It's illegal to stalk someone in Illinois... unless you're with the union

Why am I not surprised?

I was very troubled to learn recently that despite having made stalking illegal in Illinois, elected officials in the state have afforded union bosses an exemption.

Yes, that’s correct; during labor disputes, Illinois’s law against “aggravated stalking” does not apply to union organizers (Public Act 097-0468). This leads to a simple and logical question: is it ever acceptable to engage in stalking? Apparently, the answer in the Land of Lincoln is yes.

For anyone who engages in aggravated stalking in Illinois, it is a Class 3 felony with a “second or subsequent conviction” serving as a Class 2 felony. The penalty for the crime is serious and it should be. That’s what makes the exemption for organized labor — a special interest — so outrageous and inexcusable.

But unfortunately, Illinois is not alone; it is joined by California, Pennsylvania and Nevada. These states have placed the interests of Big Labor bosses above the safety of average citizens. ...

Recently, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce issued a report titled “Sabotage, Stalking & Stealth Exemptions: Special State Laws for Labor Unions,” which describes Illinois’s exemption.

The report states, “But Pennsylvania, and other states with a significant union presence (e.g., California and Nevada), carve out an exemption from the crime of stalking, in the case of Pennsylvania by noting the prohibition on stalking ‘shall not apply to conduct by a party to a labor dispute.’ Illinois has created an even arguably broader exception to stalking when the action is related to ‘any controversy concerning wages, salaries, hours, working conditions or benefits … the making or maintaining of collective bargaining agreements, and the terms to be included in those agreements.’”

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Click here to see the Chamber of Commerce report.