Labor-union membership in Illinois: Public vs. private

By Naomi Lopez Bauman

04/01/2015

Only 10 percent of private-sector workers in Illinois belong to a union. But over half of public-sector workers are unionized.

State and local policy solutions can help Granite City keep Steel in town

By Michael Lucci

03/25/2015

Illinois municipalities that are tired of seeing their manufacturing base hollowed out can take action to end the exodus.

TAGS: jobs, right to work

Illinois labor-union membership in 10 charts

By Naomi Lopez Bauman

03/10/2015

One in 10 workers in the private, for-profit sector are union members in Illinois – 1 in 12 in the nonprofit sector. But more than half of Illinois’ government workers belong to a union.

TAGS: membership

Illinois pension plans 39% funded, taxpayers on the hook for $105 billion in liabilities: It will get worse

02/27/2015

Numerous U.S. pension plans are in deep, deep trouble, and Illinois is at the top of the list. Plan assumptions cannot and will not be met.

TAGS: pensions

Rauner’s budget defunds cronyism, embraces growth

By Michael Lucci

02/18/2015

The governor’s agenda should be cause for optimism across the state: competitiveness, not cronyism, is the right path forward to spark an Illinois comeback.

TAGS: employment, jobs

Out-migration is breaking Illinois budgets

By Michael Lucci

01/25/2015

Twenty years of flight have wreaked havoc on state and local budgets, causing an estimated $7.6 billion in tax-revenue losses annually. Any long-term fix to Illinois’ budget crisis must address the state’s out-migration crisis.

TAGS: budget

5 takeaways from Rauner’s inaugural speech

By Hilary Gowins

01/13/2015

Five things to remember from Governor Bruce Rauner's Inaugural speech

TAGS: Bruce Rauner, budget

Illinois had record mass exodus in 2014

By Michael Lucci

01/07/2015

The stunning data underscore an important point as power shifts to Governor-elect Bruce Rauner: Illinois cannot raise taxes on a population that is shrinking due to massive numbers of people leaving.

TAGS: jobs

Illinois paychecks shrink

By Michael Lucci

08/11/2014

Illinoisans enjoyed a larger paycheck than their Iowa counterparts for 30 years – until 2012. For the first time ever, the median household in Iowa surpassed its Illinois counterpart, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. If you lined up all households in order of income, the median household would be the one in the very...

Illinois pension debt ranks second-worst in the nation

By John Klingner

07/11/2014

Illinois has once again earned the dubious honor of having one of the worst pension crises in the nation. This week, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, or CEI, released a report, “Understanding Public Pension Debt,” which combined the state rankings of several different pension debt studies, including reports by Moody’s Investors Service and the U.S. Census...

TAGS: Chicago, debt, pensions

United States Census Bureau

Labor-union membership in Illinois: Public vs. private

State and local policy solutions can help Granite City keep Steel in town

Illinois labor-union membership in 10 charts

Illinois pension plans 39% funded, taxpayers on the hook for $105 billion in liabilities: It will get worse

Rauner’s budget defunds cronyism, embraces growth

Out-migration is breaking Illinois budgets

5 takeaways from Rauner’s inaugural speech

Illinois had record mass exodus in 2014

Illinois paychecks shrink

Illinois pension debt ranks second-worst in the nation

FAQ: How the federal scholarship program would help Illinois students

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