SR0484 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0484 LRB101 12735 MST 61534 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, As more national attention is brought to issues such as worker exploitation and economic inequality, evidence suggests a major contributing factor is wage theft; studies have found that wage theft costs individual workers hundreds of millions of dollars in wages and benefits per year; and

WHEREAS, Further compounding the issue is a national growth in the underground economy, which, while typically associated with trafficking, prostitution, and piracy, has seen a growing portion of illegal practices within labor sectors such as construction, auto repair, and food service; practices include the violation of labor, tax, insurance, and licensing laws; and

WHEREAS, These activities are detrimental not only to the workers in these industries, many of whom are immigrants, but also to the residents of Illinois; the strengthening of an underground economy harms the people of Illinois by requiring the subsidization of bad actors while simultaneously placing workers in harm's way; and

WHEREAS, Wage theft and the underground economy also injure business owners who abide by the rules; they cannot compete against those who offer lower prices due to illegal practices that expose consumers to greater risks of substandard service; and

WHEREAS, Such issues may be rampant in the construction industry where there is a myriad of contractual relationships resulting in worker confusion and unclear employment relationships as well as employee misidentification; and

WHEREAS, An industry where safety is of paramount concern must also prioritize the well-being and health of employees, including financial well-being; in order to protect all workers, it is necessary to close loopholes that allow for the exploitation of human labor for profit; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the Illinois Department of Labor to investigate the prevalence of wage theft and the underground economy in the State of Illinois and submit to the General Assembly a report providing data on the issue along with recommendations for eliminating such unlawful labor practices throughout the State; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be delivered to the Illinois Department of Labor.