Straight out of college, men working full time earn higher incomes than women working full-time in Illinois. When incomes are evaluated by field of degree, the gender gap persists in most areas of study but disappears in science and education. Continue reading “Recent Female College Graduates Earn Less than Their Male Counterparts in Illinois, With Important Exceptions”
A recent Illinois Policy Institute article doesn’t tell a complete story. Continue reading “3 Simple Responses If You See a Post Claiming that 60,000+ Public Sector Workers in Illinois Make $100,000+”
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.”
With a renewed focus on rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure, Congress must also support policies that rebuild middle-class jobs in the United States. Continue reading “New Bill Would Cut the Wages of Middle-Class Construction Workers”
A new study finds that labor unions continue to face both short- and long-term challenges in Illinois. Last year, unionization declined by about 35,000 members in the state. However, the personal benefit to unionization remains strong, as unions raise hourly wages by 8 percent on average in Illinois.
Continue reading “The State of Illinois’ Unions in 2017”
In Friday’s release on state employment and unemployment, there are both positives and negatives for Illinois. On the positive side, Illinois had the 4th-largest decline in the unemployment rate over the past year and now has a lower unemployment rate than states like Georgia, Texas, and California. On the negative side, Illinois had the 9th-worst job growth over the year.
Continue reading “Illinois Unemployment Fell, But Job Growth Was Slow Over Past Year”
“Shoring up the middle means making bad jobs better, keeping good jobs good, and supporting the growth of the economy as a whole.” Continue reading “University of Illinois Report Takes the Pulse of Illinois’ Shrinking Middle Class”
“Right-to-work” does NOT increase union membership.
Right-to-Work Laws Reduce Union Membership
The movement to implement “right-to-work” (RTW) legislation has accelerated over recent years. Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, and West Virginia recently become “right-to-work” states. Missouri and Kentucky followed in 2017. Today, 28 states have “right-to-work” laws.
One of the main policy changes contributing to the decline of unionization across the United States is the ratification of “right-to-work” legislation. From 2015 to 2016, union membership in RTW states declined by over 293,000 members. Union membership declined in 20 of the 26 states (77%) with RTW laws.
The H-2B program grants visas to foreign workers to become employed at U.S. employers for temporary periods of time. The H-2B program is intended to address worker shortages in unskilled occupations. Migrant workers issued an H-2B visa can be employed for up to 9 months, but their visa may be extended for up to three years. Approximately 115,000 H-2B workers are currently in the United States.
The H-2B program often lowers wages for both foreign-born workers and U.S. citizens. Continue reading “The H-2B Guest Worker Program Unnecessarily Lowers Construction Worker Wages in Illinois”
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 Economic Commentary provides the latest data on full-time workers in Illinois’ labor market, allowing you to see how you compare.
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”
The Illinois Update 