Home » Blog » Rep. Lou Lang Stands Up for Unions in Impassioned Speech

Rep. Lou Lang Stands Up for Unions in Impassioned Speech

State Representative and Deputy Majority Leader of the Illinois State House Lou Lang (D-Skokie) commanded the full attention of the Illinois House of Representatives on May 14.

The Republican governor of Illinois, Bruce Rauner, is in the midst of preparing a new right-to-work proposal that would allow Illinois employees to work in union jobs without paying union dues.

During a four-minute speech, Rep. Lang went toe-to-toe with Republican legislators seeking to disempower unions and eliminate labor protections.

Last Thursday, Rep. Lang delivered an impassioned, powerful and decisive rebuke to Republican legislators and their attempts to strip unions and organized labor of their collective bargaining rights in proposed right-to-work laws.

The specific legislation that was voted upon and struck down was not crafted by Republican legislators. Indeed, Democrats preemptively drafted and voted on right-to-work legislation that mimicked the efforts of the Republicans.

For those of you who would stand against labor unions, what do you stand for? asked Rep. Lang.

Rep. Lang then proceeded to juxtapose the commitment of the Democrats with those of the Republicans by stating:

We stand for organized labor. We stand for working men and women. We stand for them, and their families, and their parents, and their futures, and their healthcare, and the college education for the grandchildren.

Rep. Lang challenged the Republicans in the house by contesting all of their claims, including the accusation that House Democrats were violating conflicts of interest rules. The representative cataloged the recent infusions of cash the party received last week totaling $400,000 in response to the vote called by Democrats.

Right-to-work legislation is often pro-business and hurts working families, while helping corporations take advantage of employees. True to form, Rep. Lang rightfully identified the anti-union character of the Governors proposed right-to-work legislation.

The vote was boycotted by Republican representatives who went for a walk during the vote. The legislation received no votes in favor of its passage.

GWC: Pro-Union Law Firm

GWC Injury Lawyers has a long history of identifying labor threats and working to protect the rights of workers in the state of Illinois.

As pro-labor attorneys, we pay close attention to legislation which threatens the future of workers in our state.

We stand firmly with Rep. Lang in challenging the hidden motivations of lawmakers who seek to strip everyday workers and the middle class of the safety net that union representation provides.

We could not be more proud to be associated with Rep. Lang who serves as Of Counsel at GWC. He has tirelessly served as the voice of unions, labor leaders, and workers and their families for decades.

<< BACK TO BLOG POSTS