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High State Court Wont Recognize Court Reporters Right to Organize

April 4, 2002

The Illinois state Supreme Court has refused to grant its court reporters the right to card check recognition in their desire to join IBEW Local 1220 in Chicago.

The 500-member unit is taking its case to the state Legislature, where General Assembly will vote on a sense of the body resolution encouraging the Supreme Court to grant collective bargaining rights to the court reporters.

"We are hoping the assembly will express its support for the right of court reporters to exercise the same collective bargaining rights as all other state employees," said Mike Donovan, business agent, Local 1220. In a grassroots effort to persuade the legislature, court reporters are contacting their assembly members, urging them to "do the right thing."

Last July, Local 1220 formally requested voluntary recognition or for a secret ballot election. The court rejected the request, responding with an offer to have a neutral third party verify the locals claim of majority status.

Indeed, last December, the state Department of Labor certified the IBEW had 372 signatures, the vast majority of the bargaining unit, Donovan said. But the court rejected that too.

"They basically said no and gave no reason," Donovan said. The court rendered its decision by 5-2 vote, without a written opinion.

Instead, the court convened a committee to study one of the issues the court reporters needed to address through union representation. That matter, electronic recording versus traditional court reporting with a stenograph, is one of the problems the court reporters have with their working conditions, Donovan said. There are many others, including workload, unpaid lunch hours and supervisory issues. A five-year-old hiring freeze has contributed to problems on the job.

The resolution is currently in the hands of the assemblys rules committee, with has a 3-2 Democratic majority. Local 1220 hopes the committee will approve the resolution and send it on for a vote by the full assembly. Even if it passes, the measure cannot legally compel the court to recognize the union.

On Valentines Day, a collective effort that included IBEW locals across the state targeted the public at all 22 judicial circuits under the state Supreme Court. Donovan said IBEW members distributed 20,000 pink handbills.

The court has a history of successfully fighting efforts by the court reporters to unionize. The American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees made an attempt in the mid-1980s. In 1992, the court reporters tried again with an unsuccessful attempt with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

Appeals Court Rules Organizing A Valid Charge for Fee Payers.  Unions can charge non-members for organizing expenses.

LU 1220 Web site