Key Findings:
Continue reading “Analysis: 86% of Republican Counties in Missouri Voted Against Right-to-Work”
A new report finds that a Janus decision against fair share fees would lower public sector worker earnings and have negative impacts on the U.S. economy. According to the Wall Street Journal, the “study says the expected outcome of the Janus case will shrink public-sector labor unions in 23 states.”
Continue reading “The Impending Effects of the Janus Case on Public Sector Workers”
With the State of Illinois finally having a new budget for the first time in two years, the Project for Middle Class Renewal at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the Illinois Economic Policy Institute evaluated the economic research on policy measures currently under consideration by state lawmakers.
The full report is available here: Public Policies That Grow the Illinois Economy: An Evidence-Based Review of the Current Debate. Continue reading “Education and Infrastructure Grow the Economy. Other Proposals Being Debated in Illinois Don’t.”
A new study finds that the introduction of “right-to-work” laws has reduced the unionization rate by 2.1 percentage points and lowered worker wages by 2.6% in Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
Continue reading ““Right-to-Work” Laws in the Midwest Have Reduced Unionization and Lowered Wages”
A new report finds that union decline has resulted in economic redistribution from workers to owners.
Continue reading “How the Decline of Unions Has Caused Inequality to Rise in Each Midwest State”
Episode 3 of For A Living focuses on “right-to-work” laws. The podcast is available on iTunes and on SoundCloud.
What are so-called “right-to-work” laws? What is the historical background of these laws? What are their policy implications for the working class? Where are current political and legal battles occurring?
Professor Robert Bruno, Professor Emily E. LB Twarog, and I are joined by Dale Pierson, a Chicago-area labor lawyer who has served as General Counsel of the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 150 since 2002, to answer these questions.
Thanks for listening!
Continue reading “Podcast: “Right-to-Work” Regulations and Unions”
A new study released today finds that organized labor still plays a role in Wisconsin’s economy, despite a decline of approximately 136,000 union members over the past decade. The study, The State … Source: The State of Wisconsin’s Unions in … Continue reading The State of Wisconsin’s Unions in 2016
This report is the second in a five-part series on the “State of the Unions” for Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. All five reports will be available at this link over the next month. A new study released today … Continue reading The State of Indiana’s Unions in 2016
This report is the first in a five-part series on the “State of the Unions” for Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. All five reports are available at this link. CHICAGO- A new study released today finds that labor unions play … Continue reading The State of Illinois’ Unions in 2016
The story of Illinois’ manufacturing is way less cut-and-dried than some think tanks want you to believe. While Illinois has added fewer manufacturing jobs than Indiana over recent years, manufacturing earnings have grown at a much faster pace in Illinois. … Continue reading The Illinois Manufacturing Story is More of a Mixed Bag Than Some Say
In a decision on Wednesday, a federal judge in Kentucky ruled that the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) prohibits local units of government from enacting “right-to-work” zones.
A new report by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute (ILEPI) investigates ten examples of how unions can– and do– increase economic efficiency: Union workers earn higher wages and increase consumer demand; Unions reduce socially inefficient levels of income inequality; Union … Continue reading Ten Examples of How Unions Can Increase Efficiency
The Illinois Update 