Government unions in Illinois have tremendous power. Most are allowed to go on strike and can bargain over virtually anything.1 It creates an uneven playing field, with unions able to demand costly provisions in their contracts and threaten to strike – denying Illinoisans needed services – to get what they want.2 Until recently, the potential monetary influence of unions3 been adequately investigated. Using records from the Illinois State Board of Elections, the Illinois Policy Institute performed an in-depth study of the contributions received by current members of the state’s General Assembly during 2019-2020.4 ANALYSIS That analysis revealed more than $15.7 million flowed directly from unions and union political action committees to the campaigns of current lawmakers during 2019-2020. But those millions don’t tell the whole story. To better put that $15.7 million in context, the Institute’s review also found: The majority of sitting lawmakers – nearly 88% – received money from unions. More than one-third of the General Assembly received more than 20% of their campaign funds from unions. Some lawmakers received even more, with two members receiving more than half of their funding from unions and union political action committees. Democratic lawmakers were the main recipients, receiving nearly 95% of the direct union contributions. Of the more than $15.7 million dollars unions contributed to state lawmakers’ political campaigns in 2019-2020, over $14.9 million (94.9%) went to Democratic members. Recipients included 109 of 110 Democratic lawmakers who campaigned in 2019-2020. On the Republican side, 42 of 62 who campaigned in 2019-2020 received funds from unions, but the overall union share of those lawmakers’ receipts from unions was lower than those of their Democratic counterparts. Contributions from businesses or other associations paled in comparison to union contributions. While businesses frequently come under fire for corporate lobbying, records with the Illinois State Board of Elections show unions’ direct contributions were more substantial. For example, ComEd and its parent company, Exelon, together directly contributed just over $173,000 to lawmakers campaigning for election in 2019-2020. That compares to $2.7 million contributed by affiliates of the American Federation of Teachers and $1.9 million given by affiliates of the Service Employees International Union. Unions also funneled money to candidates in other ways. Besides direct contributions, unions also directed millions of dollars to Democratic Party campaign funds and former party chairman Michael J. Madigan, who re-directed money to candidate campaigns. In other words, the $15.7 million isn’t the only money unions used to fund sitting lawmakers who campaigned in 2019-2020. Why does this influx of union money to lawmakers matter? Because money is influential and can drive legislative decisions.5 In fact, union pressure contributed to the demise of multiple pieces of bipartisan legislation during the 2021 session.6 Most sitting lawmakers – nearly 88% – received money from unions, totaling at least 20% of funding for more than one-third of the Illinois General Assembly. The majority of current lawmakers received funds from unions in 2019-2020, with 151 of the 172 who campaigned receiving contributions.7 Perhaps more compelling is just how large a share these union contributions were of lawmakers’ total funds, with more than one-third of lawmakers receiving 20% or more of their funding from unions. Many lawmakers received more.8 The share of lawmakers’ contributions coming from unions helps explain the unions’ hold over what happens in the Illinois General Assembly – including whether popular bipartisan bills are passed or rejected. Democratic lawmakers received nearly 95% of direct union contributions. Unions demonstrated a clear political leaning in their campaign contributions. Not only did nearly all Democratic lawmakers who campaigned in 2019-2020 receive money from unions, but the overall amount of union contributions to Democratic lawmakers vastly outweighed that contributed to Republicans. Of the more than $15.7 million dollars unions contributed to lawmakers’ political campaigns in 2019-2020, over $14.9 million (94.9%) went to Democrats.9 Unions also funneled money to candidates in other ways. While unions funneled over $15.7 million to lawmakers in 2019-2020, that doesn’t represent the full amount.. That’s because unions can contribute to candidates in multiple ways, including: • Direct contributions to lawmakers’ campaign committees (i.e., the $15.7 million) • Contributions to political party committees, which then pass funds to the lawmakers’ campaign committees • Contributions to Michael Madigan’s campaign committee, which then pass funds to lawmakers’ campaign committees. CONCLUSION Unions’ monetary power over lawmakers cannot be precisely determined – in part because unions funnel money to candidates in multiple ways – but the union block of contributions appears to be unmatched in Illinois. In 2021, this influence helped unions kill bipartisan legislation that otherwise carried popular support. Evidence of unions’ financial contributions to sitting lawmakers, and the relative weight of those contributions in comparison to funding from other entities, cements unions as a lobbying powerhouse in Illinois. Not only do current labor laws favor unions over residents, but clearly unions use their wallets to ensure their power to advance their interests ahead of the interests of others. Endnotes and more data here Page 6 over lawmakers and the legislative process hadn’t
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