East Central Reporter

Rep. Brad Halbrook voiced his concerns about bringing awareness of what’ll be on the ballot in Illinois’ Nov. 8 general election.

“Amendment 1 is scheduled to be on Illinois’ Nov. 8 ballot after a petition filed by parents and teachers from Chicago Public Schools to remove it from the ballot was blocked by a Sangamon County Judge last month,” Halbrook wrote on Facebook. “Under the guise of ‘collective bargaining rights,’ the measure will unconstitutionally enshrine union powers in the Illinois Constitution, making it impossible for lawmakers to curb union powers and giving union contracts more weight than state law. Labor organizations have already spent millions of dollars promoting the amendment.”

The Illinois General Assembly referred the constitutional amendment to the Nov. 8, 2022 general election when it was adopted on May 26, 2021, in both the House and Senate. 

According to the Illinois General Assembly's bill synopsis, this would allow employees to organize and bargain with their own chosen representatives so employees can have the fundamental right to organize and negotiate wages, hours and working conditions, and to protect their economic welfare and safety at work. 

The bill says that 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 workplace 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."

It also notes that the provisions in the amendment would overrule home rule powers. 

In June 2022, Sangamon County Judge Raylene Grachow ruled against the plaintiffs in the case of Sachen v. the Illinois State Board of Elections, et al., which sought to keep this amendment off the ballot in November. 

According to a report from Advantage News, the blocking of the petition focused on the process that lawmakers undertook to place it on the ballot. The news outlet reported the judge's reasoning was “that because lawmakers got the amendment on the ballot legally, they cannot petition to have it removed.”

Illinois Policy reported this amendment would give teachers' unions power over children's health.

The organization wrote on Aug. 1: “Now, the constitutional change on the Nov. 8 ballot seeks to give teachers unions more power than state law. It is an example of special interest groups having a louder voice in the lives of Illinois children than their parents or elected lawmakers. The change is called Amendment 1, and would grant Illinois public workers union bosses powers that no other state allows them.”

In June after Grachow’s ruling, Illinois Policy, which was among the plaintiffs in the case, issued this statement: 

“We are committed to pursuing our claims in court and ensuring Illinois voters are not forced to vote on an unconstitutional amendment. The law is clear that Amendment 1 would do more than the state is allowed to do. Illinoisans deserve to have this addressed now. Not later. Not after their tax dollars have been wasted putting an unconstitutional measure on the ballot. We look forward to our next opportunity to argue on behalf of taxpayers,” Mailee Smith, director of labor policy and staff attorney at the Illinois Policy Institute, said.