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Dear friends:
February is underway and we are hard at work in Springfield.
The new legislature was sworn in last month, and this past week, returned for the first full week of the 104th General Assembly.
On Thursday, we awoke to heartbreaking news when we learned about the Washington D.C. plane crash and lives lost. Our hearts are with our transportation unions, the United Association and entire labor movement who has been impacted by the Flight 5342 and helicopter tragedy at DCA.
We have also faced challenging news for labor and the human rights of our members, coming out of the anti-labor, Trump administration in the White House.
President Trump’s recent firing of NLRB member Gwynne Wilcox, the first Black woman to serve on the board, is illegal and will have immediate consequences for working people. By leaving only two board members in their posts, the President effectively shut down the National Labor Relations Board’s operations, leaving the workers it defends on their own in the face of union-busting and retaliation by employers.
Alongside his firing of NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo, Trump has made it easier for bosses to violate the law and trample on workers’ legal rights on the job and fundamental freedom to organize.
While our challenges grow at the federal level, the Illinois labor movement is united and will always put workers' rights first. Illinoisans know that a strong union workforce makes for a stronger, more successful Illinois and nation.
The Illinois AFL-CIO is hard at work in Springfield, tackling issues like protecting members hard earned pensions and ensuring that Illinois' public transit systems are fully funded in the face of a $750 million budget deficit.
If left unaddressed, Illinois' transit systems could face dramatic cuts, including major lay-offs, route or line eliminations, service cuts, station closures, and cancellation of planned expansions and necessary repairs. These drastic measures would further damage the region's transit systems, and cause massive disruptions to the Illinois economy and workforce.
The Illinois legislature must pass a sustainable funding solution by the end of its Spring session this May to avoid these catastrophic consequences.
The Illinois AFL-CIO and Chicago Federation of Labor are leading the Labor Alliance for Public Transit (LAPT) to ensure lawmakers in Springfield pass legislation that will address the needs of the millions of people who rely on public transit everyday, from the train operators to the workers getting to and from work.
Working people deserve to have a secure future, whether it is protecting their pension, or ensuring that they can get to and from work on public transit. We are with you every day in Springfield to deliver on these promises.
Lastly, while the human rights abuses and news coming out of the Trump-Vance administration are alarming, we are also seeing our union siblings come together to stand up for ALL workers.
On February 7, our friends at the Chicago Federation of Labor will lead a training on how you and your union can be ready to defend the rights of all workers if ICE appears in your workplace. Register here for this important webinar.
As one labor movement united, we continue to stand strong and work together to advance the rights of all working people. We look forward to seeing you in Springfield and hearing from you soon.
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