Gov. J.B. Pritzker this week signed into law two labor-related measures, one of which prohibits employers from holding mandatory meetings for workers with anti-union messages.
In addition to addressing “captive audience” meetings that supporters say have hurt union campaigns, the new law covers meetings on political and religious issues. While it doesn’t ban those meetings, it prohibits retaliation against workers choosing not to be in attendance.
“In Illinois, we respect the rights and dignity of workers,” Pritzker said in a statement issued after he signed the bill on Wednesday. “We will never stop fighting for an Illinois where every worker is given the dignity and respect they deserve.”
Tim Drea, president of the Illinois AFL-CIO, called it “a new chapter” for workers in the state to feel safe at work and “choose to walk away from unwanted political, religious or anti-union rhetoric.”
“People go to work to work, not to be indoctrinated. Now, workers will not have to choose between their livelihood and personal values when employers use mandatory meetings to advance their political and religious interests,” said Drea.
Seven states, among them New York, Connecticut and Minnesota, have recently passed similar laws protecting workers’ speech, the Illinois AFL-CIO said.
The head of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce earlier voiced opposition to the measure, saying it represents and overreach of government into business and is “setting the table” for union organizing efforts.
On Tuesday, Pritzker signed a measure that updates Illinois’ child labor regulations by setting additional standards for working conditions for children 15 or younger and updating a list of jobs that minors cannot hold.
The changes come as President Joe Biden’s administration and some states in recent years have moved to strengthen enforcement of child labor laws while other states — including neighboring Iowa — have sought to weaken their laws.
Pritzker said in a statement Tuesday that Illinois is “modernizing” its “regulatory framework to further protect minors from unscrupulous employers. Minors should be able to experience safe, age-appropriate work in an educational setting.”
In April, state Sen. Robert Peters, a Chicago Democrat and his chamber’s main sponsor of the bill, said in an interview that Illinois lawmakers were inspired to act by the actions of states that were weakening child labor laws as the workforce was struggling to come back following the pandemic.
“Illinois being a state that has had workers’ rights front of mind for years now, I said, ‘We are in the perfect position to actually go in the other direction, and literally strengthen our child labor laws, modernize our child labor laws, and truly protect children so they can be children,’” said Peters, who chairs the Senate’s Labor Committee.
The state’s child labor regulations have long required school officials to review a minor’s work opportunity and, with the permission of a parent or guardian, issue an employment certificate to the minor before they can lawfully work, according to the governor’s office.
The new law prohibits minors from working more than 18 hours per school week and over 40 hours during weeks when school is out. Previously, the standards were 24 hours during school weeks and 48 hours when school was out. The updated list of prohibited workplaces includes cannabis dispensaries, live adult entertainment businesses, gambling establishments and gun ranges.
The law also updates penalties for violations of the law and clarifies reporting requirements if a child worker is injured or killed on the job. If a child dies on the job, their employer can be fined up to $60,000 if they’re found to have violated the new law. In cases where a child is injured, the fine can reach $30,000.