Recent cuts in federal spending could mean $8 billion in lost funds and increased costs for Illinois, with employment expected to decline by 86,000 jobs by 2029, according to economist Frank Manzo with the Illinois Economic Policy Institute. The state’s overall economy is expected to shrink by $10 billion as a result. That will reduce state tax revenues by more than $1 billion, partly due to changes that favor corporations and a decline in overall economic activity, he said.
Int’l labor condemns attack on Venezuela. The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations have condemned the bombing of Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro as breaking international law.
“These acts in no way defend democracy; they are clear acts of aggression as part of a militarized foreign-policy agenda motivated by unilateral economic interests,” said ITUC General Secretary Luc Triangle.
Rafael Freire, General Secretary of the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas, added, “We, the trade union movement of the Americas, condemn the military aggression and kidnapping of President Maduro and his partner Cilia Flores … The trade union movement, as always, is on the front line of defending sovereignty and self-determination, democracy and human rights.”
State fed backing Budzinski and Nolley. The Illinois AFL-CIO decided to refrain from endorsing some candidates in the March 17 primary.
“We have a lot of friends with strong labor voting records in many of the districts,” said Illinois AFL-CIO President Tim Drea. “We will be there for these (nominees) next fall.”
The federation came out in favor of Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss for the 9th Congressional District, incumbent and Peoria native Nikki Budzinski in the 13th, and Rockford Democrat Paul Nolley in his bid to unseat Republican Darin LaHood in the 16th.
NLRB suing states that protect workers. The Trump administration has a National Labor Relations Board that has no quorum and now has new, anti-union appointees. So some states have empowered state agencies to protect workers’ rights, causing the Trump administration to sue states. That could affect Illinois’ Workers Rights Amendment, which was approved by voters in 2022.
Construction unions rallying against Trump’s attacks on wind. After President Trump’s Interior Secretary, Doug Burgum, announced that construction on offshore wind projects will be halted due to “national security concerns,” the building trades demanded that the administration “stop playing politics with our jobs.”
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers called the move “a direct attack on American workers.”
At press time, three federal judges ruled that offshore wind projects off the coasts of New England, New York and Virginia can continue construction.
— News briefs courtesy of The Labor Paper.“Like” us — www.facebook.com/The-Labor-Paper