June 30, 2025

The IL AFL-CIO Update: Your Illinois Labor Digest

Dear friends:

The Fourth of July is around the corner-- a day for celebrating our independence, freedom and reflecting on our nation's values of democracy and equality. We are also wrapping up Pride month at a time when many LGBTQ+ workers are facing unprecedented attacks.

For many of us, we are watching the news and questioning how our core, American values are suddenly hanging in the balance. Working families across Illinois are facing increased costs due to Trump's reckless economic policies. They are watching the Trump administration roll back policies that keep us safe and healthy, while they fire the federal workers who enforce those that remain. Many are wondering how, since January, our country has moved so far from the principles of freedom and democracy enshrined in our constitution nearly 250 years ago.

At a time of widespread backlash against LGBTQ+ and immigrant rights, it is especially important that we are leveraging our union power at the bargaining table to fight for workplace justice for all workers. As we get ready to celebrate our independence, let's also remember the LGBTQ+, immigrant, and all workers who are still fighting for basic dignity in this country.

If you are wondering how you can support your colleagues, we recommend resources from Pride at Work and the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) to ensure we consider the diverse needs of all workers. We all have a role to play in creating a fair and just workplace -- whether it is ensuring we have inclusive contract language and healthcare for our LGBTQ+ siblings or providing reliable information and resources as many workers, regardless of their documentation status, face threats of deportation.

The American labor movement has always stood for, and will always fight for, the basic dignities and freedoms that our country was built upon. Every day, workers demonstrate their freedom to organize by fighting back and winning. In fact, after AFGE, AFSCME, SEIU, IAM, and NNU sued the Trump administration over a union-busting executive order, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction ruling that the Trump administration likely violated the law by stripping nearly a million federal employees of their union rights. This is a huge win for workers -- demonstrating that the collective power of working people can and does work to uphold the law.

Fundamental freedoms like the right to organize are what our country, and our state, are built upon. While times are challenging, the labor movement is standing strong and upholding the nation's core values as we fight for basic freedoms like family sustaining wages, the right to a safe workplace, dignity for all workers, and so much more.

In solidarity,

Tim Drea and Pat Devaney

P.S: Will your holiday cookout be #unionmade? Find everything you need for a union made Fourth of July here.

Political Update

Three Announced So Far For US Senate; Pritzker Announces Re-Elect Bid

A new election year begins with more open seats than usual, mainly due to the impending retirement of U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin. His announcement caused a ripple effect of seats opening as candidates announced for Durbin’s seat and those down the ballot as slots were created – and it’s not over yet as more candidates are likely to jump in up until filing period starting Oct. 27.

Congresspeople Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly, along with Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton have jumped in the race for U.S. Senate. See the attached spreadsheet for announced candidates and some potential candidates for the open positions.

Meanwhile, Gov. JB Pritzker announced Thursday that he will be seeking a third term. Pritzker made the announcement at stops around the state. Pritzker, who is seen nationally as a possible presidential candidate in 2028, has not made an announcement concerning Lt. Governor – open due to Stratton’s U.S. Senate bid.

As it stands now, open seats in the U.S. House include CD2 (Kelly), CD8 (Krishnamoorthi), and CD9 (Jan Schakowsky).

New Deadlines; COPE Date Changes

Due to changes in the election code made last year, election deadlines have been moved up in the cycle with petition circulation beginning in August. In response, the Illinois AFL-CIO has bumped up its Committee on Political Education (COPE) endorsement process. The COPE meetings and Executive Board meeting will take place Dec. 8-9 this year.

Planning for Labor 2026 will begin over the summer as an affiliate working group will add input in crafting the statewide plan for next year.

Labor Caucus Leaders Budzinski, Magaziner and Union Leaders Urge Congress to Protect Clean Energy Tax Credits, Avoid Job Losses

Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) and Congressman Seth Magaziner (RI-02), co-leads of the Congressional Labor Caucus Building Trades Task Force, joined Labor Caucus Co-Chair Congressman Steven Horsford (NV-04) and union leaders outside the U.S. Capitol to oppose efforts by President Trump and Congressional Republicans to repeal clean energy tax credits in their proposed tax megabill.

The lawmakers were joined by Brent Booker, President of the Laborers' International Union of North America; Eric Dean, President of the Ironworkers; and Dean Warsh, Government Affairs Director of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Together, they warned that repealing key tax credit provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act would cause massive job losses as the bill moves through the Senate.

