Tim Drea, President of the Illinois AFL-CIO, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to talk about the pro-labor legislation passed during the Spring Legislative Session in Illinois. He shared details about the ban on captive audience meetings and the new child labor laws awaiting a signature from the Governor.
With the recent finish of the Spring Legislative Session in Illinois, Drea discussed some of the pro-labor policies passed by the Illinois General Assembly. The Worker's Freedom of Speech Act adds Illinois to the list of seven states that have recently passed captive audience bills. This act allows workers to choose not to attend captive audience meetings without fear of retaliation or harassment from employers. Drea said the bill is waiting to be sent to the governor. In Illinois, this must be done within 30 days after being passed.
Ensuring workers will not be retaliated against by their employers is not always easy. Drea discussed this problem and how the Illinois captive audience ban differs from the other versions passed in different states. The bill outlines steps for the Illinois Department of Labor to investigate any retaliation claims, ensuring that the state has the ability to determine the legitimacy of these claims. Drea said the investigative process will make a difference with an independent party doing the investigation to fairly determine if a worker's rights were violated.
In Illinois, child labor protections have been on the books since 1920, when children were working in coal mines and in the manufacturing industry. Drea talked about how the new child labor law in Illinois was crafted after being influenced by the issues in the state of Iowa. He said the original laws were so outdated that they couldn’t be fixed, so they had to start over. Drea talked about the new bills escalating penalties for egregious violations and the hope that employers will be deterred from violating the new law.
Listen to the show above to hear more about the pro-labor legislation passed during the Spring Congressional Session in Illinois.