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15 | WHEREAS, Fifty-seven million United States workers have | ||||||
16 | indicated
that they would join a union if given the | ||||||
17 | opportunity; and
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18 | WHEREAS, Even though the nation's workers ostensibly have | ||||||
19 | the
freedom to choose whether to organize, in reality they are | ||||||
20 | routinely
denied that right; and
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1 | WHEREAS, When the right of workers to form a union is | ||||||
2 | violated,
wages decline, race and gender pay gaps widen, | ||||||
3 | workplace
discrimination increases, and job safety standards | ||||||
4 | lapse; and
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5 | WHEREAS, Each year, 20,000 of America's workers are | ||||||
6 | illegally
threatened, coerced, or terminated for attempting to | ||||||
7 | form a union; and
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8 | WHEREAS, Most violations of workers' freedom to join a | ||||||
9 | union occur
behind closed doors, and each year millions of | ||||||
10 | dollars are spent to
frustrate workers' efforts to organize; | ||||||
11 | and
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12 | WHEREAS, A worker's fundamental right to join a union is a | ||||||
13 | public
issue that requires public policy solutions, including | ||||||
14 | legislative
remedies; and
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15 | WHEREAS, Federal legislation, the Employee Free Choice | ||||||
16 | Act, has been introduced in the United States Congress (H.R. | ||||||
17 | 800) in order to restore workers' freedom to join unions; | ||||||
18 | therefore, be it
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19 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL | ||||||
20 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES | ||||||
21 | CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge the Congress of the United |
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1 | States of America to enact the Employee Free Choice Act that | ||||||
2 | would protect and preserve the freedom of America's workers to | ||||||
3 | organize and join unions by authorizing the National Labor | ||||||
4 | Relations Board to certify a union as the bargaining | ||||||
5 | representative when a majority of employees voluntarily sign | ||||||
6 | authorization cards (commonly known as "card check" | ||||||
7 | recognition), providing for first contract mediation and | ||||||
8 | arbitration, and establishing meaningful penalties for | ||||||
9 | violations of a worker's right to join a union; and be it | ||||||
10 | further
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11 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
12 | delivered to the President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate, the | ||||||
13 | Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and each member | ||||||
14 | of the Illinois congressional delegation.
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