Illinois Enacts Teamsters-Backed Free Speech Law

SB 3649 Bans Employer Intimidation, Infringement Upon Workers’ Personal Beliefs

(SPRINGFIELD, Ill.) – Teamsters are celebrating the passage of the union-backed SB 3649, Illinois Worker Freedom of Speech Act. This legislation bans mandatory attendance at captive audience meetings, which are employer-sponsored anti-union presentations.

“This victory was achieved through a grassroots lobbying campaign led by rank-and-file union members,” said Thomas W. Stiede, President of Teamsters Joint Council 25. “Illinois workers will no longer have to choose between their jobs and enduring employer intimidation during these meetings. Our success proves that solidarity can overcome corporate interests aiming to undermine the middle class.”

SB 3649 was authored by State Senator Robert Peters (D – Chicago) and sponsored by Majority Leader Marcus C. Evans, Jr. in the Illinois House. Nationally, Teamsters are pushing state legislatures to ban these mandatory meetings. Connecticut, Oregon, Maine, Minnesota, and New York have already passed similar laws.

Teamsters Joint Council 25 represents over 100,000 workers at 25 local union affiliates in Chicago, Illinois, and Northwest Indiana. For more information, visit teamstersjc25.com.