Illinois

What Illinois Policy Institute’s pension plan means for teachers

By Ted Dabrowski
11/15/2013
The pension crisis has left teachers at risk of losing everything they’re counting on for retirement. Teachers deserve choice and control over their future. The Illinois Policy Institute supports freeing teachers from the bad choices of unpredictable Illinois politicians. Here’s our approach for treating everybody fairly: Pension benefits earned to date are paid. Going forward,...

TAGS: 401(k), education, pensions, teacher salaries

Boeing latest Fortune 100 company to offer 401(k) retirement plans

By Paul Kersey
11/14/2013
The International Association of Machinists rejected an eight-year contract offer from Boeing Co. yesterday, according to the Chicago Tribune. The contract extension would’ve ensured that production of Boeing’s 777X plane would continue in Washington state – in exchange for several cost-cutting measures, including moving employees to a 401(k)-style retirement plan by 2016. If all had...

TAGS: 401(k)

Illinois legislators introduce bills to kill the state charter school commission

11/14/2013
The state charter school commission is under attack. State Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, D-Aurora, has contempt for the state charter school commission, even though she voted for its creation more than two years ago. It was on full display the last time Jeanne Nowaczewski – the commission’s executive director – appeared in front of the...

TAGS: Charter Authorizer Task Force, charter schools, ISBE: Illinois State Board of Education, Jeanne Nowaczewski, Kimberly Lightford, Linda Chapa LaVia, school choice, vouchers

More than 216,000 Illinois Medicaid enrollees found ineligible

By Jonathan Ingram
11/14/2013
In January, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, or HFS, began a new project verifying eligibility for Illinois’ Medicaid enrollees. For years, state workers had failed to take adequate steps to ensure the people receiving Medicaid benefits were actually eligible for the program. As an Auditor General report noted, state workers failed to verify basic...

TAGS: fraud, Medicaid

ObamaCare: Illinois enrollment numbers

By Naomi Lopez Bauman
11/13/2013
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services just released the much-anticipated enrollment numbers for the ObamaCare health insurance exchanges. But instead of reporting on actual enrollments, the administration is, instead, reporting on the number of people who have put a health plan in their checkout cart, but haven’t actually checked out. The distinction is...

TAGS: ACA: Affordable Care Act, Get Covered Illinois

Illinois has fourth-largest portion of tax revenues coming from corporate income taxes in the nation

By Benjamin VanMetre
11/13/2013
Illinois’ corporate income tax rate is already the fourth-highest in the industrialized world. Yet some lawmakers want to push rates even higher. State Rep. Naomi Jakobsson, D-Champaign, wants swap out Illinois’ constitutionally protected flat rate income tax on corporations with a progressive income tax hike. And that would be on top of the fact that...

TAGS: corporate income tax, fair tax, flat tax, graduated income tax, Naomi Jakobsson, progressive income tax

Illinois General Assembly passes bill to help Teamsters who picketed funerals

11/12/2013
Since July, Illinois Teamsters have been on strike against funeral home operator Service Corporation International, or SCI, because SCI didn’t offer a contract that the union found satisfactory. At first, the Teamsters fought their battle by aggressively picketing funeral homes SCI owns in Illinois. Among other things, strikers at Illinois funeral homes reportedly blocked mourners...

TAGS: Service Corporation International, Teamsters, Tony Munoz

Will County AFSCME workers file strike notice against county

By Paul Kersey
11/10/2013
The Herald-News is reporting that American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1028 have filed a strike notice against Will County. About 1,000 county employees could go on strike as early as Wednesday, Nov. 13. The union wants a larger cost-of-living pay raise than the county is offering, and the union is also...

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, strike

Half of Illinois Medicaid enrollees reviewed found ineligible

By Jonathan Ingram
11/08/2013
In January, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, or HFS, began a new project verifying eligibility for Illinois’ 2.7 million Medicaid enrollees. For years, state workers had failed to take adequate steps to ensure the people receiving Medicaid benefits were actually eligible for the program. As an Auditor General report noted, state workers failed to...

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, fraud, Medicaid, Pat Quinn

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Fighting poverty with employment: Chicago block clubs

Leaders of these organizations on the South and West sides connect residents to jobs and engage youth to build safer neighborhoods.

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Diana Graham

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

By Paul Kersey
06/19/2014

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students

By Ted Dabrowski
05/02/2016