“It’s tough because many businesses closed and those that survived are having a slower recovery. There are a lot of people, including myself, who haven't been able to fully reopen because we’re short-staffed. The cost of labor has increased so much, it’s hard to compete.”
Only $134 of each Chicago Teachers Union member’s dues is actually spent on representing Chicago Public Schools teachers. The rest is spent on other CTU leadership priorities and on the union hierarchy.
Published Aug. 17, 2022 Illinois is home to one of the worst pension crises in the country.1 At 39% funded, according to the nonpartisan Pew Charitable Trusts, Illinois has the worst pension funding ratio of any state.2 By contrast, neighboring Wisconsin’s pension system is 103% funded.3 In fiscal year 2022, Illinois’ total general funds pension...
The government unions pushing Amendment 1 on the Nov. 8 ballot in Illinois halted a popular, bipartisan bill that would have helped ease the nursing shortage made worse by the pandemic.
Illinois unions members give hundreds of dollars a year to union dues. But most of that money is spent on politics – not representing workers’ interests or protecting them. Mailee Smith follows the money. She joins the Policy Shop to show where government union money goes and why Amendment 1 would harm all Illinoisans. This...
Over-promised benefits continue to sink Chicago’s finances as the recent bear market eats into 2021 stock market gains. Investments gaining 25% last year plus federal aid didn’t offer much help to city pension systems, which have more debt than 45 states.
A U.S. Department of Labor report stated Illinois failed to report theft of pandemic relief money as required. Illinois lost over half of pandemic unemployment funds to fraud.
Rising prices and mortgage rates are making housing unaffordable for a growing number of Illinoisans. A property tax increase on the Nov. 8 ballot could make it worse.
Voters decide Nov. 8 whether to pass Amendment 1 – a hidden tax hike that could cost Illinois taxpayers, including fixed-income retirees, their homes and put homeownership farther out of reach for young families.
Chicago property tax bills are on the rise again, thanks to the city’s massive pension debt. Mayor Lori Lightfoot compared the latest property tax hike to additional toppings at lunch.
Amendment 1 has many more negatives than voters will ever realize, but one of those is a $2,100 property tax hike. Illinoisans should vote on all taxing and spending hikes, not just those presented to them as vague constitutional amendments.
A new ad falsely claims Amendment 1 will protect nurses’ rights at private children’s hospitals. The same government unions who paid for the ad ended legislation that truly would have helped nurses.
Illinois can draw from other states’ experiences to solve its own gerrymandering problem. One solid solution is as close as Michigan.