Metropolitan jobs data shows that from October 2015 – October 2016 the greater Chicago area is up +33,500 jobs while the rest of the state is down -2,700 jobs. Measured since before the Great Recession, from October 2007 – October 2016, the greater Chicago area is up 110,100 jobs while the rest of the state is down -42,700 jobs.
A judge in Cook County has issued a temporary restraining order halting a labor board decision that would allow the state to implement its contract with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. The delay costs Illinois taxpayers over $1 million more each day in state-worker health coverage costs.
L.A. Tan has settled a class action lawsuit in which plaintiffs alleged the company stored customers’ fingerprint data in violation of Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act, or BIPA. Whether this settlement opens the gates to a flood of BIPA litigation remains to be seen.
The cost of workers’ compensation for municipalities, counties and state government in Illinois is more than $400 million per year.
The failure of almost all potential veto overrides in 2016 is a victory for Illinois taxpayers.
Senate Bill 3368 will ensure former inmates leaving Illinois’ prisons have state-issued identification, which will assist their re-entry into their communities and make it easier for them to apply for jobs or housing.
The state initiative has both saved taxpayer money and given offenders the opportunity to break the cycle of incarceration.
A recent labor board decision means Gov. Bruce Rauner can start implementing his last contract offer to state workers. But the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees continues to obstruct progress toward a contract for state workers, vowing to appeal the labor board’s decision.
Corruption from several public officials in Metro East underscores the need for more government transparency in the area.
Employers in the Land of Lincoln announced 650 mass layoffs in November, according to the November edition of the Illinois Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN, report. This report marks the first time since July 2015 that there wasn’t single mass-layoff announcement in the manufacturing sector. The types of jobs lost were spread across...
In her Dec. 5 ruling, a Cook County Circuit Court judge said Chicago’s oppressive food truck regulations serve legitimate city interests. But evidence shows the only interests the rules protect are those of politically connected restaurant owners and politicians.
Real reform to help overtaxed Illinoisans – such as a property-tax cap and aggressive government consolidation – would be the gift that keeps giving the whole year round.
Cook County Circuit Court Judge Anna Helen Demacopoulos squelched a ray of hope for Chicago food trucks Dec. 5 as the court upheld two of the city’s most oppressive regulations. In recent weeks, Mayor Rahm Emanuel has been coming after these small-business owners. But they’ve faced the city’s wrath for years, even after City Council...