Voting for Illinois' Workers' Rights Amendment.
Explicit constitutional language matters.
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One of the reasons that Illinois public employees can count on their pension while other states’ public employees cannot is that there are five little words in our state constitution.
Public pensions “cannot be diminished or impaired.”
Based on these five words known as the pension protection clause, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the Illinois legislature’s theft of our pensions was illegal.
Those five words made all the difference in the world.
On the current ballot is a measure that would put language in the Illinois constitution making collective bargaining a fundamental right of Illinois workers.
Some may wonder why we need a constitutional amendment when we already have the right to collectively bargain by legislative statute.
It was not that long ago when Bruce Rauner was Illinois governor that he pushed through a law that would allow local municipalities to pass their own right-to-work laws.
That attempt failed.
A constitutional amendment would prevent that from happening again.
In fact, I have argued for a constitutional amendment guaranteeing Illinois citizens the right to have an abortion.
Right now Illinois is a safe house for people throughout the midwest seeking an abortion in the wake of the SCOTUS overturning Roe.
But the political tide could turn and an Illinois abortion protection amendment would make our rights stronger.
The immediate issue though is a collective bargaining rights amendment to the Illinois constitution.
It’s a good reason to go vote this November.