The report, Challenging the Business of Fear, features first-of-its-kind research based on surveys and interviews with nearly 300 workers employed in a broad cross-section of Illinois’ low-wage industries. Collaborators, Raise the Floor Alliance, a coalition of Chicago-area worker centers, and the National Economic and Social Rights Initiative (NESRI), captured what happened when these workers were injured or tried to address abuse at work.

Read the full report below

Read the Executive Summary here

New data, prepared in partnership with the National Employment Law Project (NELP), shines a light on the grim reality of unjust and arbitrary firings in Illinois.

On Tuesday January 12, 2020, worker justice organizations released "The COVID Jungle: Chicagoland’s Essential Food Workers and the Need for Vaccination Priority." Chicagoland is home to the country’s second largest food economy. Food production and warehousing in its suburbs make up a who’s who of major food corporations including Mars Wrigley, Trader Joe’s, Starbucks, Skinny Pops, McDonalds and more. This first-of-its-kind report shows how essential food workers, who have made quarantining possible during the pandemic, could be overlooked for life-saving vaccine priority because they’re temporary workers. The report is a result of 90 worker interviews in food production, distribution, and logistics currently working in the Chicago area throughout the pandemic, and includes first-hand worker testimonies.