On Wednesday, April 4, 2018 the Transportation: Regulation, Roads & Bridges Committee of the Illinois House of Representatives held a hearing titled “Effects of the Proposed Federal Infrastructure Plan.” Mary Craighead, AICP, transportation policy analyst with ILEPI, submitted testimony that is summarized below. Continue reading “ILEPI Testimony at the Illinois House Transportation Committee”
Falling Motor Fuel Tax Revenues Accelerate Funding Shortfall La Grange: The rapidly deteriorating condition of Illinois roads, bridges, and transit systems is producing increased congestion and vehicle maintenance costs, and the annual cost of needed repairs currently stands at $4.6 … Continue reading REPORT: Illinois Needs $4.6 Billion Per Year to Fix Roads, Bridges, and Transit Systems
International Women’s Day Sharpens Focus on Gender Inequality at Work
Continue reading “New Study Highlights Gender Gaps in Corporate Leadership”
Economic data show that prevailing wage laws shrink racial income gaps in construction. Continue reading “People of Color Benefit from Prevailing Wage Laws”
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
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It is time to assess studies forecasting what would happen if Indiana repealed its prevailing wage law.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”
