SR0484LRB101 12735 MST 61534 r

1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, As more national attention is brought to issues
3such as worker exploitation and economic inequality, evidence
4suggests a major contributing factor is wage theft; studies
5have found that wage theft costs individual workers hundreds of
6millions of dollars in wages and benefits per year; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Further compounding the issue is a national growth
8in the underground economy, which, while typically associated
9with trafficking, prostitution, and piracy, has seen a growing
10portion of illegal practices within labor sectors such as
11construction, auto repair, and food service; practices include
12the violation of labor, tax, insurance, and licensing laws; and
 
13    WHEREAS, These activities are detrimental not only to the
14workers in these industries, many of whom are immigrants, but
15also to the residents of Illinois; the strengthening of an
16underground economy harms the people of Illinois by requiring
17the subsidization of bad actors while simultaneously placing
18workers in harm's way; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Wage theft and the underground economy also injure
20business owners who abide by the rules; they cannot compete
21against those who offer lower prices due to illegal practices
22that expose consumers to greater risks of substandard service;

 

 

SR0484- 2 -LRB101 12735 MST 61534 r

1and
 
2    WHEREAS, Such issues may be rampant in the construction
3industry where there is a myriad of contractual relationships
4resulting in worker confusion and unclear employment
5relationships as well as employee misidentification; and
 
6    WHEREAS, An industry where safety is of paramount concern
7must also prioritize the well-being and health of employees,
8including financial well-being; in order to protect all
9workers, it is necessary to close loopholes that allow for the
10exploitation of human labor for profit; therefore, be it
 
11    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
12ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the Illinois
13Department of Labor to investigate the prevalence of wage theft
14and the underground economy in the State of Illinois and submit
15to the General Assembly a report providing data on the issue
16along with recommendations for eliminating such unlawful labor
17practices throughout the State; and be it further
 
18    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
19delivered to the Illinois Department of Labor.