Teamster Bill To Assist Veteran Businesses Unanimously Passes In Illinois

Three percent of all state contracts must now be awarded to veteran-owned businesses throughout Illinois, thanks to legislation initiated by the Teamsters and unanimously passed by the General Assembly.

Introduced on behalf of Teamsters Joint Council 25 and the Teamsters’ Helmets to Hardhats Program, Senate Bill 1270 establishes a new portion of state contracts for procurement for businesses owned by veterans and service-disabled veterans. The legislation, sponsored by state Sen. Maggie Crotty (D-Oak Forest), officially takes the state’s policies of encouraging greater employment for veterans one step further.

“The partnerships that Teamsters are developing with veterans throughout Illinois are leading examples for the support these men and women deserve nationwide,” said Michael L. Yauger, the Teamsters’ National Helmets to Hardhats Coordinator and Teamsters Local 786 President. “This bill is a real solution between government and labor to get more veterans into the workforce.”

Together with Teamsters Joint Council 65 and the Chicago and Cook County Building Trades, Yauger worked for months to secure the three percent guarantee, which will make more construction and state service projects available to veteran-owned companies each year. With the Helmets to Hardhats Program, the Teamsters will continue to help returning military servicemen and women find gainful employment in the construction trades. To date, the union has trained more than 30,000 veterans in the industry.

“Legislation like this ensures we’re doing all that we can for veterans statewide,” said John T. Coli, President of Joint Council 25. “Our union applauds Sen. Crotty for her work on this critical issue and for joining the Teamsters to fight for those who so honorably fight for us.”

Senate Bill 1270 unanimously passed the Illinois House of Representatives by a vote of 118-0, and 58-0 in the Senate. It now awaits Gov. Pat Quinn’s signature.

Teamsters Joint Council 25 represents more than 100,000 hardworking men and women throughout Illinois and Indiana.