Illinois Lawmakers Place Bi-Partisan Measure to Strengthen Collective Bargaining on 2022 Ballot La Grange, IL: States that have enacted so-called “right-to-work” laws underperform Illinois on a range of core economic metrics—including wages, income growth, workforce productivity, poverty, and workplace safety—according … Continue reading Workers’ Rights Amendment: Illinois Outperforms “Right-to-Work” States

The May 2021 Edition of ILEPI’s newsletter, Illinois Insights, has been released. This edition focuses COVID-19’s impact on working mothers and women. Nearly half of Illinois’ working mothers lost jobs or are working fewer hours due to the pandemic. Transportation revenues have … Continue reading Illinois Insights – May 2021 Edition

Investing in infrastructure creates jobs and boosts the economy. The nation’s infrastructure has been underfunded for far too long, with the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) giving U.S. infrastructure a “C-” grade. ASCE estimates that the United States needs … Continue reading Infrastructure Week 2021: Follow Illinois’ Lead with the American Jobs Plan

Illinois residents will soon being voting on whether to amend the state’s Constitution to allow for a progressive income tax, which has been called the “Fair Tax.” Currently in Illinois, millionaires pay the same tax rate as workers earning the … Continue reading Illinois Needs the Fair Tax to Recover from COVID-19 Recession

As Fossil Fuel Employment Shrinks, Renewable Energy Sector Producing Reliable Job Growth Countryside, IL:  Three of the nation’s leading producers of renewable energy are poised to lead a clean energy boom as the region works to recover from the economic … Continue reading Study: Minnesota and the Dakotas Poised for Post-COVID-19 Clean Energy Boom

The global coronavirus pandemic has strained the health care system in Illinois and the United States more broadly. Many states saw declines in COVID-19 positive case rates and hospitalizations in late April and early June. COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, however, … Continue reading COVID-19: Straining Health Care System, But Union Hospitals Better Prepared

Data Links Nurses Unions with Better Workplace and Patient Care Outcomes La Grange:  Illinois’ unionized hospitals have dramatically lower staff vacancy and turnover rates, safer workplaces, and more robust infection prevention and control systems while enabling registered nurses to devote … Continue reading Study: Illinois’ Union Hospitals Were Better Prepared for COVID-19

More than 40 million Americans have filed for unemployment since March when stay-at-home orders were adopted across the nation to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19). That’s 1 out of every 4 American workers. While unemployment has decreased … Continue reading Women Hit Hardest Economically from COVID-19 Recession