Governor Pritzker is celebrating the passage of the Workers’ Rights Amendment to the Illinois Constitution. Pritzker issued a proclamation announcing the passage of the amendment, which adds constitutional protections for workers who wish to unionize. The measure passed with more than 54 percent of total ballots cast in last month’s election.
Outgoing U.S. Representative Adam Kinzinger is taking shots at his own political party.
During his farewell speech, the Channahon Republican said the Republican party has
“embraced lies and deceit.” The US Air Force veteran said Republicans believe that limited government means inciting violence against government officials. He also warned that he feared that U.S. Democracy “will fall into the ash heap of history.” Kinzinger announced last year that he wouldn’t seek another term in the House.
Illinois officials are touting the state’s job growth. The Illinois Department of Employment Security says the state reached 18 consecutive months of job growth last month. The unemployment rate did increase by point-one percentage point to four-point-seven percent. However, non-farm payrolls increased by more than 17-thousand in November.
ComEd is funding a program to electrify low-income homes in northern Illinois. Through the 40-million-dollar program, low-income customers will receive a variety of free upgrades that will help lower their energy usage and overall energy costs. Upgrades may include heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, induction or electric stoves, and electric or heat pump clothes dryers.
Amazon failed to correctly record work-related injuries at warehouses located in five states, a federal agency said Friday while announcing it issued more than a dozen citations during the course of its ongoing investigation of the company. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said it handed out 14 citations during inspections over the summer at six Amazon warehouses in New York, Florida, Illinois, Colorado and Idaho. The citations were for failing to record, or misclassifying, injuries and illnesses, not recording them within the required time, and not giving the agency “timely” records of such matters.
An auto plant in northern Illinois is expected to close early next year with hundreds of
workers being laid off due to the challenge of rising costs related to the electric vehicle
market and other factors. Stellantis says Friday that its Belvidere Assembly Plant will be idled effective Feb. 28 as the automaker “considers other avenues to optimize operations.” About 1,350 people are employed at the plant