September Newsletter – Illinois is Standing Up for Working Families this Labor Day
Dear friends:
Labor Day is approaching, and it is important to remember that this is more than a holiday. It’s a reminder that every workplace protection, every step toward fair wages, and every safety standard we enjoy today was fought for by generations of working people. And it’s a time to remember that those gains are never permanent unless we defend them.
Though this year brought many new challenges to worker safety at the federal level, the labor movement here in Illinois fought to ensure workers in our state would remain protected.
Earlier this month, Governor JB Pritzker signed Senate Bill 1976 and House Bill 1189 into law — measures our labor movement fought hard to pass — creating a legislative shield against the anti-worker agenda coming out of Washington.
The Illinois Workers’ Rights and Worker Safety Act (SB 1976) ensures that in the face of federal rollbacks to workers’ rights, Illinois workers will still be afforded the hard-fought, long-established workplace protections they’ve relied on for decades.
Put simply, SB 1976 locks in the hard-won rights we have today, guarantees we won’t fall below them, and leaves the door open for Illinois to keep leading the nation in worker protections.
The current administration in Washington has made it clear that they do not stand with American workers. Donald Trump and his cronies are lining their pockets at the expense of working families. The administration has fired thousands of workers that enforce OSHA standards, weakening the programs and laws that ensure we can return home safely to our loved ones. Laws like SB 1976 are Illinois’ answer to federal attacks: you may try to lower the floor, but in the land of Lincoln, we’re building the ceiling higher.
Labor Day is about honoring the dignity of work, reminding us that life really is better in a union. These two laws make that dignity real — in every paycheck, every safe job site, and every workplace where rights are protected no matter who lives in the White House.
As leaders of the Illinois AFL-CIO, we are proud of what we accomplished together as a labor movement. But we also recognize that our opponents aren’t going away. The rights we’ve secured are only as strong as our commitment to defend them.
This Labor Day, let’s celebrate — and organize. Let’s keep building Illinois into the safest, fairest, most worker-friendly state in the country.
The fight continues. But thanks to the hard work and fighting spirit of our labor movement, Illinois workers are not just on defense. We’re leading the way forward.
We hope you had a chance to celebrate Labor Day with a CLC over the weekend or later today to remember why it’s better in a union.
In solidarity,
Tim Drea and Pat Devaney
