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Watch out for a little snow today and read these local stories from WTTW News.
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(Tiger Lily / Pexels)
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Apps like Veryable, Clipboard Health and ShiftKey operate in the temporary employment arena. The apps connect people looking for work with companies just as staffing agencies do, but assert they’re tech platforms exempt from regulations aimed at protecting temp workers. These companies have drawn millions in funding, hundreds of thousands of workers, and legal action over their labor practices — including here in Illinois.
Lawsuits against several of these companies have been filed on behalf of the Chicago Workers Collaborative, which argues that under the state law governing temp work, it’s irrelevant if the companies are direct employers. The CWC complaints to the Illinois Department of Labor charge that the apps have failed to register as temp staffing agencies with the state.
Some backstory:
The American Staffing Association estimated that as of 2021, there were 1,650 temp staffing agencies in Illinois with an annual payroll of $7.8 billion. Temps usually earn just 50-67% of workers hired directly by a company, according to a UIC study from 2022.
The Illinois Department of Labor granted the Chicago Workers Collaborative the right to sue seven companies but did not launch a significant investigation of its own.
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The Damen Silos, former grain elevators. (WTTW News)
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The proposed demolition of the Damen Silos has cleared a significant hurdle, gaining a key authorization from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Chicago’s Department of Buildings, in consultation with the Department of Public Health, still needs to weigh in on the demolition permit application, but the Corps’ approval was necessary due to the site’s location on the South Branch of the Chicago River. The massive silos — popular with urban explorers and famously featured in “Transformers: Age of Extinction” — date back more than a century but haven’t been used as grain elevators since the 1970s. Preservationists hope the silos could be saved and repurposed, but new owner Michael Tadin Jr., who bought the parcel of land for $6.5 million in 2022, hopes to turn the property into a “state-of-the-art headquarters” for his asphalt company MAT Limited Partnership.
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Arts and Culture Events From Marc Vitali
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Each Thursday, WTTW News arts correspondent Marc Vitali highlights the city’s can’t-miss cultural events. For the full list, click here.
The holidays are hectic, so why not go eclectic? Here’s a wide-ranging shortlist of good bets for seasonal art, culture and discovery.
“Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol” – Studebaker Theater
Shadow puppets plus live music add up to a handmade holiday haunting. Manual Cinema brings cinematic staging to a twist on Dickens’ timeless tale. Here’s some advice for any time of year: See everything Manual Cinema does. Dec. 18-29
“Michael McDermott: Mischief and Mistletoe” – City Winery
One of Chicago’s premier old school rockers plays a winter residency with a show that promises “mischief and mistletoe.” His latest recording, “Lighthouse on the Shore,” is a beaut, reminiscent of Springsteen at his most tender. Dec. 21-23
“Making an Impression: Immigrant Printing in Chicago” – Newberry Library
Immigrants powered the publishing and printing prowess of early Chicago. Intimate exhibitions like this at the Newberry are the tip of the iceberg; you can always go deeper to discover more. Through March 29, 2025
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Back in the Day: December 19, 1979 - Chicago Transit Strike Enters 3rd Day
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Right before Christmastime in 1979, Chicago transit workers went on strike. They had been without a contract since Dec. 1 and on Dec. 17, 11,000 members of the Amalgamated Transit Union walked off the job, leaving the CTA’s trains and buses inactive. They cited a 24-cent-per-hour raise and cost-of-living adjustments as demands. According to a Washington Post report, commuters were unaware of the strike as they waited in vain in below-freezing temperatures. Forty-five years ago on this date, the Chicago transit strike entered its third and penultimate day of action. By Dec. 20, 1979, a county judge had ordered workers to return to work immediately, for the city and the unions to submit to binding arbitration and to give workers their 24-cent raise.
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Where is the best place to get away from the Chicago winter? Whether it's a local oasis to warm up or an out-of-town destination, let us know and tell us why.
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published. |
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- A crop of new tech apps connecting temps with jobs — what it means for those workers.
- Local efforts to protect the declining monarch butterfly population.
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5:30 PM|10:00 PM |
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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry |
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