Key Findings:
Continue reading “Analysis: 86% of Republican Counties in Missouri Voted Against Right-to-Work”
A new study by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign finds that the Chicago Minimum Wage Ordinance has had positive impacts on incomes and no effect on employment in the city.
Continue reading “Chicago Minimum Wage Increases Have Been Good for Workers”
Continue reading “STUDY: Chicago Minimum Wage Hike Has Already Helped At Least 330,000 Workers”
How might the U.S. labor movement respond to the Supreme Court striking down Abood and ruling against fair share fees in Janus? ILEPI’s Frank Manzo IV takes a look.
Continue reading “The Supreme Court Ruled Against Public Sector Workers. Now What?”
A new report finds that a Janus decision against fair share fees would lower public sector worker earnings and have negative impacts on the U.S. economy. According to the Wall Street Journal, the “study says the expected outcome of the Janus case will shrink public-sector labor unions in 23 states.”
Continue reading “The Impending Effects of the Janus Case on Public Sector Workers”
On Wednesday, May 2, the Illinois House Revenue & Finance Committee held a hearing on the possibility of a progressive income tax in Illinois. Frank Manzo IV, MPP, Policy Director of the Illinois Economic Policy Institute (ILEPI) provided a brief testimony. Here is what he said. Continue reading “ILEPI Testimony on a Progressive Income Tax Before the Illinois House”
Janus ruling could affect wages for 5 million workers and shrink U.S. economy by up to $33 billion Continue reading “STUDY: Expected Supreme Court Decision Against Public Sector Unions Would Harm Economy”
On Tuesday, February 27, the Labor and Commerce Committee in the Illinois House held a hearing titled “Impacts of Repealing the Prevailing Wage.” Frank Manzo IV, MPP, Policy Director of the Illinois Economic Policy Institute (ILEPI); Robert Bruno, Ph.D., Director of the Project for Middle Class Renewal at the University of Illinois; and Kevin Duncan, Ph.D., Professor of Economics at Colorado State University-Pueblo submitted testimonies.
The following article provides condensed versions of those testimonies.
Continue reading “Illinois House Testimonies on the Consequences of Repealing Prevailing Wage”
Laws help grow incomes across the racial spectrum, and help more workers access middle class La Grange: Prevailing wage laws reduce income inequality between African-American and white construction workers by as much as 53% and help more blue-collar workers reach … Continue reading NEW STUDY: Prevailing Wage Laws Close Income Gaps for African Americans in Construction
It is time to assess studies forecasting what would happen if Indiana repealed its prevailing wage law. A Ph.D. economist who has studied prevailing wage for 24 years was 100% accurate. A partisan ideologue was only 14% correct. Trust the expert, not the rhetoric. Continue reading “Fact Check: Which Policy Wonks Should You Trust on Prevailing Wage?”
Two January 2018 working papers find that unions have important social impacts in America. The first finds that union members individually contribute about $1,300 more per year to public budgets than non-union workers. The second finds that so-called “right-to-work” laws reduce voter turnout by 2-3 percentage points because working-class Americans are less likely to be contacted through union get-out-the-vote efforts. These studies have important policy implications. Continue reading “Unions Improve Public Budgets and Increase Voter Turnout”
The Illinois Prevailing Wage Act is good for workers, businesses, and families in Illinois. For proof, all we have to do is look to our neighbors in Indiana, where prevailing wage was repealed in July 2015.
Continue reading “Look What Happened When Prevailing Wage Was Repealed in Indiana”
