Issue Position: Labor

Issue Position

Mike has a long history of defending the rights of working people in Illinois. Mike cosponsored the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) immediately after taking office. He believes that the right to organize is the backbone of the American success story and that unscrupulous employers must be held to account if they impede the ability of employees to communicate and make informed decisions on their right to choose whether or not to form a union.

Mike is passionate about supporting unions throughout our country. Most recently, he strongly opposed legislation that would undermine efforts to streamline the unionization process. He has also been outspoken in his opposition to so-called right to work laws, which do nothing more than drastically reduce the budgets of unions and weaken their ability to negotiate fair contracts for their members. Additionally, Mike has written on the importance of empowering workers and supports legislation to increase the minimum wage, combat gender wage discrimination, and guarantee paid sick leave.

Mike has worked closely with the Administration demanding that all modern trade agreements include strong, enforceable labor and human rights provisions that protect American workers from competing against countries with low standards. He also successfully fought in support of legislation to expand and extend the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, which provides workers who have lost their jobs due to trade with job training services, income support, reemployment and relocation benefits, and health benefits.

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