With 75,000 members, AFSCME in Illinois has had a prominent role in efforts to close business tax loopholes in recent battles over the state budget deficit. Council 31 was a lead organization in winning the Illinois comprehensive subsidy reform law in 2003. AFSCME also took the lead in exposing the false job creation claims advanced for the Single Sales Factor corporate income tax break, conducting a major campaign for its repeal in 2002.

29 N. Wacker Dr., Suite 800
Chicago, IL 60606
(312) 641-6060
www.afscme31.org

Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT)
CNT has acquired a national reputation for its innovations for sustainable urban development. Its promotion of location-efficient mortgages inspired the idea of location-efficient subsidies. It has also helped develop economic renewal strategies in some inner ring south suburbs of Chicago.

2125 West North Avenue
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 278-4800
www.cnt.org 

Center for Tax and Budget Accountability
The Center for Tax and Budget Accountability (CTBA) is a research and advocacy think tank that promotes progressive tax, spending and economic policies. In 2003, CTBA was a leader in the community/labor coalition that won comprehensive state subsidy reform law. That year it also led a successful effort to end several major corporate tax breaks. The Center and Northern Illinois University released the first State of Working Illinois report in November 2005. CTBA is the Illinois co-sponsor of Good Jobs First-Illinois.

70 East Lake Street Suite 1700
Chicago, IL 60601
(312) 332-1041
http://ctba.inspidered.com/home/home.html

Chicago Federation of Labor
The Chicago Federation of Labor is the central labor body for Chicago-area unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO. In 2001, with support from Chicago Metropolis 2020, the Federation sponsored a half-day of presentations titled "Smart Growth, Smart Jobs" to demonstrate labor's stake in opposing sprawl. A strong advocate of the retail minimum wage bill before Chicago City Council, the Federation has been a leader of the effort to oppose the siting of Wal-Mart stores in Chicago until the company changes its anti-labor, anti-community practices.

130 E. Randolph St., Ste. 2600
Chicago, IL 60601
(312) 222-1000
www.cflonline.org

Chicago Jobs Council
With a membership of 100 community-based organizations, civic groups, and businesses, the Chicago Jobs Council conducts policy development, advocacy and lobbying to help disadvantaged Chicagoans move into the workforce. The most recent of their many publications, Big Shoulders, Big Challenges: Preparing Chicago's Workforce for the New Economy, confirms that the city's future economic growth depends heavily on creating an adequately skilled workforce.

29 East Madison Street Suite 1700
Chicago, IL 60602
(312) 252-0460
www.cjc.net

Chicago Metropolis 2020
Created to address critical issues identified by the city's business leadership, Chicago Metropolis 2020's agenda includes finding solutions for low-density sprawl, the spatial mismatch between jobs and housing, and the lack of affordable housing and transportation. CM2020 has been a leading organization advocating legislation to link state subsidies to "location-efficient" project siting--i.e., putting subsidized projects near mass transit or affordable housing for workers. One hundred local companies have take the Metropolis Pledge to take location-efficiency into account when siting new projects. CM2020's numerous publications include Chicago Metropolis 2020: Preparing Metropolitan Chicago for the 21st Century and several Metropolis Index reports.

30 West Monroe Street
Chicago, IL 60603
(312) 332-2020
www.chicagometropolis2020.org

Citizen Action/Illinois
Illinois' largest public interest organization, Citizen Action/Illinois has been a leading advocate for affordable housing and mass transit, and one of the lead organizations working to win corporate subsidy accountability legislation and location-efficient business subsides. Citizen Action also organized the Campaign to Build Illinois Transit (CBIT), a statewide coalition working for an affordable "world-class" public transit system for all of Illinois.

28 E. Jackson, Suite 605
Chicago, IL 60604
(312) 427-2114
www.citizenaction-il.org

Housing Action Illinois (previously Statewide Housing Action Coalition)
Housing Action Illinois provides policy research and development, technical support, and organizing assistance to increase the supply of affordable housing to community and other organizations across the state. Its numerous reports include Tax Increment Financing: An Organizer's Guide.

11 East Adams Street Suite 1501
Chicago, IL 60603
(312) 939-6074
www.housingactionil.org

Illinois ACORN
In 2004, the Illinois branch of ACORN, in coalition with labor and community organizations, succeeded in having a Big Box Living Wage ordinance introduced in Chicago City Council. The ordinance, drafted at ACORN's request by the Brennan Center for Justice, was introduced after the City Council responded to community and labor opposition by denying Wal-Mart's bid to open a Chicago Southside store. Currently in committee, the ordinance would require a $10.00 hourly living wage and an additional $3.00 per hour in benefits or cash. It would also establish a program to promote local hiring.

117 West Harrison St. 2nd Floor
Chicago, IL 60605
(312) 939-7488

Illinois AFL-CIO
The Illinois AFL-CIO is a state branch of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations. The Illinois AFL-CIO, now representing one million union members, has a long history of leadership in efforts to make state business subsidies more accountable. In 2003, the AFL-CIO led the coalition that won the comprehensive subsidy reform law. The national AFL-CIO has used this law as a model for other state federations. The Illinois AFL-CIO also organized major rallies and lobbying efforts to repeal Single Sales Factor in 2002, and to close several major corporate tax loopholes in the 2003 state budget.

