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Labor
PI Original
by Josh Kalven
2:59pm
Thu Aug 27, 2009

Rep. Hare On The Closure Of Rock Island's Seaford Clothing Plant

Labor

In addition to chatting about health care reform yesterday, I also asked Rep. Phil Hare (D-IL) about the abrupt closure of the Seaford Clothing plant in his district earlier this month. 

A bit of background: The Rock Island factory was owned and operated by Hartmarx Inc...

PI Original
by Angela Caputo
2:32pm
Wed Aug 26, 2009

The Future Of (Limited) Employer-Sponsored Health Care

Labor

Yesterday, employees at the SK Hand Tool Corp.'s factories in Chicago and McCook hit the picket line in protest of their company's decision to pull the plug abruptly on their health insurance benefits. The Sun-Times made a trip out to the site and talked with workers like ...

PI Original
by Angela Caputo
4:11pm
Fri Aug 21, 2009
1 comment

2010 Grab Bag: Giannoulias Snags More Endorsements, Republicans Unravel, and Meet President Preckwinkle? (UPDATED)

IL-11

Here's our latest roundup on 2010 political news ... Giannoulias Snags More Endorsements Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias racked up a few more endorsements this week, including one from the Illinois Democratic County Chairman’s Association (ILDCCA)  on ...

PI Original
by Angela Caputo
4:04pm
Thu Aug 20, 2009
1 comment

Another Uptick In The Unemployment Rate

Economy

When the Bureau of Labor Statistics recently released a rather
encouraging jobs report showing that the national unemployment rate
actually fell in July --  for the first time in 15 months --  we wondered
if Illinois' rate would follow suit. Today the state's latest ...

PI Original
by Progress Illinois
8:37pm
Fri Aug 7, 2009
2 comments

Dispute Over Hartmarx Sale Costs Rock Island 300 Jobs

Labor

This evening, the Sun-Times, the Tribune, and Crain's all have articles up on the final sale of bankrupt suitmaker Hartmarx Inc. to British private equity firm Emerisque, but only the Quad-City Times has the full story.  And it includes some bad news.

Apparently, a last-...

PI Original
by Angela Caputo
5:16pm
Tue Jul 28, 2009
3 comments

Illinois' Green Job Boom Moves Closer

Environment

There were some low points along the road, but last year's workers' rights battle
at Republic Windows and Doors ended on a euphoric note when the
factory's workers won back their withheld wages and vacation time. The
good feelings didn't end there, though. When California-...

PI Original
by Adam Doster
1:07pm
Tue Jul 28, 2009

Hare Co-Sponsors Wage Theft Law

Labor

Kim Bobo and the folks at Chicago's Interfaith Worker Justice have almost single-handedly pushed the issue of wage theft into the national political conversation. Bobo's book Wage Theft in America
argued persuasively that, under the Bush administration, lax regulation
in ...

PI Original
by Josh Kalven
9:26am
Mon Jul 27, 2009
1 comment

IL-SEN: With "Hartmarx Heroes" By His Side, Giannoulias Makes It Official

IL-U.S. Senate

With events in both downtown Chicago and Springfield yesterday, State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias officially launched his Democratic campaign for U.S. Senate. Here's an excerpt from his speech in Springfield, where he was introduced by Sangamon County Democratic Party ...

PI Original
by Adam Doster
12:36pm
Fri Jul 24, 2009

IBEW Hits Back At Manzullo

Health Care

Since most health care experts have generally good things to say
about the insurance coverage provided to members of Congress and other
federal employees, we thought it was a bit ridiculous
that GOP Rep. Don Manzullo -- a vocal opponent of health care reform --
would tell ...