Tom Sonneborn Announces Retirement from Labor Council

Tom Sonneborn, who has served as the General Counsel for the Labor Council during its entirety, has announced his retirement, effective the end of 2009. Tom leaves behind a legacy that is unmatched among his peers.

Prior to the twenty plus years he worked for the Labor Council, Tom was in private law practice in Springfield. His practice focused upon firefighter and police collective bargaining disputes across the State of Illinois, even prior to the passage of the Illinois Public Labor Relations Act. Without statutory protections (such as ULPs) to assist in the resolution of disputes and bargaining impasse procedures (such as interest arbitration), Tom had to be creative in resolving union issues.

Tom's unparalleled experience in collective bargaining made him a natural to lead the Labor Council through the early years of its existence. As the union membership grew, Tom became not only the chief legal authority and the primary person assigned to resolve the toughest union disputes, but he assisted in the hiring and training of a full staff of lawyers, field representatives and administrators that could maintain the highest level of union service to the law enforcement community.

Tom became a successful pioneer of interest arbitration in Illinois. With the passage of the Illinois Public Labor Relations Act and the innovation of interest arbitration as the method to resolve bargaining impasses for police and fire fighters, Tom worked from a blank slate and soon became the most experienced Illinois litigator in this procedure which now has well-settled principles and procedures.

During his years of service, Tom maintained a visible presence in both the Springfield office and the Chicago-area office. But Tom will be remembered for the tireless hours he spent driving across the highways of Illinois, from one end of the State to the other, to meet personally with members and to find a way to resolve their most complicated labor disputes.

The staff of the Labor Council warmly and affectionately wish Tom the very best in his retirement. He departs from the daily pressures of a hectic job having earned the admiration and respect of both his co-workers and his opponents, which is a standard that few if any can achieve in their chosen profession.