534 South Second Street
Springfield, IL 62701
(217) 544-4014
www.ilafl-cio.org

Illinois Jobs with Justice
The Illinois branch of Jobs with Justice has had a prominent role in organizing labor, community, and small business opposition to Wal-Mart's plans to build stores in Chicago's impoverished West and South Side neighborhoods. It helped organize the 2004 Southside community/labor rally that led the Chicago City Council to block construction of a second Chicago Wal-Mart.

333 S. Ashland Avenue
Chicago, IL 60607
www.chicagojwj.org

Metropolitan Alliance of Congregations (MAC)
The Metropolitan Alliance of Congregations (MAC) is the greater Chicago branch of the Gamaliel Foundation, with 100 participating congregations and with affiliated organizations in Joliet, the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago, Lake County, the Chicago suburbs of Aurora and Elgin and Chicago's inner ring south suburbs. MAC opposes sprawl as a barrier to economic and racial equity. MAC also works for education funding reform and adequate mass transit.

c/o Ellis Avenue Church
5001 S. Ellis Ave
Chicago, IL 60608
(773) 538-8781
www.gamaliel.org/MAC/MACindex.htm

Metropolitan Planning Council
Metropolitan Planning Council represents business and civic leaders promoting and implementing sensible planning and development policies. The Council was an active proponent of the location efficient incentives legislation introduced in 2005. MPC includes the Campaign for Sensible Growth, which advocates economic development with open space preservation, ways to avoid costly new infrastructure investment, and more livable communities. The CSG/MPC maintains an important database with useful information on anti-sprawl, affordable housing, and other issues in Chicago and surrounding counties.

25 E. Washington St. Suite 1600
Chicago, IL 60602
(312) 922-5616
www.metroplanning.org

Neighborhood Capital Budget Group
NCBG is a coalition of nearly 200 community-based organizations and local economic development groups in Chicago focused on improving neighborhoods with adequately repaired or constructed school buildings, basic public infrastructure, and good public transit. NCBG has been a national leader in tax increment financing research, conducting trainings in New York and Washington. A constant advocate for TIF reform both in Chicago and statewide, NCBG also helped introduce the community benefits agreement concept at a 2003 workshop. Its numerous reports include Who Pays For the Only Game in Town, Chicago TIF Encyclopedia, and the TIF Almanac.

332 S Michigan Avenue Suite 500
Chicago, IL 60604
(312) 939-7198
www.ncbg.org

SEIU Local One/SEIU Illinois State Council
Representing more than 110,000 Illinois workers in public-sector jobs, health care/social services and building services, SEIU and its Illinois State Council were leaders in the coalition that won the state's comprehensive subsidy reform and disclosure law in 2003. In a 2002 organizing campaign, SEIU Local 1 exposed the ineligibility of a large telecommunications company for EDGE tax credits, forcing it to withdraw its application.

111 East Wacker Suite 2500
Chicago, IL 60601
(312) 240-1600
www.seiu1.org

South Austin Coalition Community Council
For many years a leading grass-roots organization in Chicago's impoverished Westside, SACCC led the neighborhood struggle to make Wal-Mart pledge to contribute directly to the community before building a store in the Austin area. Although unable to make Wal-Mart negotiate, or to block the store, SACCC's proposed community benefit agreement was adopted by Illinois ACORN, the Neighborhood Capital Budget Group, and other members of the labor-community coalition opposed to Wal-Mart's current practices, as a model for Chicago as a whole.

342 South Laramie
Chicago, IL
(773) 287-9957

United Food and Commercial Workers Local 881
At public hearings throughout Illinois, UFCW Local 881 has opposed subsidies for Wal-Mart and led efforts to block the opening of two Wal-Marts in Chicago. It has also been a leader in the campaign for a city-wide living wage for the grocery industry. In 2005, the union won passage of a bill requiring the state to identify and publicize the names of companies with employees whose families are forced to rely on publicly funded health care.

UFCW Local 881
10400 W. Higgins Road
Rosemont, IL 60018
www.local881ufcw.org

UNITEHERE Chicago and Midwest Regional Joint Board
UNITE (formerly the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees) and HERE (Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union) merged in 2004. In Illinois UNITE has led the fight against uniform rental giant Cintas for better wages and working conditions. In 2003 UNITE organized a campaign in Maywood, Illinois to win training for low-income residents after Cintas received major subsidies from the municipality.

333 S. Ashland Avenue
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 738-6100
www.unitehere.org

UNITEHERE Local 1
UNITE Local 1 includes Chicago-area employees at hotels, restaurants, and casinos, as well as some clerical and university-based members. Local 1 has often confronted subsidy issues when conducting organizing drives at r iverboat casinos and hotels. With AFSCME Council 31, the Chicago Teachers Union, SEIU Local 1, and SEIU Local 880, UNITEHERE has joined with community organizations to demand more affordable housing in Chicago.

55 West Van Buren Street, 4th Floor
Chicago, IL 60605
(312) 663-4373
www.unitehere.org