Providing access to critical reproductive health care can make a big difference in Chicago. Overturning Roe v. Wade makes us angry and helpless, but it’s not productive.

Despair is real all around us in Indiana, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Indiana, but not here. In Illinois and Minnesota, women are now in complete control of their bodies.

Last week, three states—Idaho, Tennessee and Texas—allowed trigger laws making all abortions illegal. In response to Dobbs’ ruling and the triggering laws banning women from controlling their bodies, there’s a lot that can be done to address the attacks on women and women’s health care.

Chicago and Illinois are women’s health care oases, but we can’t rest on that reality.

For women already here and coming to Illinois, we can support direct support services that connect women to the many local resources and organizations they need to access care. .

You can contribute to the most effective organizations that provide women’s health care and abortion services and help the women who need them most.

There are many great organizations that have been thoroughly vetted by the IRS and classified as 501c3 nonprofits, so your support to them is tax deductible.

We also have great national and local organizations working to protect and promote voting rights and to combat voter suppression.

Find them and support them. Join us!

Hedy Ratner, Center for Women’s Business Development

There are no shortcuts to construction

We live in an era where quick wins are more important than long-term progress. Instant gratification retards real progress. We buy cheaper products, which have a negative impact on the environment, human rights, and in the long run our wallets.

The construction industry also tends to prioritize short-term savings over long-term gains. Select unions for their unparalleled level of education, focus on safety and access to training that electrical contractors and union electricians receive from the National Association of Electrical Contractors and Registered Apprentice Programs, and continuing education for journeypersons There is real and proven value in doing. electrical contractor.

Powering Chicago, a labor partnership between the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 134 and the Electrical Contractors Association of Chicago and Cook County, is ready to offer our expertise.

As we approach the one-year anniversary of the trillion-dollar infrastructure investment and employment legislation, the distinction between unionized and non-unionized workers is becoming even clearer. Funding for building a nationwide network of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, improving transportation, and more will free taxpayer money by focusing on quality jobs for highly skilled workers. It’s important to use

One way local electrical industry associations can demonstrate their commitment and long-term value is by investing in Alsip’s IBEW-NECA Technical Institute. Non-union training programs vary, but I have never heard of one as innovative, thorough, and safety-focused as ours.

Not everyone has the desire or the means to pursue higher education. A career in the industry offers a living wage, excellent benefits and real opportunities. Each person who completes the apprenticeship program earns a journeyperson wage. This could be close to, or almost double, the estimated annual income of $55,260 for a new graduate working a 40 hour week.

This Labor Day, let’s remember why construction is one area where you can’t afford to sacrifice your knowledge and expertise for short-term savings.

Elbert Walters III, Executive Director, Powering Chicago