Manufacturing Industry News

First-in-the-Midwest Submarine Manufacturing Program
Will Help Strengthen Our Country’s Submarine Industrial Base

SCHAUMBURG, IL – Not since the Cold War has the United States Navy seen such a significant demand for building new submarines. Supporting the Navy’s efforts to maintain our country’s strategic undersea advantage in an increasingly complex international security environment, BlueForge Alliance has engaged the Technology & Manufacturing Association (TMA) to launch a new manufacturing training programs to ensure the country has the workforce it needs to build a new generation of submarines.

​More at https://tmanews.com/tma-partners-with-blueforge-alliance-to-boost-us-submarine-fleet/ 

NEW ILLINOIS EMPLOYMENT LAWS for 2024

With the start of a new year, Illinois employers face some new state laws.
INCREASE IN STATE MINIMUM WAGE
Illinois has increased its minimum wage from $13.00 to $14.00 per hour statewide, including Cook County (except Chicago). The minimum wage for employees in Chicago is higher.

• For large Chicago businesses employing 21 or more workers, the minimum wage for employees is $15.80 per hour

• For smaller Chicago businesses employing between 4-20 workers, the minimum wage for employees is $15.00 per hour

Employers with less than 4 employees are required to comply with the State minimum wage, except for employers of domestic workers who are to be paid at $15.80 per hour. 
STATUTORY PAID LEAVE FOR ANY REASON 

More at https://tmanews.com/2024-illinois-employment-laws/ 

BY TMA HR PARTNER SESCO MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS –
Just over a month after passing the Chicago Paid Leave and Paid Sick Leave Ordinance (the Ordinance), which brought sweeping new paid leave and paid sick leave requirements to employers with Chicago employees, the city has amended the Ordinance to delay its effective date and limit the number of covered employees.

​More at https://tmanews.com/chicago-2023-paid-leave-delayed/tmanews.com/chicago-2023-paid-leave-delayed/

By Jeffrey A. Risch of Amundsen Davis
With the January 1, 2024, effective date of the Illinois Paid Leave for All Workers Act (IPLAWA) quickly approaching, employers need to ensure they are analyzing their existing paid leave policies to determine what changes need to be made before the end of 2023.

​More information at tmanews.com/tmaillinois-paidleave-2023effect/

Temp Workers to Receive Same Benefits as Full-Time Employees After 90 Days
​
SCHAUMBURG, IL – More than 70% of Illinois small and midsized manufacturers anticipate a negative impact from a new state law, according to a survey of Technology & Manufacturing Association (TMA) members.

​Read more at  https://tmanews.com/il-manufacturers-temp-workers/ 

The Technology & Manufacturing Association’s Human Resource provider, SESCO, offered a short, concise update of a decision made last week by the National Labor Relations Board which affects company/union relations.
New Framework for Union Representation Proceedings

• The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has issued a decision in Cemex Construction Materials Pacific, LLC announcing a new framework for determining when employers are required to bargain with unions without a representation election. The Cemex decision alters what employers can say about their direct relationship with employees, bans mandatory employee meetings about unions, and revives the Joy Silk doctrine (see below). It will transform union recognition procedures substantially. 
  

More information at https://tmanews.com/nlrd-2023-union-labordecision/ 

SCHAUMBURG, IL – The Technology & Manufacturing Association (TMA) is calling on the Illinois General Assembly to return to session as soon as possible to clarify the state’s flawed Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) that threatens business operations and jobs in our state.

​More than 30 small and midsized manufacturers joined an online briefing recently where Illinois Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse Executive Director Phil Melin explained how the BIPA threat grows daily with inaction. Delaying a response to the Illinois Supreme Court’s request for the 2008 law’s clarification is raising serious concerns within the business community as more and more companies are finding themselves being hit with exorbitant legal fees.

​More at TMANews.com - 

First conceived by TMA Board Chairman Norbert Stengel, the Foundation launched a major fund-raising drive two years later, when the late Egon Jaeggin of Numerical Precision was the TMA Board Chairman.

“It was a proud moment in my term to raise $1.3 million for the Foundation,” Jaeggin recalled in a 2016 interview with TMA News Bulletin. “I had a dream in 1989 that one day TMA would have its own tech center, and 25 years later, here we are…” referring to the current TMA headquarters in Schaumburg, Illinois.

​Forty-six years later, the TMA Education Foundation continues its efforts to promote the machining industry.

More at "TMA Education Foundation continues to promote mfg to next generation"

Legislative Scorecard Shows 29 Lawmakers in the Illinois House and Senate Had Perfect Scores Voting for Legislation that Impacts Manufacturing

SCHAUMBURG, IL – With the 2023 Spring Session of the Illinois General Assembly nearing a close, the Technology & Manufacturing Association (TMA) released its annual Legislative Scorecard for 2022 which shows an encouraging growth of support for small and mid-size manufacturers among Illinois House and Senate members.

Of the votes tracked by TMA, the average scores among state senators increased from 46% to 57%, and the average scores among state representatives increased 14 points to 58%. TMA’s Legislative Scorecard tracked lawmakers’ votes on HB5412, SB157, SB208, HB5471, SB2940, and HB3296.

12 state senators scored 100%, with 15 scoring above 70%. 17 state representatives scored 100%, with 27 scoring over 70%.

For more information, see TMANews.com