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
While union workers were more likely to be deemed essential during the pandemic, early data suggests Supreme Court’s Janus decision is having effects on public sector unionization in Illinois La Grange: For the second straight year, the number of American … Continue reading REPORT: Union Density Declining in Illinois, Across United States
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
We’re listening to the scientists and doctors, because the number one thing is, we don’t want to open the economy and then close it again.
–Illinois Restaurant Association President Sam Toia on May 20, 2020.
Continue reading “There Is Evidence that Illinois’ Re-opening Plan Has Worked — For Now”
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
The July 2020 Edition of ILEPI’s newsletter, Illinois Insights, has been released. The Illinois Economic Policy Institute (ILEPI) has released the July 2020 Edition of our quarterly … Continue reading Illinois Insights – July 2020 Edition
In just a few short months, the COVID-19 pandemic has touched every corner of our nation and tragically claimed more than 125,000 American lives, including 7,000 Illinois residents. As case counts keep rising, so do the stakes for the public … Continue reading Understanding the Impact of COVID-19 in Illinois
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
As Illinois enters the summer months, we can reflect back on another spring that produced a record-breaking amount of precipitation. Multiple days of rain in the month of May resulted in widespread flooding across the Chicago region, to the point … Continue reading Record-Breaking May Precipitation Calls for Increased Focus on Climate Change Impacts
With Illinois poised to enter Phase 4 of the “Restore Illinois” re-opening plan, COVID-19 has exposed the state’s structural economic and public health inequities. Essential and face-to-face workers who were most affected by Illinois’ efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic … Continue reading Phase 4, COVID-19, and the Inequities Plaguing Illinois
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
On everything from infection risk and job volatility to average wages– essential, face-to-face, and remote workers face very different health and economic hazards Continue reading “New: COVID-19 Exposes Structural Inequities in Illinois’ Economy and Impacts on People of Color”
