United States Department of Labor

How unions spend workers’ money

By David Giuliani
02/09/2015
In 2013, SEIU Healthcare Illinois-Indiana spent a total of $1.5 million on such things as hotels, air travel, rental cars, and restaurants and catering. These “extras” represent the money of 3,092 members and nonmembers, or 3.3 percent of the union’s total membership.

TAGS: labor

IEA continues wasteful union spending

By Paul Kersey
10/10/2014
The Illinois Education Association, or IEA, has gotten even more wasteful, according to new LM-2 spending reports filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. IEA has a history of being a very wasteful union. In my review of union spending, I went through IEA operations spending – money that went into representation, politics and lobbying,...

TAGS: labor, unions

401(k)-style retirement plans are the new normal; Illinois should get on board

By Benjamin VanMetre
07/30/2014
401(k)-style retirement plans have become America’s primary retirement vehicle. In 1985, only one in 10 Fortune 100 companies offered 401(k)-style retirement plans to their employees. Today, seven in 10 Fortune 100 companies provide only defined-contribution, 401(k)-style retirement plans to new employees. This trend is in line with the private sector overall, where nearly 85 percent of...

Illinois paid out $266M in improper unemployment insurance payments

By Brian Costin
01/14/2014
Earlier this week in a televised White House address President Barack Obama said, “I can’t name a time where I met an American who would rather have an unemployment check than the pride of having a job.” But Obama’s statement is contrary to recent statistics released by the U.S. Department of Labor, which show many...

TAGS: unemployment

Illinois unemployment stalls at 9.5 percent

By Chris Andriesen
03/31/2013
The Illinois Department of Employment Security announced today that the Illinois unemployment rate remained at 9.5 percent in March. Three months ago it was 8.6 percent.

Progressive income tax: Brought to you by Illinois unions

By Paul Kersey
08/21/2012
A coalition of progressive groups is beginning to coalesce around a proposal to create a progressive income tax in Illinois.  Under their plan state income tax rates will increase as one reaches higher incomes, up to a top rate of 11 percent for incomes over $1 million.  This plan would leave Illinois with one of...

Illinois adds jobs yet unemployment rises to 10.1 percent

11/22/2011
by Emily Dietrich Illinois’ economy added 30,000 jobs in the month of October. However, the state’s unemployment rate ticked up to 10.1 percent. This contradiction leaves many wondering: did the Illinois jobs market improve or not? To evaluate the jobs market, economists rely on two surveys produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS. The...