5 examples of government union power over the people, and 2 solutions to fix the problem

By Mailee Smith

10/24/2017

While government worker unions have had a stranglehold on the people of Illinois for far too long, the state isn’t without hope. Illinois can follow the lead of other Midwestern states and enact labor reforms.

Budget Solutions 2018: Balancing the state budget without tax hikes

By Ted Dabrowski, Craig Lesner, John Klingner, Michael Lucci

01/31/2017

A set of structural reforms that protect taxpayers and put Illinois on the path to prosperity.

AFSCME: The 800-pound gorilla at the negotiating table

By Mailee Smith

11/14/2016

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees claims to be seeking a “fair contract” on behalf of Illinois state workers. But the power and influence exerted by the state’s largest government-worker union means the bargaining table almost always tilts in AFSCME’s favor. The reality is that AFSCME is the power player in negotiations...

What’s driving Illinois’ $111 billion pension crisis

By Ted Dabrowski, John Klingner

04/07/2016

Retirement ages, COLAs and out-of-sync pension payouts

Pensions 101: Understanding Illinois’ massive, government-worker pension crisis

By Ted Dabrowski, John Klingner

02/03/2016

The crisis threatens to burden taxpayers with massive, ever-escalating taxes to bail out a system that is not sustainable – government-worker pensions consume a fourth of the state’s budget.

Solving Illinois’ pension crisis

By Benjamin VanMetre, Ted Dabrowski

06/08/2015

Actuarial analysis offers options to transition to a defined-contribution retirement plan

Reforming Illinois Medicaid: How to cut waste, fraud and abuse

By Jonathan Ingram

05/20/2015

Medicaid is one of Illinois government’s largest and fastest-growing expenses, accounting for more than 28 percent of the state’s total operating budget.1 It has also been a prime target of waste, fraud and abuse, earning a “high risk” designation from the U.S. Government Accountability Office.2 Most states, including Illinois, have focused fraud-prevention efforts on provider...

The cost of Illinois’ broken pension systems: per-employee retirement contributions 4 times the private sector

12/09/2014

Illinois state government contributes the equivalent of 35 to 127 percent of government-worker salaries to keep its pension systems above water.

TAGS: budget, pensions, taxes

Millennials reject broken, traditional retirement benefits

07/23/2014

Most millennials don’t trust Social Security, according to a spring 2014 survey from Reason-Rupe: The report found that: “Fifty-three percent of millennials say Social Security is ‘unlikely’ to exist when they are 67 years old, while 45 percent say it probably will remain. But if it does exist at that time, even fewer millennials believe...

TAGS: Chicago, millennials, pensions

Pension benefits of Chicago workers

By Benjamin VanMetre

07/21/2014

The problem Opponents of pension reform at the state and local level often argue that the average government-worker pension is modest. In a May 2011 commentary, government union chiefs Ken Swanson and Henry Bayer wrote that “at the end of a working life devoted to public service, an Illinois teacher, firefighter or librarian retires with...

TAGS: Chicago, labor

Social Security

5 examples of government union power over the people, and 2 solutions to fix the problem

Budget Solutions 2018: Balancing the state budget without tax hikes

AFSCME: The 800-pound gorilla at the negotiating table

What’s driving Illinois’ $111 billion pension crisis

Pensions 101: Understanding Illinois’ massive, government-worker pension crisis

Solving Illinois’ pension crisis

Reforming Illinois Medicaid: How to cut waste, fraud and abuse

The cost of Illinois’ broken pension systems: per-employee retirement contributions 4 times the private sector

Millennials reject broken, traditional retirement benefits

Pension benefits of Chicago workers

Chicago Forward 2026: A pro-growth plan to end city budget deficits

Report Archive

Diana Graham

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

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