Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich recently signed a bill that allows the unionization of tenured or tenure-track faculty members at all three University of Illinois campuses. Another bill signed by the governor makes it easier for governmental and school employees to form unions by eliminating the need for a separate election if a majority of the workers sign cards indicating their desire to be represented by a union. Union leaders supported Blagojevich in his bid for governor last fall, and the bills were signed at the AFL-CIO's executive council meetings.
See "Governor signs pro-labor bills", John Chase and Christi Parsons, Chicago Tribune, August 5, 2003