ADVANCING WORKER’S STATE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS | Illinois as a Model

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 … Read more

THE PAY OF UNION LEADERS: Debunking the “Big” Labor Myth

Some think tanks, media organizations, and politicians have asserted that most, if not all, union leaders are overpaid officials who are insulated from the concerns of their members. “[M]odern realities are colliding with problems that have long turned off workers,” claimed the Heritage Foundation, and “members’ dues [are] funding union bosses’ lavish salaries.” Fox News … Read more

UNION AND NONUNION HOUSEHOLDS: General Social Survey, 2000-2012

The United States population has always been typified by significant diversity. Particularly since the Industrial Revolution, the residents of modern America have come from a mix of racial, ethnic, gender, educational, religious, and political backgrounds. The industrialization of the economy also induced an expansion in another significant socioeconomic group in America: the union household. Union … Read more

A Manufactured Myth: Why Claims of a “Skills Gap” in Illinois Manufacturing are Wrong

“Eighty percent of the manufacturing companies in the United States say they cannot find enough workers with the proper skills to fill open positions at their facilities.” –President Barack Obama, announcing the Military-to-Civilian Skills Certification Program in June of 2012.Many corporate executives and politicians in Illinois purport that the state’s workforce does not have the … Read more

The Impact of Tax Increment Financing on Chicago Public Schools

For the past three decades, tax increment financing (TIF) has been the primary public financing tool used by the City of Chicago to spur local economic development. During this time period, TIF advocates and opponents alike have attempted to understand TIF’s impact on taxing jurisdictions that overlap TIF district boundaries. Interested parties have raised important … Read more