Another group of workers in Illinois have rallied and voted to kick a union out of their workplace. Workers at Tri-State Asphalt in Morris voted to cut ties with Teamsters Local 179. The vote – conducted by the National Labor Relations Board Region 25 – was one-sided, with 80% of the employees voting to reject the union. Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work Foundation, said the practice is becoming more common. “A union member today is more likely to be involved in a vote to try to get the union out of their workplace as a nonunion

Pritzker said the plant converting to a full-time EV plant is not out of the question. “EV is a much larger enterprise. Typically they are co-locating, which is something Stellantis is especially focused on,” Pritzker said. “They need a lot of land, but fortunately, Belvidere has a lot of land, and they own that land. I think we are in a good position to help them into what is the next phase of manufacturing in Belvidere.”

The Danville, Kankakee, Decatur and Rockford metropolitan statistical areas all had unemployment rates higher than 5% in October, with Rockford being the worst at 5.9%. All were higher than the statewide rate of 4.6% rate – the worst state rate in the nation.

State Rep. Deanne Mazzochi is seeking a discovery recount in the District 45 race, in which her Democratic opponent was certified the winner.

As he works with the Legislature for additional tools to lure and retain automotive jobs, including a new “deal closing” fund and tax credits, Pritzker hinted he’s trying to land an auto-assembly plant and a battery factory in Belvidere. Pritzker is seeking more flexibility with incentives to preserve or create jobs associated with the transition from conventional automobile manufacturing to electric vehicles. When Pritzker first floated the idea of a closing fund to Crain’s in October, he suggested $1 billion would put Illinois on a level

“So, keep an eye on the Senate, where the presiding officer has been a vociferous proponent of gun law reform his entire career, but whose caucus contains a sizable number of moderates who have wanted to shy away from such legislation.”

The CBS 2 Investigators conducted an exhaustive analysis of how thousands of child abuse and neglect allegations, dating back to 2016, were handled by DCFS. We obtained never before seen data revealing a deeply troubling pattern. When an allegation of child abuse or neglect is made, nine out of ten times DCFS classifies it as unfounded.

Signing a proclamation that the measure is now law, the governor said, “I am so proud to be the most pro-labor, pro-worker governor in the nation.”

“Our committee members are ready to get to work,” said Council 31 Executive Director Roberta Lynch, “but they will need the active and unified grassroots support of union members from one end of this state to the other to make sure that we continue to build on past progress and employees once again can secure the wage increases, benefit enhancements and expanded job rights they deserve.”