The September 2025 Edition of ILEPI’s newsletter, Illinois Insights, has been released.

This Edition discusses recent ILEPI reports:

• The 11th annual State of the Unions study finds that states protecting collective bargaining rights, like Illinois and Michigan, are gaining union members and seeing stronger wage growth, while “right-to-work” states are losing members and offering fewer economic benefits to workers.
• A new report shows that Illinois’ pre-apprenticeship programs have dramatically expanded opportunities for women and Black workers in construction, driving major increases in apprenticeship enrollment, delivering strong economic returns, and paving the way for thousands more careers through new state investments.
• Join us in Springfield on Wednesday, October 15 for a FREE seminar and a fundraising reception! Learn about key findings from ILEPI research over the last year, with a special focus transit and pension challenges from 8:00am-9:30am at the Illinois AFL-CIO building. Then, join us with Special Guest Speaker Chris Welch at our fundraising reception from 6:00pm-8:00pm at the President Abraham Lincoln Springfield Hotel. You can register and pay online on our website.

Be sure to check out the September 2025 Edition! Also, please subscribe to Illinois Insights by entering your email address here, like us on Facebook, follow us on X, like us on Instagram, and follow us on BlueSky.