"The clean energy tax credits enacted through the Inflation Reduction Act have been nothing short of transformative. Across the country, they have spurred massive investments into the economy and created thousands of good-paying union jobs, including right here in Illinois’ 13th District. But now they’re on the chopping block as part of a Republican scheme to hand out massive tax breaks to billionaires on the backs of working families. It’s a betrayal of working people who built this country, and I stand united with the building trades in my commitment to defeating these horrible cuts,” said Congresswoman Budzinski.

This call to action comes as the Senate reviews the House-passed Republican tax package, which proposes drastically rolling back the Inflation Reduction Act’s clean energy tax credits. These tax credits have spurred investments across the country for projects that support hundreds of thousands of good–paying jobs. Thanks to the efforts of the building trades unions, these jobs pay prevailing wages and support apprenticeship programs.

The leaders highlighted that cuts would result in significant jobs losses, manufacturing facility closures, higher utility bills for consumers, and stalled clean energy infrastructure projects across the nation. Representatives from the building trades warn that rolling back these critical investments will cause substantial economic harm for workers and consumers.

The tax credits support 122,000 clean energy manufacturing jobs in the United States, and $18 billion in annual economic activity from clean energy manufacturing. Tens of billions of dollars are being invested in new factories across the country. If passed, hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions in economic growth will be at stake, household electricity bills would rise by up to $160 a year, and home gas bills would hike by up to 7 percent.

Legislative Update

The Governor has signed a number of bills into law this month, and that will continue throughout the summer. Bills that passed both the House and the Senate have 30 days upon passage to be sent to the Governor. The Governor then has 60 days to sign the legislation.

Last week the Governor signed the FY 26 budget totaling $55.1 billion. The budget is supported by $55.3 billion in revenue including $700 million in new revenue generated from taxes on sports betting, tobacco and vape products and $500 million in one-time revenues.

As expected, the budget did not include any revenue for transportation. The Labor Alliance for Public Transportation has called on the legislature to return this summer for a special session to address our $770 million transit fiscal cliff. It is essential that the General Assembly avert a crisis and unnecessary job cuts that will harm working people who work in and rely on public transit across the entire state. Take action by signing the petition here.

Local Labor Leader Promoted to General Vice President of the United Brother of Carpenters

The United Brotherhood of Carpenters recently promoted Local 174 Carpenter Gary Perinar to General Vice President, the second highest office for the international union representing 500,000 hardworking men and women across the U.S. and Canada.

Among other leadership positions, Perinar, a 47-year member of the Carpenters Union, previously served as Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council, an IL AFL-CIO affiliate. He also continues to serve as President of Carpenters Local 174 in Joliet.

“This is well-deserved and a reflection of Gary’s leadership,” said Kevin McLaughlin, Executive Secretary Treasurer of the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council who replaced Perinar. “His appointment brings great pride for all of us at the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council.”

As General Vice President, Perinar helps set policy for the UBC and works with Regional Councils across the U.S. and Canada on strategies to increase membership and market share.

Congratulations to General Vice President Perinar! It’s great to see one of our own reach the upper echelons of Union leadership!

Your Union At Work

DNC Vice Chair Artie Blanco joined us for a labor breakfast late last month to discuss the fight for working families. Blanco is known for her record-breaking Latino voter turnout campaigns, and has served as the AFL-CIO's National Campaign Director since 2023.

We joined forces with the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition to call on the General Assembly to return to Springfield and fund public transit. If we fail to act now, transit workers will be given pink slips as early as September and public transit could be cut by 40%.

We're proud of Illinois Pride at Work's leadership that is building LGBTQ+ worker power. We loved running into them at Speaker Welch's Equality and Pride fundraiser. In Illinois, we believe that LGBTQ+ rights are workers rights and stand with our siblings all day, every day.

June marked the 3rd annual USA BBQ Bash! Our friends on Painters DC 30's team, Organized Chaos, won best BBQ! Congrats to the team and thank you to everyone who came out to support the Union Sportsmen's Alliance!

The entire AFL-CIO Central Region was in Chicago last week for the Midwest Regional Conference. IL AFL-CIO President Tim Drea introduced President Shuler as we welcomed everyone to our great state.

IL AFL-CIO Legislative Director Frances Orenic joined transit experts at Transport Chicago to discuss the $770M transit fiscal cliff and where we go from here. We're grateful to be a part of this discussion and ensure that worker voices are represented.

Illinois AFL-CIO | 217-544-4014 | contact@ilafl-cio.org | www.ilafl-cio.org