Chicago is still a city of deep inequality. According to Jack Grieve at Crains, Chicago has the 10th biggest income gap in the country.
Brushing back Little Lord Reinsdorf, Governor J.B. Pritzker, said he was ‘reluctant’ to give public subsidies for an unnecessary new White Sox ballpark in the South Loop. So far the White Sox and the developer, Related Midwest, have been selling a $2-4 billion ask, claiming it wouldn’t raise new taxes. As Field of Schemes points out, this is not true. While “the old “no new or increased taxes” line” might sound good as a sales pitch “extending a tax that would otherwise expire is 100% a new tax.”
After a 60 day push, workers at Mercedes-Benz’s Alabama plant say a majority have signed union cards in support of joining the United Auto Workers (UAW). This follows autoworkers at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, TN who also reached a majority of union card signees this month. Labor reporter Luis Feliz Leon is worth a follow on twitter and at Labor Notes for more.
In Cullman, Alabama on July 1, 2019, a 15 year old fell over 50 feet to his death. It was his first day on the job (illegally) for roofing contractor Apex Roofing & Restoration LLC. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the Alabama roofing contractor just paid a $117,175 fine to the federal government. The same report said the labor department’s Wage and Hour Division found child labor violations “in more than 950 investigations” in 2023. As states like Alabama attempt to loosen child labor laws, child labor violations are rising. The Economic Policy Institute found a 383% rise in Department of Labor reported violations from 2015-2022.