5 ILCS 315/10

(5 ILCS 315/10) (from Ch. 48, par. 1610)

Sec. 10. Unfair labor practices.

(a) It shall be an unfair labor practice for an employer or its agents:

(1) to interfere with, restrain, or coerce public employees in the exercise of the rights guaranteed in this Act or to dominate or interfere with the formation, existence or administration of any labor organization or contribute financial or other support to it; provided, an employer shall not be prohibited from permitting employees to confer with him during working hours without loss of time or pay;

(2) to discriminate in regard to hire or tenure of employment or any term or condition of employment in order to encourage or discourage membership in or other support for any labor organization. Nothing in this Act or any other law precludes a public employer from making an agreement with a labor organization to require as a condition of employment the payment of a fair share under paragraph (e) of Section 6;

(3) to discharge or otherwise discriminate against a public employee because he has signed or filed an affidavit, petition, or charge or provided any information or testimony under this Act;

(4) to refuse to bargain collectively in good faith with a labor organization which is the exclusive representative of public employees in an appropriate unit, including, but not limited to, the discussing of grievances with the exclusive representative;

(5) to violate any of the rules and regulations established by the Board with jurisdiction over them relating to the conduct of representation elections or the conduct affecting the representation elections;

(6) to expend or cause the expenditure of public funds to any external agent, individual, firm, agency, partnership, or association in any attempt to influence the outcome of representational elections held pursuant to Section 9 of this Act; provided that nothing in this subsection shall be construed to limit an employer's right to internally communicate with its employees as provided in subsection (c) of this Section, to be represented on any matter pertaining to unit determinations, unfair labor practice charges or pre-election conferences in any formal or informal proceeding before the Board, or to seek or obtain advice from legal counsel. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to prohibit an employer from expending or causing the expenditure of public funds on, or seeking or obtaining services or advice from, any organization, group, or association established by and including public or educational employers, whether covered by this Act, the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act or the public employment labor relations law of any other state or the federal government, provided that such services or advice are generally available to the membership of the organization, group or association, and are not offered solely in an attempt to influence the outcome of a particular representational election;

(7) to refuse to reduce a collective bargaining agreement to writing or to refuse to sign such agreement;

(8) to interfere with, restrain, coerce, deter, or discourage public employees or applicants to be public employees from: (i) becoming or remaining members of a labor organization; (ii) authorizing representation by a labor organization; or (iii) authorizing dues or fee deductions to a labor organization, nor shall the employer intentionally permit outside third parties to use its email or other communication systems to engage in that conduct. An employer's good faith implementation of a policy to block the use of its email or other communication systems for such purposes shall be a defense to an unfair labor practice;

(9) to disclose to any person or entity information set forth in subsection (c-5) of Section 6 of this Act that the employer knows or should know will be used to interfere with, restrain, coerce, deter, or discourage any public employee from: (i) becoming or remaining members of a labor organization, (ii) authorizing representation by a labor organization, or (iii) authorizing dues or fee deductions to a labor organization; or

(10) to promise, threaten, or take any action: (i) to permanently replace an employee who participates in a lawful strike as provided under Section 17; (ii) to discriminate against an employee who is working or has unconditionally offered to return to work for the employer because the employee supported or participated in such a lawful strike; or (iii) to lock out, suspend, or otherwise withhold employment from employees in order to influence the position of such employees or the representative of such employees in collective bargaining prior to a lawful strike.

(b) It shall be an unfair labor practice for a labor organization or its agents:

(1) to restrain or coerce public employees in the exercise of the rights guaranteed in this Act, provided, (i) that this paragraph shall not impair the right of a labor organization to prescribe its own rules with respect to the acquisition or retention of membership therein or the determination of fair share payments and (ii) that a labor organization or its agents shall commit an unfair labor practice under this paragraph in duty of fair representation cases only by intentional misconduct in representing employees under this Act;

(2) to restrain or coerce a public employer in the selection of his representatives for the purposes of collective bargaining or the settlement of grievances; or

(3) to cause, or attempt to cause, an employer to discriminate against an employee in violation of subsection (a)(2);

(4) to refuse to bargain collectively in good faith with a public employer, if it has been designated in accordance with the provisions of this Act as the exclusive representative of public employees in an appropriate unit;

(5) to violate any of the rules and regulations established by the boards with jurisdiction over them relating to the conduct of representation elections or the conduct affecting the representation elections;

(6) to discriminate against any employee because he has signed or filed an affidavit, petition, or charge or provided any information or testimony under this Act;

(7) to picket or cause to be picketed, or threaten to picket or cause to be picketed, any public employer where an object thereof is forcing or requiring an employer to recognize or bargain with a labor organization of the representative of its employees, or forcing or requiring the employees of an employer to accept or select such labor organization as their collective bargaining representative, unless such labor organization is currently certified as the representative of such employees:

(A) where the employer has lawfully recognized in accordance with this Act any labor organization and a question concerning representation may not appropriately be raised under Section 9 of this Act;

(B) where within the preceding 12 months a valid election under Section 9 of this Act has been conducted; or

(C) where such picketing has been conducted without a petition under Section 9 being filed within a reasonable period of time not to exceed 30 days from the commencement of such picketing; provided that when such a petition has been filed the Board shall forthwith, without regard to the provisions of subsection (a) of Section 9 or the absence of a showing of a substantial interest on the part of the labor organization, direct an election in such unit as the Board finds to be appropriate and shall certify the results thereof; provided further, that nothing in this subparagraph shall be construed to prohibit any picketing or other publicity for the purpose of truthfully advising the public that an employer does not employ members of, or have a contract with, a labor organization unless an effect of such picketing is to induce any individual employed by any other person in the course of his employment, not to pick up, deliver, or transport any goods or not to perform any services; or

(8) to refuse to reduce a collective bargaining agreement to writing or to refuse to sign such agreement.

(c) The expressing of any views, argument, or opinion or the dissemination thereof, whether in written, printed, graphic, or visual form, shall not constitute or be evidence of an unfair labor practice under any of the provisions of this Act, if such expression contains no threat of reprisal or force or promise of benefit.

(d) The employer shall not discourage public employees or applicants to be public employees from becoming or remaining union members or authorizing dues deductions, and shall not otherwise interfere with the relationship between employees and their exclusive bargaining representative. The employer shall refer all inquiries about union membership to the exclusive bargaining representative, except that the employer may communicate with employees regarding payroll processes and procedures. The employer will establish email policies in an effort to prohibit the use of its email system by outside sources.

(Source: P.A. 101-620, eff. 12-20-19; 102-596, eff. 8-27-21; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22.)