April 28, 2025

The IL AFL-CIO Update: Your Illinois Labor Digest

Dear friends:

Today is Workers’ Memorial Day. Each year, more than 5,000 workers die from job injuries and 135,000 more from occupational diseases. That’s nearly 340 workers every single day.

Across Illinois today, working families will gather to honor the fallen and renew the fight for safe jobs. This Workers’ Memorial Day, we also honor the life of AFFI Local 2 member Captain/EMT David Meyer, who died last week while fighting a garage fire in Chicago.

But we’re not just remembering those we’ve lost — we’re demanding action to protect the living. Most workplace deaths are preventable, and our leaders must be empowered to do whatever is possible to prevent them.

Instead, the federal government is failing us.

Last month, the Trump administration took a sledgehammer to worker safety by gutting the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)—laying off more than 1,000 employees, shuttering research centers, and stalling life-saving rules. This is a direct assault on the American workers who rely on these agencies to enforce safety standards to ensure that they return home to their loved ones after a hard day’s work.

NIOSH keeps workers safe by studying workplace health concerns, from chemicals to machinery. NIOSH’s work has saved countless lives: their research into 9/11 first responders has improved protective equipment for all firefighters and other first responders. Its data supports OSHA and MSHA regulations — the very rules that ensure you aren’t breathing in asbestos or losing your hearing to unsafe machinery.

We’re seeing the consequences. The Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA) paused a new silica dust rule vital for coal miners because NIOSH no longer has the resources to help implement it. Make no mistake, these cuts will cost lives.

Today, on Workers’ Memorial Day, you can take two quick actions to fight back.

First, you can call your members of Congress to demand the restoration of NIOSH’s funding and staff.

Second, the Illinois AFL-CIO worked with State Senator Robert Peters to introduce SB1976, the Illinois Workers’ Rights and Worker Safety Act. This bill would ensure that no matter what reckless decisions are made in by the Trump administration, Illinois will uphold the hard-fought federal workplace protections that have existed for decades. More than that, it allows our state to raise the bar on safety, not lower it.

E-mail your state representatives and demand they support SB1976 here.

Here’s the truth: a safe job isn’t a luxury. It’s a right. And when that right is stripped away, working people die. Illinois can lead the nation by saying no to dangerous deregulation and yes to real, enforceable worker protections.

We owe it to every worker who never made it home and to every worker still fighting to stay safe on the job. Because we are not just fighting for better laws. We are fighting for our lives.

In solidarity,

Tim Drea and Pat Devaney

Political Update

Honoring U.S. Senator Dick Durbin

Throughout his more than 40 years of public service, Senator Durbin has been an advocate, a friend and an ally to the working families of Illinois and across this country. His career is defined by standing up for working people and the vulnerable. From his humble roots in East St. Louis to leadership in the nation’s highest legislative body, Sen. Durbin has reflected the best of us. On behalf of Illinois' labor movement, the Illinois AFL-CIO wishes him the very best in his well-deserved retirement.

Union Turnout Outpaces All Voters In 2024;

More Than Half Voting Early And By Mail

Union members turned out last year more than all voters by three percent, including outpacing the public in target universe (lower frequency voters) voting.

More than 73 percent of registered union members voted last November, compared to 70.4 percent overall. One in five voters came from a union household in Illinois.

The gap was even more pronounced in targeted areas like congressional districts 13 and 17, where the union vote outpaced all voters by double digits. Additionally, labor boosted candidates in otherwise difficult terrain, like helping Rep. Natalie Manley win in a district Trump won by nearly 16 points. Her district and the surrounding area were targeted heavily by our political outreach program, Labor 2024, for the Third Appellate District, where endorsed candidates won all three races.

Endorsed Candidates Win Big In Local Elections;

Trump, Musk Rebuked in Wisconsin Supreme Ct Race

In mayoral races from the Cook suburbs, collar counties and downstate, labor flexed its support to help boost candidates to wins. In Rockford (Tom McNamara), Peoria (Rita Ali), Quincy (Linda Moore) and Urbana (DeShawn Williams) to southern Illinois in Sesser (union member Jason Ashmore) and Olney (Mark Lambird), union members made a difference.

It also made a difference even further down the ballot in places like Springfield, where all three Capital Township candidates won to take over from an effectively Republican-controlled council for decades.

