Two class action lawsuits looking to put a stop to the Chicago Public Schools' plan to shutter 53 elementary schools at the end of the academic year were filed in federal court today.
The ultra conservative billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch
reportedly have their eye on purchasing some or all of the Tribune
Company, which includes the Chicago Tribune and other major urban newspapers — and that has some local advocacy groups worried.
“It’s
hard enough to get our stories covered in mainstream papers from the
perspective of working families and communities of color,” said Amisha
Patel, executive director of the Grassroots Collaborative, a
community-labor coalition focused on racial and economic justice in the
state.
The Koch brothers, who Patel said are known for dismantling
the rights of workers and working families, would only be interested in
purchasing the Tribune Company and its assets so they can “pass
something off of it.”
Workers at Artistic Stitches
in Chicago’s Westside neighborhood of Ukrainian Village voted in favor
of joining the Workers United union last month, claiming lack of holiday
pay and other wage issues.
Labor representatives and
community activists gathered in front of the embroidery factory at 2639
W. Grand Ave. last Thursday to announce the decision by the 59
Artistic Stitches employees.
On Thursday, the Chicago City Council unanimously passed an ordinance that will make the city a national leader in the protection of employee wages. Employers in the city will be held accountable if found guilty of wage theft, thanks to the new ordinance, and could have their business licenses revoked, making the city one of only two municipalities in the nation that has such a law on its books. San Francisco is the only other American city to have similar wage theft safeguards.
“This ordinance helps change the conversation about good business. To be pro-business also includes caring about how employees are treated,” said Ald. Ameya Pawar (47th), who worked with Arise Chicago to get the ordinance passed. “I think this marks an important step in leveling the playing field for the many ethical business owners in our city."
Hundreds of Chicagoans marched down the Magnificent Mile
Thursday, chanting, carrying signs, and demanding a higher wage for downtown’s service
industry and retail workers.
Part of the Workers
Organizing Committee of Chicago’s “Fight For 15” campaign to raise the
minimum wage to $15 per hour, the protest started with a 4 p.m. rally at Cityfront
Plaza. As protesters chanted “we can’t survive on $8.25,” minimum wage
employees spoke of economic hardships and community leaders spoke in support of
raising wages for downtown’s food and retail employees.
“I have a step-child to look after, medical bills I can’t
afford and student loans I have to pay off, but I’m not making enough money,”
said Robert Wilson Jr., 25, a seven-year employee of the McDonald’s on Navy
Pier. Wilson makes $8.35 per hour.
“We work hard for little pay and we deserve way more than
what we’re getting,” he said.
Labor rights advocates are hopeful the findings of a new report will help shed some light on what they describe as the unfair treatment many domestic workers experience on the job.
Worker-rights advocates are calling on Chicago car wash owners to
clean up their act when it comes to providing a fair wage to their
workers, following the findings of a University of Illinois study that
found incidents involving wage theft and hazardous working conditions
appear to be a systemic problem within the industry throughout the
area.
The study found that more than 75 percent of car wash
workers received hourly pay that was below the state’s minimum wage of
$8.25, resulting in an average annual loss of $4,413 per worker and a total combined yearly loss of about $2.5 million. Read more »
A group of religious leaders said Wednesday it has been asked by the Chicago Teachers Union
to take on the role as witnesses to ensure the validity of the ballot
count, as union members currently vote to determine whether to authorize
the city’s first teachers' strike in 25 years.
Voting began
Wednesday morning for the more than 25,000 members of the country’s
third largest teachers' union, after nearly a year of negotiations
between the educators and the Chicago Board of Education that have stalled over issues regarding the length of school days, class sizes, pay raises and job security.
Amid
a backdrop that included the front of the Merchandise Mart building –
the location of where the vote count is to be conducted – clergy members
of the worker-rights advocacy group, Arise Chicago
said their involvement in the ballot count process was to ensure the
integrity of the process, and not to lend their support to any one side. Read more »
The ultra conservative billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch
reportedly have their 
Workers at 
On Thursday, the Chicago City Council unanimously passed an ordinance that will make the city a national leader in the protection of employee wages. Employers in the city will be held accountable if found guilty of wage theft, thanks to the new ordinance, and could have their business licenses revoked, making the city one of only two municipalities in the nation that has such a law on its books. San Francisco is the only other American city to have similar wage theft safeguards.
Hundreds of Chicagoans marched down the Magnificent Mile
Thursday, chanting, carrying signs, and demanding a higher wage for downtown’s service
industry and retail workers.
Worker-rights advocates are calling on Chicago car wash owners to
clean up their act when it comes to providing a fair wage to their
workers, following the findings of a University of Illinois study that
found incidents involving wage theft and hazardous working conditions
appear to be a systemic problem within the industry throughout the
area.
A group of religious leaders said Wednesday it has been asked by the 