Illinois Unions Hold Strong

In this article published on November 3rd, Sara Burnett discusses the recent debate between political parties in Illinois over collective bargaining and the surprising stronghold that organized labor still has in Illinois despite the hits it has taken in other states across the nation. Burnett notes Illinois as an exception because its public employees are still receiving their defined benefit pensions and unions are still collecting dues from their members.

As we discussed in class, many southern states in the U.S. have adopted "right-to-work" policies that prohibit unions from requiring their members to pay dues; however, in Illinois, Burnett tells us that "a right-to-work bill introduced earlier this year didn't get as much as a committee hearing." While Olson in The Logic of Collective Action, demonstrates that he is scared of such collective interest groups bringing down the industry through their asymmetric power, high-profile government officials in both political parties in Illinois are showing a slightly positive acceptance of the significant role of the state's organized labor groups. As quoted at the end of the article, "In Illinois, 'there's an acceptance that the labor movement isn't alien [...] and isn't bad." Perhaps legislative officials in Illinois would side more with Becker in his argument that the presence of special interest groups isn't of highest concern, but instead we should attempt to attain optimal pressure, determined by the effect of the state's political expenditures on the individual members' utilities.