illinois afl-ciochampaign, decatur, joliet, peoria, rockford and springfield. pictured is greg doss...

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Friday, April 28th was the deadline by which the House and Senate had to pass their bills from the originating chamber. The chambers will begin the committee process again for the bills coming over from the opposite chamber. The Senate will be the only chamber in session this week. The Senate deadline to pass House Bills out of committee is May 12th.

G e n e r a l a s s e m b l y

IllInoIsA F L - C I O

nEWs UPDATE - 5/3/17

After passing the Senate in January, the Illinois House passed a Chicago pension bill on a 63-45-2 vote last week. However, given Gov. Bruce Rauner recently vetoed identical legislation, it’s future is unclear.

Under the provisions of SB 14, city taxpayers would contribute toward the pension plan through a city and water tax increase. Without the passage of this legislation, the Municipal Employees Pension Fund is left with a gaping hole in 2023, even with the tax on utilities. The legislation is seeking a 90 percent funding level over a 40 year period for the pension funds.

The bill increases the payroll contributions for participants of both pension funds hired after January 1st, 2017, to 11.5% from 8.5%, and reduces their age of eligibility for full benefits to 65 from 67. Employees hired on or after Jan. 1, 2011, will have the option of increasing their payroll contributions to 11.5% from 8.5% in return for their retirement age being reduced to 65 from 67. There would be no changes for employees hired prior to 2011.

Chicago Pension bills Pass Ga

buy american, buy IllinoisProcurement bills advance

HB 2764 (Moylan) – Requires state museums, parks, and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum gift shops and concessions to sell only American-made goods. Exempts the Sparta World Shooting Complex. Passed House 73-40-1. The bill now moves to the Senate.HB 3538 (Halpin/Bennett) - Creates the Keep Illinois Business Act. Provides that any recipient business that chooses to move all or part of its business operations and the jobs created by its business out-of-State shall be deemed to no longer qualify for State economic development assistance,

and shall be required to pay to the relevant State granting agency the full amount of any economic development assistance it received. Passed House 64-48 and now moves to the Senate.HB 137 (Hoffman) – Specifies that any product that is procured by state agencies must be made up of more than 50 percent American components. Also, any good that does not require assembly must have been manufactured in the United States. Passed House 66-48-1.HB 138 (Hoffman) – Specifies that any product that is procured by a state agency must be made up of more than 50 percent of components that are from Illinois. Also, any good that does not require assembly must have been manufactured in Illinois. Passed House 66-46-0.

Illinois AFL-CIO HonorsSecretary of State Jesse WhiteWith Event in SpringfieldA large turnout greeted Secretary of State Jesse White at the Illinois AFL-CIO in Springfield Monday for a reception in his honor. White, the 20-year incumbent SOS, has been a strong advocate for working families and Illinois AFL-CIO President Michael T. Carrigan presented him with resolutions from dozens of labor organizations urging him to run for re-election in 2018.

Call 217.544.4014 For More Information On These And Other Issues Important To Working People - www.ilafl-cio.orgLiuna362afl-cio

Anti-Right to Work Zone Bill Ok’d By SenateSB 1905 (Silverstein/Moylan) passed the Senate 36-15 on a partisan vote. The bill creates the Collective Bargaining Freedom Act, stating that the authority to restrict or regulate union security clauses rests solely with the General Assembly. Gov. Rauner, an avowed Right To Work proponent, has advocated for local governments establishing RTW zones through ordinance or referendum. This legislation affirms past court decisions placing such regulation in the hands of the state legislature.

Bill Protecting Temp Workers Passes HouseHB 690, the Responsible Jobs Creation Act, passed the House last week by a vote of 78-37 helps to protect temp workers, a very vulnerable and fast-growing labor force in the state. There were more than 840,000 workers employed by staffing agencies in Illinois in 2015. These are the first updates to the Illinois Temporary and Day Labor Services Act in more than a decade.HB 690 requires staffing agencies to report demographic information about the workers hired to the Illinois Department of Labor. The information is aggregated by the Department for the public. It also prevents agencies from forcing workers to pay for background checks, drug tests and credit checks.To help address the concerns about the disproportionate numbers of temp workers being injured on the job, HB 690 requires that temp agencies notify workers of the types of equipment, protective clothing, and training required for the task the laborer will be performing for an assignment.Finally, it encourages staffing agencies to place their temporary workers into permanent positions if such positions become open.

Chicago Teachers Union Seeks To Restore Bargaining RightsHB 1253, sponsored by Representative Tabares and Senate President Cullerton, seeks to give the Chicago Teachers Union the right to strike over more issues — including class size, length of the school day, layoffs and outsourcing — it passed House 63-54-0 last week. The bill seeks to restore collective bargaining limits placed on Chicago teachers 20 years ago.Under current law, economic issues are the only areas in which Chicago Public Schools is compelled to negotiate with the Chicago Teachers Union.