Six labor councils participated in the local union mail program for the Consolidated Elections and mailed to nearly 10 thousand union members for 22 candidates. Labor was successful in 17 of those races – winning nearly 80 percent of the races.

Overall, Central Labor Councils endorsed candidates won in 85 percent of the local government races (56 out of 66). In Cook County, Labor was successful with helping endorsed candidates to wins (for more info, see www.chicagolabor.org). A list of winning labor-endorsed candidates is at www.ilafl-cio.org.

In what is apparently a direct response to President Trump’s erratic stances his empowering billionaire Elon Musk to slash jobs and cut services, voters pushed back hard on April 1, In Wisconsin, Trump endorsed, and Musk bankrolled a right-wing candidate for Supreme Court, who ultimately lost to labor-endorsed candidate Susan Crawford for a 10-year term.

Petition Circulation, Filing Earlier This Year

Due to changes in the Election Code signed into law last year, petition circulation and candidate filing will each move up about a month. Based on the time frames outlined in the statute, petition circulation period moves to Aug. 5 and candidate filing should run Oct. 27 to Nov. 3.

Legislative Update

House Bills Head to the Senate

HB 1586 (Gonzalez)- Any requirements existing under federal law, regulation, or rule for the administration of programs by methods relating to the establishment and maintenance of personnel standards on a merit basis in effect January 1, 2025, shall remain in place for purposes of State administration of these programs.

HB 2488 (Johnson/Peters)- Illinois Department of Labor initiative increasing penalty for a public employer who intentionally violates state OSHA or demonstrates plain indifference to the provisions under OSHA may be assessed a fine up to $70,000 (previously $10,000).

HB 2490 (Stuart/Villivalam)- Creates the Firefighter Paid Leave and Family Act and provides 6 weeks of paid family leave for the birth of a child, adoption or foster placement, and family care. Compensation shall be the rate of regular pay and normal working hours.

HB 2772 (Delgado/Villanueva)- Amends the IL Sports Facilities Authority Act to require consideration of women’s sports when evaluating benefits under the act including bonding for new facilities.

HB 3094 (Mah/Villivalam)- Amends the Transportation Benefits Program Act. Provides that the Act does not apply to a covered employer in the construction industry regarding employees covered by a bona fide collective bargaining agreement.

HB 3470 (Croke)- Requires union representatives have access to restricted areas in cannabis dispensaries for members wishing to meet with a union representative.

HB 3255 (LaPointe/Porfirio)- Requires an employer, upon the passing of an injured worker, to continue to pay the entire health insurance premium for a surviving spouse and for dependent children. Changed from until spouse had remarried.

HB 3638 (Williams/Fine)- Provides that no contract or agreement shall prohibit or restrict an employee from engaging in concerted workplace activities.

HB 1056 (Vella) - Ensures that colocated solar projects — projects built close together, by the same developer, or with shared infrastructure — are treated as a single project for Illinois Power Agency REC procurements. This prevents developers from splitting large projects into smaller ones to avoid labor standards and transparency requirements. By clarifying the rules, this amendment protects good union jobs, ensures fair use of ratepayer funds, and strengthens accountability for Illinois' clean energy programs.

Senate Bills Have Arrived in the House

SB 67 (Peters/Evans)- Illinois Department of Labor initiative that amends the Nurse Agency Licensing Act creating scalable fines for nurse agencies in violation. Amendment with INA/NNU clarified that individual nurses are not included as intended.

SB212 (Fine/Stuart)- Amends the Nursing Mothers in the Workplaces Act requiring employers to provide 30 minutes of paid break time for nursing mothers to express milk and prohibits employers from requiring nursing mothers to use paid leave during this time.

SB 220 (Porfirio/Kifowit)- Allows an employee to use up to 8 hours per month to participate in military funeral hours detail without needing to use vacation, sick time, compensatory, or personal leave.

SB 1446 (Castro/Moeller)- Requires the Office of the State Fire Marshall to track the manner of death for all firefighters in Illinois, including suicide and various types of cancer.

SB 246 (Johnson/Mayfield)- Amends the State Treasurer Act to create an initiative that would allow labor unions and charities to invest their funds in a state-managed pool helping these organizations to earn better returns on their investments while keeping the funds secure and accessible.

