For A Living

Episode 10: Ten Ways Unions Benefit the Economy In a solo podcast, Frank discusses the following 10 examples of how unions can-- and do-- improve the economy: 1. Union workers earn higher wages; 2. Unions reduce income inequality; 3. Union workers receive less government assistance; 4. Union workers contribute more in taxes; 5. Unions increase productivity in some sectors; 6. Unions reduce turnover rates; 7. Unions fight against child labor; 8. Unions fight against discrimination; 9. Unions bargain for efficient contracts; and 10. Unions fight against the power of owners, especially in sports. For more, please see a 2015 report: http://illinoisepi.org/countrysidenonprofit/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/ILEPI-Economic-Commentary-Unions-Increasing-Efficiency-Ten-Examples.pdf

Episode 9: All Policy Is Local Bob, Emily, and Frank discuss state and local initiatives to support workers. Topics include the minimum wage, paid sick time, paid safe time, fair scheduling laws, prevailing wage laws, responsible bidder ordinances, local hire ordinances, and other policies. Please check www.illinoisupdate.com for additional information and links to relevant reports.

Episode 8: Reducing African-American Unemployment What are the causes of high African-American unemployment, particularly in Illinois? What policies and economic phenomena make a statistical impact on reducing unemployment among African Americans? Bob, Emily, and Frank discuss these questions and offer solutions to address African-American joblessness. “Policies to Reduce African-American Unemployment: Investments in Education, Infrastructure, Public Employment, and Housing” by Bruno, Manzo, and Manzo can be found here: https://illinoisupdate.com/2017/02/06/7-ways-to-reduce-african-american-unemployment-in-illinois/

Episode 7: What If? This episode asks the question, “What If?” What if American labor unions had been less membership-driven and more active on broader social and economic issues? Would the United States have a workers' party? What public policies would we have today? The episode also discusses the Women’s March on Washington and the general lack of a union presence at the marches. Finally, the episode transitions from thinking about “what if?” to pondering “what now?” Mentioned in the episode are the “Guiding Vision and Definition of Principles” for the Women’s March on Washington, available here: https://www.womensmarch.com/principles/

Episode 6: Class and the 2016 Elections This episode continues last week’s conversation about class, discussing class and the 2016 elections and trends affecting the working class. Professor Stephanie Farmer of Roosevelt University once again joins Bob, Emily, and Frank!

Episode 5: What is Class? What is class? How do we think about class? What is the working class in the United States? Did U.S. workers ever have a “class consciousness?” Stephanie Farmer, PhD joins Bob, Emily, and Frank to discuss these questions. Stephanie is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Roosevelt University in Chicago, IL.

What impact does international free trade have on workers? Is it mostly good, mostly bad, or somewhere in between? How can states capitalize on the economic benefits of trade while mitigating the losses? ILEPI Policy Director Frank Manzo IV, MPP discusses international trade.

Episode 3: Right-to-Work Regulations and Unions. What are so-called "right-to-work" laws? What is the historical background of these laws? What are their policy implications for the working class? Where are current political and legal battles occurring? Frank, Emily, and Bob are joined by Dale Pierson, a Chicago-area labor lawyer who has served as General Counsel of the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 150 since 2002, to answer these questions.

Episode 2: Policies that Work for Workers. This episode is a continuation of Episode 1: "What Work Is." Hosts Frank Manzo IV, MPP, Robert Bruno, PhD, and Emily E. LB. Twarog, PhD have a general conversation about public policies that support workers. Future episodes will focus on specific policies. We'll do our best to improve overall sound quality in Episode 3.

Episode 1: What Work Is. Frank Manzo IV, MPP is the Policy Director of the Illinois Economic Policy Institute (ILEPI). He earned a Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and an Advanced Certificate of Labor Studies from the University of Illinois. He specializes in labor market analysis, economic development, infrastructure investment, the low-wage labor force, and public finance. Robert Bruno, PhD is a Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign School of Labor and Employment Relations and the Director of the School’s Labor Education Program. He also directs the Project for Middle Class Renewal at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research focuses broadly on working-class, middle-class, and union studies issues. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy in Political Theory from New York University and his Master of Arts in Political Science from Bowling Green State University. Emily E. LB. Twarog, PhD is an Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign School of Labor and Employment Relations and the Director of the Regina V. Polk Women’s Labor Leadership Conference. Her research focuses on the history of consumer activism and gender, motherhood and working-class women, intersections of feminism and class, and the history of labor union auxiliaries. She earned her Doctor of Philosophy in American History from the University of Illinois at Chicago and her Master of Arts in American History from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.