WHEREAS, the Middle Class is the backbone of our country, state and community and a vibrant Middle Class is essential to the city of Mundelein; and

WHEREAS, the Middle Class pays the most taxes of any income bracket, spends the most money at local businesses and drives the local economy; and

WHEREAS, in order to maintain a vibrant economy and Middle Class we must attract and maintain jobs with family-supporting wages and benefits; and

WHEREAS, labor unions have been a cornerstone in building the American middle class, and remain essential to ensuring economic prosperity for all working people; and

WHEREAS, creation of right to work (for less) zones and the elimination of standardized subjects of bargaining would create a “race to the bottom” that would reduce the pay of our community’s workforce, and, therefore, harm the local businesses dependent upon local customers; and

WHEREAS, numerous studies have shown that right to work (for less) laws lead to lower wages, benefits and more frequent workplace deaths; and

WHEREAS, the federal courts have ruled repeatedly and consistently that right to work (for less) laws are the sole jurisdiction of state and territorial governments, not local governments; and

WHEREAS, the Illinois Attorney General has recently reaffirmed the legal opinion that local governments do not have the authority to pass local right to work (for less) ordinances; and

WHEREAS, passage of a local right to work (for less) ordinance would undoubtedly generate a legal challenge that our government would have to fruitlessly defend at a significant cost to our taxpayers;

NOW BE IT RESOLVED that each signer of this document hereby stands with and supports the Middle Class residents of Mundelein; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that copies of this resolution be delivered to the Governor of the State of Illinois, the President of the Illinois Senate, the Republican Leader of the Illinois Senate, the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, and the Republican Leader of the Illinois House of Representatives.

PASSED at the Village of Mundelein Trustees Meeting by the Undersigned Members of the Middle Class on this 27th day of April, 2015.