Illinois became the fourth state in the country to protect collective bargaining in its constitution. According to the Illinois Public Labor Relations Act, public employees have the right to form or join labor unions or refrain from doing so.Not all states have "right to work" laws. Learn what these laws mean, how they impact unions, and whether your state has a 'right to work' law at FindLaw. A summary of new regulations in Illinois that are in effect in the new year of 2022, along with upcoming changes worth keeping track of. As of April 2019, Illinois is not a righttowork state. Recent laws may not yet be included in the ILCS database, but they are found on this site as Public Acts soon after they become law.