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The University of Illinois Press interviewed Professor Bob Bruno about his new book, What Work Is.

When the expanded federal Child Tax Credit was temporarily adopted during the pandemic, child poverty was reduced by 36% and $1 billion was injected into Illinois’ economy, creating 18,000 jobs. But Congress allowed it to expire. As a result, child poverty has more than doubled.

New autoworkers’ contract uplifts Belvidere, Illinois No place in history has benefited more from a new contract than Belvidere, Illinois. CBS 2’s Brad Edwards went 90 miles northwest of Chicago to a place that went from the biggest labor “loser” to the biggest winner.

I think simple questions about fundamental life activities are often the most profound. Asking “what work is” to anyone who works is one of those queries.

Professor Bob Bruno, Director of the Labor Studies Program and a Professor of Labor and Employment at the University of Illinois, returns to The Workers’ Mic to discuss his new book “What Work Is,” and to share some incredible labor history. Listen here

Just minutes ago, the full City Council voted 36-12 in favor of the ordinance that requires Chicago businesses to give their workers 10 days off per year beginning January 1, including five sick days and five vacation days.

“I think the moment and the person have sort of gelled. In many ways, the moment required Shawn Fain. But Shawn Fain had to step up into that moment.”

“This gets us closer to the finish line for sure.”

Illinois is becoming more diverse, more educated and yes, growing.

Mass exodus from Illinois? New report debunks the myth. The state lost 460,000 residents from 2010 to 2020, but the loss was largely offset by immigrants moving to Illinois, the report shows.

“It can certainly be helpful in moving the bargaining forward,”

US walkouts hit three of 70 plants owned by Ford, GM and Stellantis but union warns of more to come. Bruno says: “The UAW really hasn’t used these tactics in decades,” Bruno said. “Old school is sexy again.”

Labor Education Director at the University of Illinois Bob Bruno talks about the expansion of the UAW strike and the greater impact.

The United Auto Workers’ strike against the Big Three automakers could possibly change the entire automotive industry. University of Illinois professor Robert Bruno, a specialist in labor relations, helps unpack the impact of the strike.

A survey conducted by the Project for Middle Class Renewal at the University of Illinois of roughly 1,200 Chicago tipped workers in July 2022, found that nearly 57 percent of those surveyed said they were required to illegally “tip-out” their managers in the week prior, more than 43% said they faced at least one form of illegal discrimination on the job in the prior year and approximately 43% reported experiencing homelessness for at least one night in the past year.

Dr. Robert Bruno, Professor and Director, Labor Education Program, University of Illinois, joins John to talk about how the U.S. is in another major industrial shift, how that shift is impacting the labor market, if members of the UAW deserve higher pay, the pay disparity between company CEO’s and their employees, and why pay raises for UAW workers shouldn’t result in higher car prices. Listen to the full interview here.

Fain has been critical of past union leadership, and has vowed to use more aggressive tactics against the car makers to get a 40% pay increase for auto workers in their new contracts.

Robert Bruno’s book “What Work Is” draws on how his students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign characterized their jobs and how they affect daily life.

A new report shows there has been a surge in efforts to organize labor unions in the state while overall public approval of labor unions nationally is the highest in nearly six decades.