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. This article reviews the history of "right to work" laws, legal challenges to them, their effects on unionization, and how unions can still survive. Illinois will become one of three states to require employers to offer paid time off for any reason after Gov. These laws are known as "righttowork laws," since they typically protect the right of a nonunion member to work for an employer without paying agency fees. Right-to-work is a term describing state legislation that prohibits employees from being required to join or financially support a labor union. As of April 2019, Illinois is not a righttowork state. If you do not live in a Right to Work state, click here to learn about your legal rights. Based on reciprocal agreements between Illinois and these states, these states do not tax the compensation of Illinois residents.