Organized labor, one of the Democratic Party’s most politically active and reliable constituencies, issued a stinging rebuke to the state’s one-party Democratic rule on Wednesday when the Illinois AFL-CIO deferred making any candidate endorsements for the Nov. 3 general election due to the Illinois General Assembly’s lack of action on union priorities during the recently completed legislative session.
“Over the past year, Illinois AFL-CIO affiliates and union members from across Illinois consistently voiced frustrations about the lack of progress around our core legislative priorities,” Tim Drea, president of the state’s largest umbrella organization for organized labor and its 1.7 million union household members, said in a statement.
“This past state legislative session was especially concerning, as Springfield not only failed to advance key priorities, but the process by which legislation was considered fell short of what working people deserve,” he said. “These concerns span the full breadth of our movement, with public sector, private sector, manufacturing, and building trades all expressing dissatisfaction.”
In an interview with the Tribune, Drea called the decision more of a pause on traditional post-session endorsements and political organizing in order to hold further discussions with Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker and Democratic legislative leaders House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch of Hillside and Senate President Don Harmon of Oak Park before deciding whether endorsements were warranted.
Still, the decision to put off making endorsements is a significant slap at Pritzker, the titular head of the state’s Democratic Party who is seeking a third term as governor as he explores a potential bid for the party’s 2028 presidential nomination. It also represents an admonishment to Welch, Harmon and other Democratic legislative leaders and their supermajorities in the House and Senate, which organized labor helped build.
“This year, because of things just being stalled out and different pieces of legislation not moving, (the organization leadership) just said, ‘You know, what? Let’s not be in a hurry. Let’s take a look and see what we have here. Let’s talk to the leaders. Let’s talk to the governor’s office and others, and you know, we’ll come back and after we get those answers,’” Drea said. “If they’re happy with them, we can always do this later.”
Drea cited legislative inaction on organized labor efforts to secure unemployment benefits for striking workers after two weeks off the job, as well as on preventing companies that receive tax credits for solar or wind energy projects from paying workers at the lowest prevailing union wage.
He also cited the organization’s success in getting the legislature to stall Pritzker’s call for a two-year moratorium on tax subsidies for controversial data centers, only to see the governor issue an executive order to halt the benefits days later. Labor opposed the moratorium, arguing that such a move would stunt job creation and that data centers provide communities with a reliable source of property tax revenue that funds local schools and infrastructure.
“(Union) people were coming out of session saying, ‘Hey, this didn’t happen, that didn’t happen. What am I gonna tell my members?” Drea said.
Labor did score a session victory when the legislature authorized the collective bargaining rights of rideshare drivers for services such as Uber and Lyft.
“The Illinois AFL-CIO remains committed to electing and working with pro-labor politicians. Our endorsement carries the validation of the largest statewide labor affiliate in Illinois and activates thousands of working people for grassroots campaigning. Now more than ever, we must be thoughtful about supporting candidates who do not just talk about labor priorities, but deliver real wins for working people,” Drea said.
Alex Gough, a spokesman for Pritzker’s campaign, cited past successes in saying the governor “remains committed to a strong partnership with organized labor.”
“As a result of this partnership, the progress we’ve made in Illinois is historic. We’ve raised wages, protected workers’ rights, and created good paying union jobs across our state. Gov. Pritzker looks forward to continuing that progress on behalf of Illinois workers,” Gough said.
Representatives for Welch and Harmon did not provide any comment.
The Illinois AFL-CIO did make endorsements for the March 17 primary election, though it remained neutral on the race for the Democratic nomination for retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s seat, which was eventually won by Pritzker’s choice, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton.
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