SB 1723 (Faraci/Ammons)- Bans carbon capture and sequestration under the Mahomet Aquifer. Creates the Mahomet Aquifer Advisory Study Commission to review reports on the appropriations, the Prairie Institute at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign shall submit a report on the environmental and health impacts and regulatory and permitting processes around injection at the site.

Labor Alliance for Public Transit Returned to the State House for Second Lobby Day

The Labor Alliance for Public Transit is a coalition of 30 labor unions working in Northeastern Illinois’ public transit systems that are promoting labor backed reforms for the region’s public transit system. The General Assembly has made it clear that transit reforms must happen before funding is discussed.

To help support this issue in the State House, transit workers returned to the Capitol on Tuesday, April 8 to emphasize the need to address the $770M fiscal cliff. Transit workers met with legislators to share their own experiences and urged them to support HB2963/SB1938. This legislation would ensure that communities in Illinois have safe and reliable transportation.

The House Transportation Committee will hold a Subject Matter Hearing this Tuesday, April 22.

Lobby days have helped inform legislators of the issues directly from workers on the jobsite. Thank you to those who show up, share your stories, and advocate for #UnitedWeMoveIL.

The Amalgamated Transportation Union was also in town this week for their State Conference. In addition to lobbying for transit funding, representatives of ATU Local 241 and 308 testified in the House Transportation Committee about the need for a dedicated transit police force and increased safety protections. Workers shared incredibly moving stories about the violence they experience on the job driving Chicago’s buses and trains. Thank you ATU for a great week in Springfield!

Update: Supporting Women in The Trades -- House Resolution 161

As a result of the Tradeswomen Takeover Springfield Lobby Day on March 5, House Resolution 161 was successfully passed out of the House Labor and Commerce Committee on Monday, April 8. Leader Hernandez and the Illinois AFL-CIO advocated and testified for the General Assembly to support this Resolution to ensure women have a fair and equal opportunity to enter the trades and construction industry in Illinois. The resolution is now on the House Floor awaiting to be called on the Order of Resolutions.

Your Union At Work

The Springfield and Central Illinois Trades and Labor Council awarded $7,000 in scholarships to high-school and college students of union family members. This is the second year of the scholarship program that offers support to students attending an accredited public school in Illinois including College, Vocational, or Trade School.

Stamp Out Hunger is the largest one-day food drive in America, and letter carriers are proud to deliver for every food bank counting on us — over 1.9 billion lbs of food collected since 1993! All you have to do is leave your donation by your mailbox on May 10. Mark your calendars!

Earlier this month, SEIU Local 1 security officers in Chicago kicked off their contract campaign at the 2025 Security Contract Convention!

They ensure office buildings, retail stores, banks, libraries, hotels and much more are safe.

These workers deserve a contract that respects, protects and values their labor.

Congratulations to employees at Chicago’s Field Museum! After facing a lot of resistance at the bargaining table, direct action helped them win their very first AFSCME contract—which they voted overwhelmingly to ratify.

The agreement raises pay, improves benefits and establishes crucial workplace rights.

Housekeeping workers of Virgin Hotels Chicago held a picket line in their fight for a FIRST UNION CONTRACT with decent wages & affordable high-quality healthcare.

Virgin Hotel Chicago workers face barriers to health care, experience pain at work, and have difficulty affording basic necessities.

On Earth Day, AFGE Local 704 Environmental Protection Agency workers held a funeral for public health and the environment, which are being killed by the Trump administration’s dangerous cuts and policy changes. These are the workers that ensure our air is safe to breathe and water clean to drink.

Whether you are a Chicagoland resident, or are visiting the region, public transportation touches each and every one of us. It is an economic force in our communities, and many of us rely on transit to get to and from work, childcare, healthcare appointments, and much more every day.

If you use Chicagoland's public transit, can you take 5 minutes to fill out this survey? All you need to do is tell us why public transit is important to you, improvements you would like to see and upload a selfie of yourself along with your responses. Bonus points if your photo is at your regular public transit stop/station!

Many of these responses will be used for social media content to support the Labor Alliance for Public Transportation’s efforts to pass United We Move this legislative session and fund the public transit system we all deserve!

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