ILL-inois lost over 10K manufacturing jobs in 2015

Abandoned factory power plant,
Dixmoor, IL

The year is ending on a low note in the Prairie State.

From MyStateLine.com:

Illinois lost more than 12,000 manufacturing jobs in 2015. The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association said the drop is part of more than a decade of decline in Illinois. The IMA says Illinois’s “punitive policies” including some of the highest workers’ compensation rates in the country are responsible.

Selvaggio Steel President Mark Selvaggio said his Springfield company can;t compete with companies across the border in Indiana.

"Our [workers' compensation] costs are about $90,000 a year for our company, if our company was in Indiana, it would be $30,000 a year," Selvaggio said.

He said Indiana fabricators are doing so well they are subcontracting jobs to his company.

Among the reforms Illinois' new governor is trying to implement is workers compensation reform. His efforts are being blocked by two Chicago Democrats: state House speaker Michael Madigan and state Senate president John Cullerton.