Wage Bills AdvanceHB 2462 (Moeller/Biss) passed the House 91-42. It states that it is unlawful for an employer to seek the wage or salary history of any job applicant from any current or former employer.SB 1720 (Biss/Hernandez) passed the Senate 30-22. It would prohibit a person or business from contracting with the state of Illinois for five years if they are found guilty of violating any of the state’s wage laws.

Transportation Benefits Program Bill MovesHB 2802 (Mah) passed the House last week by a vote of 62-54. It requires all covered employers (with employees of 25 or more) to offer at least one transportation benefit program. The employer has to be within the jurisdictional boundaries of the RTA. A transportation benefit program can allow an employee to elect to exclude from taxable wages and compensation the employee’s commuting costs incurred for the purchase of a transit pass to use public transit or for the purchase of qualified parking. The other option is for the employer to supply a transit pass for the employee, or reimbursement for such pass.

Prevailing Wage Date ChangeHB 3044 (Hoffman) and SB 1904 (Biss) both passed their chambers of origin. Both bills move the posting date for the prevailing wage on the Illinois Department of Labor website from July 15th to August 15th.

Sick Leave Passes HouseLegislation to provide a minimum of five sick days to employees in Illinois passed the House last week.

HB 2771, sponsored by Rep. Mitchell (D-Chicago), passed the House 66-51. Labor sought language to mirror what had been done in Chicago and Cook County – that would exempt the construction industry from these bills.

In addition, current collective bargaining agreements are exempted – but going forward the employer and employee must discuss (not necessarily negotiate) how to handle sick days in their bargaining process.

5/3/17

G e n e r a l a s s e m b l y


5/3/17

House Bill 3216, which aims to curb reckless privatization and ensure accountability to taxpayers, passed the House 64-52-2. Sponsored by Rep. Litesa Wallace (D-Rockford), it prevents the state from privatizing services currently performed by state employees without first meeting rigorous requirements.The bill allows the state to enter third-party contracts only when those contracts are in the best interest of Illinois. In order for a contract to be deemed in the state’s best interest, it has to clearly demonstrate that it meets certain conditions.Those conditions include:• Third party contracts must be awarded through a competitive bidding process.• Contracts must result in overall cost savings to the state and those savings must be large enough that they won’t be eliminated by cost fluctuations in the work.• The need must justify the size and duration of any contract and prove that the savings won’t be achieved through diminishment in service quality or quantity.• Contracts cannot adversely affect affirmative action or veterans’ hiring preferences.• Jobs cannot shift from the state or country as a result.• The potential advantage of a contract must outweigh the benefit of having state employees perform the service.

Taxpayer Privatization safeguards Clear House

Workers Memorial Day - April 28, 2017 On April 28, 2017, the labor movement observed Workers Memorial Day to remember workers who have been killed or injured on the job and to renew the fight for strong safety and health protections. The theme of this year’s Worker Memorial Day was “Safe Jobs. Every Worker’s Right.” Worker Memorial observances were held in Alton, Bloomington, Champaign, Decatur, Joliet, Peoria, Rockford and Springfield. Pictured is Greg Doss (IBEW 196) and Terry McGoldrick (IBEW Local 15) placing a memorial wreath in front of the Worker Memorial Plaques in Rockford.

University of Illinois-Springfield Faculty On Strike

After 20 months of bargaining, the faculty of University of Illinois-Springfield went on strike Wednesday. Fculty members were joined by students a community allies on the picket line at the campus administration building.


5/3/17

Workers’ Compensation bills move To senateThe Illinois House a passed a Workers’ Compensation insurance reform bill, HB 2525, by a vote of 66-50-0 this week. Jay Hoffman was the sponsor in the House. The Illinois AFL-CIO was neutral on the bill. The reforms included workers’ compensation insurance rate regulation by the Department of Insurance. It would have provided employers with a compensation insurance rate reduction if they have a bona fide safety and return to work program in place. It also allows for penalties on an employer when they don’t authorize medical treatment for an injured worker.

In 2011, the General Assembly passed an agreed bill between labor and business. It has resulted in the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) recommending a 30% employer premium cut over the past five years. It should have resulted in more than $1 billion in savings for employers. That is money that could have been invested in Illinois and our workers, but instead went to insurance companies.

HB 2525 would further require transparency for “self-insured” employers, like Caterpillar, to report the financial losses they have due to injuries on the job. The legislation would have authorized a task force to look at the feasibility of creating a non-profit state fund to provide workers’ compensation insurance to employers. This would result in a free market for workers’ compensation insurance, bringing prices down, saving employer’s money, and reinvesting that money back into Illinois and its workers.

