Illinois AFL-CIO Wraps Up 46th Constitutional With An Eye on November Election
Illinois AFL-CIO Wraps Up 46th Constitutional With An Eye on November Election (Rosemont, IL) – Today, the Illinois AFL-CIO wrapped up its 46th Constitutional Convention at the Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare in Rosemont.
400 delegates asserted their trust in the leadership of IL AFL-CIO President Tim Drea and Secretary-Treasurer Pat Devaney by voting to re-elect President Drea, Secretary-Treasurer Devaney, and the Executive Board to a four-year term.
“Each opportunity to improve the lives of working Illinoisans is a privilege,” remarked President Tim Drea. “There has never been a moment more critical to the future of American democracy, and we must do everything in our power to strengthen the voices of working people in the public policy making process. With the November election hanging in the balance, the future of protecting workers’ rights depends on electing Vice President Kamala Harris to the presidency.”
Throughout their last four years in office, President Drea and Secretary-Treasurer Devaney worked diligently to modernize our state’s labor movement. Under their leadership, Illinois labor passed the landmark Workers’ Rights Amendment and legislation that prioritizes the needs of working families and our most vulnerable residents. Notable and recent legislative victories include strengthening Illinois’ child labor laws to reflect the 21st century workforce, the Climate Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), Paid Leave for All, the Temp Worker Fairness and Safety Act, the Illinois Worker Freedom of Speech Act, and Carbon Capture Sequestration, among other measures.
“The labor movement is experiencing a time of unprecedented mobilization, and we must build on that momentum to stand up for workers,” stated Secretary-Treasurer Pat Devaney. “With the possibility of a Trump resurgence and an anti-worker, conservative agenda that will roll back worker protections and pass handouts for corporations and the wealthy, we are working day and night to pass pro-worker bills in the legislature and get out the vote to ensure that Illinois puts working families first.”
The IL AFL-CIO runs an acclaimed political program through its Committee on Political Education (COPE). The committee represents over 1,500 affiliated unions, in turn serving nearly 1 million workers throughout the state. The coveted endorsement process requires candidates to demonstrate their commitment to working families through their voting record and/or a submitted questionnaire. Through canvassing, phone-banking, and text-banking, Labor volunteers speak directly to the 1.7 million union household members across the state about the issues most important to them – mobilizing one of the largest consistencies in the state through personalized communication from trusted messengers.
At the convention, the delegates pledged their support to a robust political program and stood strong in their duty to protect workers’ rights and commitment to an equitable workplace by adopting resolutions to:
- Reaffirm the IL AFL-CIO’s commitment to fight for racial justice;
- Invest in equity, diversity and inclusion through pre-apprenticeship programs in the clean energy and construction industries;
- Defend and expand the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community;
- Improve the recruitment and retention of women, trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming people in the building trades;
- Support Protect the Right to Organize (PRO) Act in Congress;
- Fix the inequities in Tier 2 pensions by advocating for improved benefits for these employees; Support prevailing wage and misclassification enforcement;
- Oppose private school vouchers and tax credits; and
- Prioritize the safety and health of workers by recognizing workers’ killed on the job.
Illinois AFL-CIO Wraps Up 46th Constitutional With An Eye on November Election
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