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
How will Illinois respond: acknowledge that the current Administration is unwilling to provide direct support and offer local funding solutions or continue to hold out for broader federal aid? Continue reading “President Trump’s Proposed Infrastructure Plan: The Shift to Local Funding and Illinois’ Response”
It is time to assess studies forecasting what would happen if Indiana repealed its prevailing wage law.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 For proof, all we have to do is look to our neighbors in Indiana, where prevailing wage was repealed in July 2015.
Continue reading “Look What Happened When Prevailing Wage Was Repealed in Indiana”
Illinois added 15,000 union members in 2017 while its five bordering states lost 104,000 union members. Continue reading “Union Membership Increased in Illinois, Fell in Neighboring States Last Year”
Interstate 80 near Joliet is a prime example of a roadway in desperate need of improvements. Built in the 1960s as an original portion of the interstate highway system, it is a crucial east-west corridor for both the Chicago region and the nation. However, inadequate infrastructure funding on both the state and federal levels has left travelers in the lurch, subjecting them to not only the inconvenience of congestion and an inefficient roadway, but also safety issues. Continue reading “I-80: Exemplifying the Need for Infrastructure Investment”
The Winter 2018 Edition of ILEPI’s newsletter, Illinois Insights, has been released. Continue reading “Illinois Insights – Winter 2018 Edition”
Thursday Community Town Hall Meeting Convened State and Local Leaders to Discuss Local Highway Infrastructure Needs Joliet: As highlighted at a Thursday Town Hall meeting in Joliet – where state transportation leaders gathered to discuss Will County’s highway infrastructure needs – an Illinois … Continue reading New Study Says I-80 Near Joliet in “Desperate Need” of Repairs, Improvement
A new report released by the Illinois Policy Institute on prevailing wage is factually inaccurate. Here’s why.
Continue reading “The Illinois Policy Institute Receives a Failing Grade on Prevailing Wage”
Eliminating the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program would directly impact more than 464,000 people in Illinois; state and local governments would lose access to $116 million in federal funding. Continue reading “Eliminating the Community Development Block Grant Program Would Hurt the Illinois Economy”
The future of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program is uncertain under the Trump Administration, but eliminating the program would bring negative consequences to Illinois’ workers and economy. Continue reading “The Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program Benefits the Illinois Economy”
