The Project for Middle Class Renewal (PMCR), based at the University of Illinois’ Labor Education Program, is dedicated to improving conditions for the working class. Our mission is to enhance public understanding of economic and worker issues through research, analysis, and education. We aim to develop policies that tackle poverty, ensure fair representation for all […]
While Illinois is better positioned to withstand a recession than at any point over the past two decades, federal funding cuts and freezes since the beginning of 2025 pose imminent threats to Illinois’ $1.2 trillion economy. Policy changes in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” budget reconciliation law, targeted freezes during the federal government shutdown […]
Pre-apprenticeship programs, or apprenticeship readiness programs, have emerged as key pathways into skilled trade careers. By increasing the number of qualified workers eligible for registered apprenticeship programs, pre-apprenticeships combat skilled labor shortages in the construction industry. In Illinois, the two largest pre-apprenticeship programs are the Highway Construction Careers Training Program and the Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship […]
Illinois is facing a housing shortage that has fueled increases in home prices and rental rates and negatively affected the economy. With home prices rising by 9 percent and asking rents increasing by as much as 10 percent across Illinois in 2024, this report explores the severity of the housing shortage and housing affordability issue […]
Registered apprenticeships are career training programs in which participants “earn while they learn” with tuition costs covered by employers or joint labor-management organizations, who gain access to domestic supply pools of skilled workers. Apprenticeship training is vital to the success of the construction industry, which accounts for 70 percent of apprenticeships in Wisconsin. While across […]
Our researchers at the University of Illinois Project for Middle Class Renewal (PMCR) have developed a comprehensive approach to identify the factors that determine Employment Quality in Illinois (EQ-IL 2.0). It develops ten dimensions, each with sub-components, including both subjective and objective measures.Following up on EQ-Il 1.0, we use a large survey collected in 2023 of 5,600 employed […]
In 2022 Illinois became the fifth state to pass a Constitutional Amendment protecting the rights of workers. Unlike other states, however, Illinois voters passed a ballot measure to create what is arguably the strongest constitutional provisions protecting collective bargaining in the country. PMCR presents two thought pieces on the Amendment. The first paper, by Professor […]
Welcome to our first fact sheet documenting strikes by union and nonunion workers across Illinois. These data are derived from the Labor Action Tracker, a project started in 2021 that comprehensively documents strike activity in the United States. As of January 2024, the Labor Action Tracker is a joint project between Cornell University’s School of […]
Bipartisan public approval of labor unions remains near historic highs. Data shows that unions boost workers earnings, expand health insurance coverage, and improve access to paid leave. Though the unionization rate fell nationally, the United States added union members in 2023 for the second consecutive year.The United States added 135,000 new union members in 2023, […]
Project labor agreements (PLAs) are pre-hire agreements that establish terms and conditions of employment for all crafts on large infrastructure projects. The mutual agreements are between a construction owner—such as a contractor, developer, or public body—and a coalition of labor unions supplying skilled workers for the duration of the project. The main purpose of a […]