The Illinois House of Representatives also passed HB 2622, a bill creating a not-for-profit workers’ compensation insurance company that would compete with other insurers to provide workers’ comp coverage to Illinois employers.Proven to be successful in the 17 other states where they operate, including neighboring Missouri and Kentucky, these companies typically grow to be the biggest providers of workers’ compensation insurance in their respective states.

HB 2622 was sponsored by Rep. Laura Fine (D-Glenview), and supported by organized labor in Illinois.

HB 2622 offers Illinois employers an alternative to padding the profits of insurance companies. State-chartered workers’ comp insurance companies provide long-term savings and a high level of service to their policy holders.

10th Annual Illinois AFL-CIO COPE Golf Outing

The Rail Golf Course 1400 S. Club House Drive, Springfield, IL

Monday, June 5, 20171 PM Shotgun Start / 6 PM Dinner

Details coming soon

legislation Pushes rauner To rescind nurse layoff

Governor Bruce Rauner rescinded the layoff of 124 Illinois Nurses Association Members (INA) on Wednesday, April 26th.

In March, Rauner and the Department of Corrections, announced their intention to privatize the nursing classifications with Wexford Health Sources an out of state company and lay-off 124 State of Illinois-employed nurses.

When the privatization scheme was announced Senator Sam McCann (R-50) and Representative Jerry Costello II (D-116) filed legislation to stop the move.

The bill successfully passed both the Senate and House with bipartisan majorities and is sitting on the Governor’s desk. While the INA said it welcomed the news, it cautioned that IDOC needs to return to good faith bargaining with the nurses’ union to secure a fair contract.


5/3/17

Congressional leaders agree on budget DealRetired Coal Miners’ Health Care Funded

Congressional leaders agreed Sunday on a $1 trillion spending bill that would fund government through September, avoiding an impending government shutdown.

The bill must be passed by Friday night to avoid a shutdown. The bill boosts spending in defense and domestic programs sought by both parties. The deal does not provide funding for a southern border wall or blocking funds to sanctuary cities – both demands by the Trump White House. Funding for border enforcement was increased, though.

The legislation also provides for permanent funding for health insurance for retired coal miners.

U.s. House moves To Gut OvertimeA bill that replaces guaranteed overtime pay with a “comp time” alternative has passed the U.S. House on a largely party-line vote and now moves to the Senate

The bill passed 229-197. All Illinois Republicans voted for the labor-opposed bill, while all Democrats opposed.

The GOP-backed bill, misnamed “Working Families Flexibility Act” (HR 1180) has long been on the corporate wish list because it takes away overtime pay and replaces with time off. The bill says an employee can decline compensatory time instead of overtime pay; the likely result is that businesses will simply assign the extra work only to those who will accept comp time instead of overtime.

• The flexibility is for employers – Employers can reject any requests for time off that would “unduly disrupt that operations of the employer” or that are not made “within a reasonable period.”• The bill is a blow to the Fair Labor Standards Act – Workers fought for overtime protections to discourage employers from overworking employees by making it more expensive to do so. This bill is a fundamental change to that long-standing law. • Likely result will be more mandatory overtime and unpredictable schedules – HR 1180 could encourage mandatory overtime by making it less expensive for employers.• Collective bargaining will help… for now – Contract provisions on overtime will still have to be followed, but it won’t be long before overtime cost-cutting through so-called “comp time” becomes a contentious subject at the bargaining table.

This Economic Policy Institute report details the many problems with HR1180: http://www.epi.org/publication/false-choice-for-workers-flexibility-or-overtime-pay/

The United Steelworkers Rapid Response is asking that you share your stories on how overtime is handled in your workplace. Please take a moment to visit the link below and share your workplace story: http://svy.mk/2pae7oN

We need to know: Is overtime mandatory at your workplace? It is already excessive? Has the assigning of overtime ever been unfair in your workplace? Do you depend on overtime wages to pay for certain expenses or simply to make ends meet?

senate approves acostaPresident Donald Trump’s second choice to head up the Department of Labor – Alexander Acosta – was approved on a 60-38 vote by the U.S. Senate on Thursday.

Illinois Senators Richard Durbin (D) and Tammy Duckworth (D) voted against Acosta.

Acosta, who was nominated after first choice CEO Andrew Puzder dropped out following massive pushback from unions and allies, was an assistant Attorney General under George W. Bush.

Following his testimony in Senate hearings, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said he had serious concerns about Acosta’s commitment to workers.

“Working people wanted to hear how Mr. Acosta would enforce and uphold labor laws to benefit us and not further tilt the balance of power toward corporate CEOs,” Trumka said following the hearing. “Today, presented with the opportunity, he failed to do so and ensure America’s workers he’s on our side.”

U . s . C O n G r e s s

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