Hoffman Law Encourages Quicker Public Sector Unfair Labor Practice Resolutions

BELLEVILLE, Ill. – State labor boards will act quicker to resolve public sector employee unfair labor practice charges under a new law passed by state Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea.

“Under the current system, we don’t have time limits or guidelines for state labor relations boards when it comes to investigating and resolving unfair labor practice charges,” Hoffman said. “This can leave workers sometimes waiting over a year for a proper resolution. We can’t have this kind of uncertainty lingering over workers and their families, which is why I worked with the Illinois AFL- CIO to develop some commonsense guidelines that will responsibly speed the process up.”

Hoffman’s House Bill 5324 institutes new timeliness guidelines for the Educational Labor Relations Board and the Public Labor Relations Board. Under the legislation, boards will be required to adopt the following goals:
– Investigations should be completed within 100 days after charges are filed, 
– If a complaint is issued, a hearing must be scheduled to begin within 60 days of the
complaint’s issuance,
– Recommended orders and decisions must be issued 120 days from the close of the case,
and 
– Appeals to recommended orders and decisions should occur within 90 days of the deadline
to file objection to the recommended order and decision.

Additionally, House Bill 5324 requires state labor relation boards to submit regular reports to the General Assembly on the number of unresolved cases, the average length of each step of the process and an explanation if timeliness goals are not met.

House Bill 5324 passed with bipartisan support and was signed into law Friday. The measure takes full effect on Jan. 1, 2025.

For more information, please contact RepJayHoffman@gmail.com.