820 ILCS 14/2: Findings; legislative intent; construction.

(a) The General Assembly finds that the growing rate of technological advancement has fundamentally altered the way that many people work within this State in the transportation sector, in which companies connect, through an online application, persons seeking passenger transportation services to persons willing to supply those transportation services. These persons willing to supply those transportation services, known as transportation network drivers, often suffer poor pay, inadequate health coverage, and lack of other benefits. It is hereby declared that the best interests of the people of this State are served by providing transportation network drivers the opportunity to self-organize, designate representatives of their own choosing, and bargain collectively on a sectoral basis in order to obtain sustainable wages, benefits, and working conditions, subject to approval and ongoing supervision by the State. It is further declared that the best interests of the people of this State are served by the prevention or prompt resolution of disputes between transportation network companies and the transportation network drivers who supply the labor to effectuate those services through collective bargaining on a sectoral basis, subject to approval and ongoing supervision by the State. This Act shall be deemed an exercise of the police power of the State for the protection of the public welfare, prosperity, health, and peace of the people of the State, and shall be liberally construed for the accomplishment of its purposes.

(b) The General Assembly finds that it is in the public policy interests of the State to displace competition with regulation of the terms and conditions of work for transportation network drivers; and, consistent with this policy, to exempt from federal and State antitrust laws any conduct authorized under this Act, including the formation of transportation network driver organizations and multi-company associations for the purposes of collective bargaining on a sectoral basis between transportation network companies and transportation network drivers on an industry-wide basis, and to supervise, evaluate, and if approved, implement the resulting sectoral agreements concerning industry regulations for the terms and conditions of work for all transportation network drivers in an industry when such sectoral agreements are found by the Department of Labor to advance the public purposes stated in this Section and are then made binding, regardless of the anticompetitive consequences.

(c) It is the intent and policy of the State:

(1) To grant transportation network drivers the right to form, join, or assist transportation network driver organizations, to be represented through representatives of their own choosing, and to engage in other concerted activities for the purpose of bargaining with transportation network companies and to create negotiated recommendations in the form of a sectoral agreement, which shall form the basis for industry regulations, and for the purpose of other mutual aid or protection; and

(2) To grant transportation network companies the right to form multi-company associations to represent the transportation network companies while bargaining with a transportation network driver organization to create negotiated recommendations in the form of a sectoral agreement, which shall form the basis for industry regulations.

(d) The intent and policy of the State is for the statutory and non-statutory labor exemptions from the federal antitrust laws and analogous State laws to apply to transportation network drivers who choose to form, join, or assist labor organizations in labor activity, to transportation network driver organizations who organize and represent such drivers, and to transportation network companies who may choose to form an industry association to negotiate on their behalf or otherwise engage in labor activity permitted by this Act.

(e) The intent and policy of the State in authorizing and regulating transportation network companies, transportation network drivers engaging in labor activity, and transportation network driver organizations, permitted by this Act, is that state action immunity apply to this Act, including the sectoral agreement approved by the Department of Labor, and that such transportation network companies, transportation network drivers, and transportation network driver organizations be immune from the federal and State antitrust laws to the fullest extent possible in their conduct pursuant to this Act.

(f) The State shall actively supervise the qualified labor activity permitted by this Act conducted by transportation network companies, transportation network drivers, and transportation network driver organizations pursuant to this Act to ensure that the conduct permitted by this Act protects the rights of workers and companies, encourages collective bargaining on a sectoral basis and labor peace, and otherwise advances the purposes of this Act.