PRESS RELEASE: Suburban governments in Lake County fail transparency audit
PRESS RELEASE: Suburban governments in Lake County fail transparency audit
Illinois pensions: a dangerous game of guesswork
Illinois pensions: a dangerous game of guesswork
In the mid-1990s, Illinois lawmakers were facing a serious problem: the unfunded liability of the state
LakeView Patch: Retiring Illinois Lawmakers Make Bank on the Way Out
LakeView Patch: Retiring Illinois Lawmakers Make Bank on the Way Out
Are you worried about your own retirement? With the downturn in the economy, did your 401k and savings take a big hit? If so, you're like millions of other Americans forced to confront a dramatically different outlook for their post-work years. But one gr
Pension reform bill “more of the same”
Pension reform bill “more of the same”
State Rep. Elaine Nekritz, state Rep. Daniel Biss and several of their rank-and-file colleagues recently unveiled a new pension reform proposal. These lawmakers should be commended for stepping forward with a plan, rather than waiting on their political leaders to get around to fixing the problem. Unfortunately, the Nekritz-Biss plan falls short of fixing the...
AFSCME, collective bargaining, Quinn and the fine line
AFSCME, collective bargaining, Quinn and the fine line
It is a basic axiom of government collective bargaining: If you have to bargain with a union about anything, you are liable to have to bargain with them about everything, and that includes things that you aren’t supposed to bargain about at all. This why collective bargaining with government employees is such a problem: Even...
Pension reform bill “more of the same”
Pension reform bill “more of the same”
State Rep. Elaine Nekritz, state Rep. Daniel Biss and several of their rank-and-file colleagues recently unveiled a new pension reform proposal.
AFSCME, collective bargaining, Quinn and the fine line
AFSCME, collective bargaining, Quinn and the fine line
It is a basic axiom of government collective bargaining: If you have to bargain with a union about anything, you are liable to have to bargain with them about everything, and that includes things that you aren
Institute in Illinois Times: Online transparency crucial to fighting corruption in Illinois
Institute in Illinois Times: Online transparency crucial to fighting corruption in Illinois
The Illinois Policy Institute's Director of Government Reform, Brian Costin, submitted the following letter to the Illinois Times. An edited version appeared in the latest print edition
Are you sticking with the union?
Are you sticking with the union?
In the last two years, our Midwest neighbors in Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan have curtailed the power of labor unions.
Gov. Quinn
Gov. Quinn
Yes, Quinn
While Illinois burns, Moody’s threatens next downgrade
While Illinois burns, Moody’s threatens next downgrade
As the pension crisis threatens to engulf Illinois, legislators continue to fiddle. It’s no secret that Illinois has the worst-funded state pension systems in the nation. That’s an accepted fact by those on both sides of the aisle. Unfortunately, that fact hasn’t motivated any action from the state’s politicians. Now recent news point to even...
Institute in Chicago Tribune: Push for minimum wage hike intensifies as worker ranks swell
Institute in Chicago Tribune: Push for minimum wage hike intensifies as worker ranks swell
Many who lost middle-class jobs during the recession are taking low-paying positions. Employees and activist groups are pushing for a living wage.
While Illinois burns, Moody
While Illinois burns, Moody
As the pension debacle threatens to engulf Illinois, legislators continue to fiddle.
Bringing it all together: what Right to Work means for Michigan and its workers
Bringing it all together: what Right to Work means for Michigan and its workers
On Tuesday Michigan’s Legislature took the final steps in passing Right-to-Work legislation, and Gov. Rick Snyder signed the bill into law. Outside the Statehouse, union protesters became more agitated, tearing down a tent where Right-to-Work supporters had gathered (a handful of people were almost trapped inside the canvas) and assaulting a Fox News correspondent. In...