JEFFERSON COUNTY — A resolution promoting Governor Bruce Rauner’s efforts against unions died Monday night in Jefferson County for a lack of motion, after a large gathered at the courthouse urging opposition to the measure. The number of people in attendance was so large, the meeting had to be held in the lobby of the courthouse.

Rauner’s office has asked cities and villages across the state to support his initiatives aimed to “get the house in order” by changing how Illinois does business. But not a single member of the Jefferson County Board made a motion to support the measure.

One of the changes Rauner wants involves letting local communities enact “right-to-work” zones, which would allow voters to decide whether or not employees should be forced to join a union as a condition of employment.

Unions adamantly oppose Rauner’s push, calling it a “backdoor anti-union effort that is a thinly-disguised political maneuver.”

Rauner’s right-to-work plan has been ruled illegal by the Illinois’ Attorney General, but the push continues in what will likely end in costly litigation for the state and communities that pass the resolution.

According to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union, the resolution has been rejected or tabled in at least as many communities, or more, than those who have passed it.