Illinois House votes down right to work measure

SPRINGFIELD (WLS) -- The Illinois House voted down a "right to work" proposal Thursday which prevents unions from collecting fees from non-members.

One by one, Democrats rose against the amendment sponsored by their leader, House Speaker Michael Madigan, who never appeared in the chamber during the debate on the right to work issue.

"Unions have always been the way by which people have entered the middle class. That's how they get there," said State Rep. Christian Mitchell, D-Chicago.

As part of his "turnaround agenda", Gov. Rauner has included authorizing "right to work zones" where employees could opt out of union membership. The missing Madigan announced last week he would call the bill for a vote without asking his own caucus to support it.

"Democratic leadership in the House is sending a clear message about Governor Rauner's agenda that it has no hope of passing in our chamber," said State Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago.

"What's happening today, what's happened last week really is a disservice to this body and to this chamber and to this building," said State Rep. Jim Durkin, R-Minority Leader.

Most Republican reps voted "present" so they would not offend the governor or the union leaders who watched from the gallery. Rauner, who appeared in the capitol rotunda before the House met dismissed the debate and vote against not his, but Madigan's, right to work amendment.

"Difficult negotiations in government often involve political theater. That's a little bit of what that is," Rauner said.

The Rauner administration says that the right to work issue is not dead in Illinois. The administration hopes a bill might resurface before the end of session on May 31.