Wisconsin

Unions outpace corporations in super PAC spending

By Justin Hegy
09/13/2013
Labor unions are losing influence, popularity and the fight over labor policy in many states. To soften their fall, unions have dramatically increased political spending. A study from the Center for Public Integrity shows labor unions have notably increased political spending nationally in the first half of 2013. During the six-month period, unions contributed $10 million to...

It’s time for Illinois politicians to embrace school choice

By Chris Andriesen
09/13/2013
Kyle Olson Publisher, Founder and CEO EAGnews.org America is supposed to be about freedom. One of the founding principles of our country is that we are naturally endowed with the inalienable right to choose how we want to live our lives. We drive the cars we want. We shop where we want. We live where...

Labor reform continues to gain popularity

By Paul Kersey
09/09/2013
Labor law reform has been popular in a lot of neighboring states, with Wisconsin passing an overhaul of its government union law, and Michigan and Indiana adopting right-to-work. The move toward greater union accountability could pick up again if Missouri sets up a referendum on right-to-work, as it might as early as next year. Labor...

Tattered union label

By Paul Kersey
08/31/2013
Unions exist to give workers greater leverage in negotiating over compensation and working conditions, and to give them some protection from unfair treatment at the hands of management. If union officials are doing their jobs well, workers should be receiving better wages and benefits, and should be more secure in their jobs. But that’s not...

Quinn signs 70 mph speed limit law for Illinois

By Brian Costin
08/19/2013
Gov. Quinn signed into law Senate Bill 2356, which increases speed limits on rural highways to 70 miles per hour. The limit increase only affects highways outside of urban areas. Highways within Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, Madison, McHenry, St. Clair, and Will counties will be able to opt out through local ordinances. According to the Chicago Tribune:...

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Illinois business moves headquarters to Wisconsin

By Hilary Gowins
08/08/2013
EMCO Chemicals Distributors Inc., a chemical manufacturer, packager and distributor, announced the grand opening of its brand new, 260,000-square-foot-facility in Pleasant Prairie, Wis. That’s bad news for Illinois, as the company’s headquarters was previously located about 20 miles south in North Chicago. EMCO earns more than $300 million annually in sales, and is now the...

Illinois should look to Wisconsin and Indiana for education reform inspiration

07/15/2013
by Josh Dwyer Illinois’ education system is struggling. Fewer than half of public school students are college-ready in reading, math and science, and last year82 percent of Illinois districts failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress – a key measure in No Child Left Behind that gauges school success. What’s even more startling is that these poor outcomes...

Summer 2013 Compass quarterly magazine is here

06/19/2013
by Daniel Anthony Each quarter the Illinois Policy Institute produces Compass, a quarterly  publication filled with original writing on topics that will help make Illinois first in economic outlook and job creation. Compass also promotes personal freedom and prosperity in Illinois and America. This issue of Compass focuses on the power of school choice. Many...

Congress Hotel strike shows how union representation can leave workers worse off

06/01/2013
by Paul Kersey The 10-year strike by housekeepers at the Congress Hotel was not actually the longest in U.S. history. Teamsters at Diamond Walnuts in California staged a walkout that lasted 14 years before agreeing to a contract. But the length of the strike and the sad way the Congress Hotel strike ended demolishes a fond...