UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
Governments utilize policies to impact the efficiency of labor markets. These policies are designed to increase employment by encouraging people to look for work, make it easier for people to get to work, provide support for people who are working, create opportunities for employment, and help people become qualified to work. This report, conducted by … Read more
A “right-to-work” (RTW) law is a government regulation that bars businesses and labor unions from including union security clause in collective bargaining agreements. Union security clauses ensure that each member of a bargaining unit who receives benefits of collective bargaining – e.g., a higher wage, health and retirement benefits, a voice at work – also … Read more
Fast food workers in Chicago suffer from the uncertainty of not knowing how many hours they will work in any given week and the lack of autonomy to voice their concerns without fear of reprisal. Unstable schedules lead to tangible income insecurity and the inability for workers to obtain supplemental employment or even attend schooling … Read more
A Project Labor Agreement (PLA) is a pre-hire agreement covering all crafts on a large, complex, long-term construction project in order to establish comprehensive employment terms and conditions for construction projects. A PLA therefore “operates as a ‘job-site constitution,’ establishing safe working conditions and rules, project execution and accountability on the job, and protocols
Since 2005, unionization has declined in Illinois, in the Chicago region, and in America. There areapproximately 97,000 fewer union members in Illinois today than there were in 2005, contributing to the 1.12 million drop in union workers across the nation over that time. Declining union membership has primarily been the result of decreases in male … Read more
Efforts to create local “right-to-work” zones would have negative impacts on workers and the economy in Illinois. The preponderance of evidence finds that worker incomes are lower in economies with right-to-work laws and that employment effects are minimal at best. For instance, average worker wages are $2.90 per hour (13 percent) higher in Illinois than … Read more
Construction workers who specialize in road and bridge infrastructure projects are productive, high-skilled, and well-paid in America’s “Great Lakes” region– which comprises Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
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
