REPORT: FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CUTS WILL SHRINK ILLINOIS ECONOMY BY $10 BILLION ANNUALLY AND COST 86,000 JOBS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 1, 2025 Media contact: Todd Stenhouse, 916-397-1131, toddstenhouse@gmail.com            Analysis Explores Impact of Cuts, Project Cancellations, Funding Recissions, and Mass Federal Firings on Illinois La Grange, IL: By the end of President Trump’s term, the wave … Continue reading REPORT: FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CUTS WILL SHRINK ILLINOIS ECONOMY BY $10 BILLION ANNUALLY AND COST 86,000 JOBS

New Research Shows Increasing Union Membership and Faster Wage Growth in States that Protect Collective Bargaining Rights

Workers’ Rights Amendment Has Sparked Surge of New Union Members in Illinois; Michigan Added Members following Repeal of Anti-Union Law FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SEPTEMBER 8, 2025 Media contact: Todd Stenhouse, 916-397-1131, toddstenhouse@gmail.com                  … Continue reading New Research Shows Increasing Union Membership and Faster Wage Growth in States that Protect Collective Bargaining Rights

STUDY Shows that Pre-Apprenticeship Programs are Dramatically Increasing Participation of Women and Black Workers in Illinois’ Construction Workforce

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 20, 2025 Media contact: Todd Stenhouse, 916-397-1131, toddstenhouse@gmail.com                    La Grange, IL: Investments in pre-apprenticeship programs have helped women and people of color become the two fastest growing … Continue reading STUDY Shows that Pre-Apprenticeship Programs are Dramatically Increasing Participation of Women and Black Workers in Illinois’ Construction Workforce

Diverse Coalition Encourages Action on Sales Tax Modernization to Strengthen Illinois’ Fiscal Future

A coalition of Illinois policy and civic leaders released Modernizing Illinois’ Sales Tax: A Pathway for a Sustainable Future, which outlines the potential impacts of updating the state’s sales tax system. The report — coauthored by organizations that represent a … Continue reading Diverse Coalition Encourages Action on Sales Tax Modernization to Strengthen Illinois’ Fiscal Future

Study: Project Labor Agreements Increase Bid Competition and Control Costs on Public Building Projects in Illinois

Report finds that by promoting increased competition, PLAs help control construction costs for taxpayers La Grange, IL: An analysis of more than 2,500 bids on 773 Illinois Capital Development Board (CDB) building projects between 2017 and 2023 has found that … Continue reading Study: Project Labor Agreements Increase Bid Competition and Control Costs on Public Building Projects in Illinois

DOL Study: Registered Apprenticeships Expand Access to Living Wages for Millions of U.S. Workers

Participants in union-affiliated construction programs see biggest gains Chicago: A new study commissioned by the United States Department of Labor has revealed that registered apprenticeship programs—career training alternatives to college in which enrollment has doubled over the past decade—dramatically increases … Continue reading DOL Study: Registered Apprenticeships Expand Access to Living Wages for Millions of U.S. Workers

REPORT: Illinois Is Better Positioned to Withstand Recession Than It Was in EITHER 2007 or 2020

Chicago:  With many economists predicting that the United States could fall into recession within the next few years, a new report has found that Illinois is far better positioned to withstand the effects of such a downturn than it was … Continue reading REPORT: Illinois Is Better Positioned to Withstand Recession Than It Was in EITHER 2007 or 2020