Judge rejects IPI attempt to thwart Workers’ Rights Amendment

This fall Illinois voters will have the opportunity to vote yes for the Workers’ Rights Amendment. It’s an important step to add protection to the state Constitution that will make it much harder for current or future politicians to limit workers’ voices on the job, weaken unions or take away workers’ rights to collective bargaining.

Who would oppose that? The Illinois Policy Institute (IPI) of course. The anti-worker organization that wants to take collective bargaining rights away from public employees.

With the Workers’ Rights Amendment in place, politicians couldn’t simply change the law to take away our right to bargain over wages, benefits, workplace safety protections or other provisions of union contracts—or even take away our right to union representation--the state Constitution would stand in their way.

So to try and subvert the will of voters, the IPI filed a lawsuit attempting to stop the amendment from being on the ballot in November. But it didn’t work. Sangamon County Circuit Judge Raylene Grischow denied the petition, saying “there are no reasonable grounds to permit suit” and the “petitioner’s claims fail as a matter of law.”

AFSCME members will be working to educate fellow union members and their communities about the importance of this constitutional amendment in advance of the election. Learn more about this important ballot measure at workersrights.com.