Illinois Chamber responds to passage of SJRCA 11 Measure Restricting Economic Freedom in Illinois

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By Illinois Chamber of Commerce

May 29, 2021

Illinois Chamber of Commerce issued the following announcement on May 25.

The Illinois Chamber is adamantly opposed to SJRCA 11 and concerned that this proposed legislation will deal yet another blow to Illinois’ crumbling reputation as a place to do business. In fact, it is not too much to say that this legislation will force many Illinois employers and national firms to question whether Illinois’ business climate is redeemable at all.

At issue is an amendment to the constitution that will shut down even reasonable debate over laws that would guarantee Illinois’ workers the ability to decide for themselves whether to join a union to secure a job. The amendment specifically bars laws or ordinances that interfere with agreements that require union membership “as a condition of employment."

As is so often the case, this proposal flies in the face of national trends that have resulted in 27 Right to Work states. Illinois is nearly surrounded by Right to Work states.

The Chamber is not under any preconceptions that Right to Work legislation is likely to pass anytime soon. In fact, the Chamber has stated publicly that Illinois does not have to be Right to Work for our economy to out-perform other states.

However, this legislation must be viewed in the context of Illinois’ overall, anti-competitive situation. The Illinois Constitution already enshrines lavish public pension benefits that taxpayers are powerless to adjust. Our Supreme Court has inexplicably extended this benefit to include health care at near-zero cost to public employees as taxpayers are held hostage. At the same time, pro-employment provisions such as fair taxation of employers’ hard work is under a constant barrage from the Governor and majority party.

The Chamber looks forward to bringing these arguments and others in a robust debate to Illinois voters on yet another proposal from a distrusted state government. As with the Progressive Income Tax Amendment, this proposal will hamstring the Illinois economy for generations to come.