Village of Lincolnshire becomes first Illinois municipality to protect worker choice

No worker should be forced to pay a union in order to have or hold onto a job. Workers in Lincolnshire are now the first in Illinois to be guaranteed this basic right, as the Village Board voted Dec. 14 to adopt local Right to Work.

The village of Lincolnshire voted Dec. 14 to become the first Illinois municipality to protect worker choice by enacting a local Right-to-Work ordinance. The new law, which was passed in a 5-1 vote by the board, guarantees that no private sector worker in Lincolnshire can be forced to pay union dues or fees as a condition for keeping a job.

The Lincolnshire ordinance shows a commitment from the board to lead the way in turning around Illinois by making the village a better place to work, invest, start a new business and put down roots. According to the Director of Illinois’ Department of Commerce, as many as 1,100 businesses have black-listed Illinois for expansion due to Illinois’ lack of protection for worker choice. Lincolnshire will now be back in the running for more business expansions, and will guarantee that any workers at those businesses will be free to choose whether to support a union in the work place.

Twenty-five states have passed statewide Right-to-Work laws, including neighboring Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa.

Furthermore, a dozen counties across Kentucky have passed local versions of the law to protect worker choice. Warren County, Kentucky, was the first local government to enact a Right-to-Work ordinance almost exactly a year ago, on Dec. 19, 2014. One year later, Lincolnshire has become the first local government to do so in Illinois.

Not only is freedom of choice for workers a good thing, but economic results are also stronger in Right-to-Work states, too. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics going back to 1990, Right-to-Work states have:

• Twice the job-creation rate of forced-union states
• Better per-capita income growth than forced-union states

These nationwide data match up with the Illinois experience. Since Indiana and Michigan enacted Right to Work, both states have experienced better job creation and better income growth than Illinois in every single year since enacting Right to Work. In particular, Indiana and Michigan have seen a manufacturing jobs boom since Right to Work, while Illinois has lost thousands of factory jobs.

No worker should be forced to pay a union in order to have or hold onto a job. Workers in Lincolnshire are now the first in Illinois to be guaranteed this basic right. Illinois municipalities that are looking for local solutions to Illinois’ ongoing economic malaise need look no further than the leadership provided by the Village Board in Lincolnshire, where worker choice is now protected by law, and where businesses have a new place to invest.