This month, we’re advancing our legislative agenda and standing in solidarity with partners fighting for transformative change in Springfield.
Clean Slate Lobby Day
Legislators are back in session, and our team is on the ground. Policy Director Anthony Bryant kicked off the season in Springfield, joining the Clean Slate lobby day to push for streamlined expungements.
Right now, over 2.2 million Illinoisans are eligible to clear their records—but due to costly fines, long backlogs, and complicated processes, only 10% have even started. This isn’t just red tape; it’s a systemic barrier keeping families in poverty and workers locked out of good jobs.
At Raise the Floor, we’ve seen firsthand how criminal records are weaponized against low-income communities long after sentences are served. That’s why we’re proud to support the Clean Slate Coalition in the fight to end these permanent punishments.
The Clean Slate Act would change lives by automatically sealing and expunging records, breaking down barriers to employment, housing, and economic security. This isn’t just about second chances—it’s about economic justice. Clearing these records strengthens our workforce, boosts our economy, and gives people the power to advocate for their rights on the job.
On our Radar: Project 2025 closes in on Child Labor
In the past year alone, we’ve seen a surge in child labor violations, with migrant children forced into grueling, dangerous jobs in meatpacking plants, factories, and construction sites. Instead of strengthening protections across the nation, lawmakers want to roll them back—legalizing longer hours, riskier conditions, and lower standards for minors. Here’s what you need to know:
- The far-right authoritarian agenda, Project 2025, proposes eliminating protections against hazardous work for children and calls on the U.S. Department of Labor to “amend its hazard-order regulations to permit teenage workers access to work in regulated jobs with proper training and parental consent.” Project 2025 asserts that children should be able to work in risky jobs if it interests them and that child labor permits limit parental rights.
- States like Iowa, Missouri, Ohio, Arkansas, and even New Jersey have passed laws to lower age limits, extend working hours, and eliminate work permits for children as young as 14 years old.
- Republicans claim that tearing down child work permits reduce arbitrary burdens, but recent research from the Economic Policy Institute shows that this is far from the truth. Between 2008 and 2020, states that mandated work permits saw 15.5% fewer child labor violation cases and 35.2% fewer minors involved in violations compared with states that had no requirements. Work permits ensure informed consent from parents and guardians, on the conditions and responsibilities their kids take on outside of their supervision.
- Federal law sets minimum child labor protections, but some states are rolling back standards. While the FLSA sets basic rules on hours and hazardous work, key safeguards—like rest breaks and overnight shift limits for teens—are left to the states.
Worker Centers in the News
Advocate groups rally at Illinois Capitol for Clean Slate Bill - WTWO NBC
“We want to do all that we can to make sure that we’re providing a real opportunity for those individuals who are in need. And most certainly for those who have been incarcerated so they can come back into our communities and be positive, productive members of our society.”
- Isiah Brandon, member of the Worker Center for Racial Justice
It’s Time for a United Front to Take on Billionaire Rule - In These Times
“Workers’ centers like Arise Chicago, Chicago Community and Workers’ Rights, [...] as well as unions [...] have held numerous trainings since the presidential election to get residents prepared, building on what they learned and experienced during Trump’s first term in the White House.
"Martin Unzueta from Chicago Community and Workers’ Rights says 60 Latino Teamsters from Local 703 attended the Know Your Rights trainings.”
Boletín Migrante - Lumpen Radio
Co-Hosted by Rosi Carrasco of Chicago Community and Workers Rights, "Boletín Migrante" offers in-depth analysis and heartfelt discussions by engaging with guest activists, experts, and migrant voices. The program combats fear and confusion and strengthens community bonds through shared stories of resistance and resilience. Listen to the next one live on March 5th at 9 AM on 105.5 FM or lumpenradio.com
What Makes Day Labor so Difficult for Chicago Migrants - South Side Weekly
“A lot of what makes Chicago the city it is has been done by day laborers, who have to seek work at corner hiring sites where they expose themselves to 100-degree-plus weather, negative-20-degree weather, rain storms [and] snow, because we currently do not have a system to ensure that work can be guaranteed as a right,” said Miguel Alvelo Rivera, executive director of Latino Union of Chicago.
"Unlike publicly funded hiring halls in California and Texas, where day laborers can safely connect with contractors and negotiate pay rates, Chicago’s day labor industry is rife with wage theft, unsafe working conditions, physical violence and exploitation, City Bureau found.
Trump 2.0 - Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
“Groups like these fighting for immigrants have coordinated responses to ICE raids.” RTF member Arise Chicago, along with our partners at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and the Resurrection Project were mentioned on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
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