HB 5324

Abstract

Amends the Illinois Public Labor Relations Act. Specifies the annual reporting requirements of the Illinois Labor Relations Board and Illinois Educational and Labor Relations Board. Provides that the Board shall maintain the following schedule upon the filing of unfair labor practice charges filed under this Act: (i) complete the investigation and issue a complaint, dismissal or deferral within 30 days of the charges being filed; (ii) if a complaint is issued, a hearing shall be scheduled to begin within 30 days of its issuance; (iii) post-hearing briefs shall be issued within 30 days of the close of the hearing; and (iv) recommended decisions and orders shall be issued within 45 days of the submission of post-hearing briefs. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Replaces everything after the enacting clause with the provisions of the introduced bill with the following changes. Provides that the Illinois Labor Relations Board, at the end of every State fiscal year, shall make a report that includes the number of unfair labor practice charge cases at the end of the fiscal year that have been pending before the Board between 1 and 100 days, 101 and 150 days, 151 and 200 days, 201 and 250 days, 251 and 300 days, 301 and 350 days, 351 and 400 days, 401 and 450 days, 451 and 500 days, 501 and 550 days, 551 and 600 days, 601 and 650 days, 651 and 700 days, and over 701 days, and other data. Provides that the report shall include the Board's progress in meeting timeliness goals, including specified data. Provides that the Board shall adopt goals (i) to ensure effective enforcement through timely and quality consideration and resolution of unfair labor practices with appropriate remedies and (ii) to protect employee free choice with timely and effective mechanisms to resolve questions concerning representation. Provides that the Board shall adopt timeliness goals for the processing of unfair labor practice charges (rather than maintain a certain schedule upon the filing of unfair labor practice charges), including (i) to complete the investigation and issue a complaint, dismissal, or deferral within 100 days (rather than 30 days) of the charges being filed, and, in the case of an appeal, to issue decisions within 90 days of the completion of the Board's process for filing appeals, and (ii) to schedule hearings, upon the issuance of complaints, to begin within 60 days of a complaint's issuance, to issue recommended decisions and orders within 120 days of the close of record, and, if exceptions to recommended decisions and orders are filed, issue Board decisions within 90 days of the completion of the Board's process for filing exceptions (rather than post hearing briefs to be issued within 30 days of the close of hearing and recommended decisions and orders to be issued within 45 days of the submission of post-hearing briefs, no longer than 150 days after the filing of charges, with certain permitted extensions).