Illinois Department of Labor

The U.S. Department of Labor is currently holding more than $5 million in wages owed to more than 7,000 Illinois workers, and the department has launched a new website in an effort to return it.

The lawsuit filed in Chicago claims new requirements are overly burdensome, preempted by federal law.

There were 72 successful petitions to organize labor unions in Illinois last year, which represent 9,600 new unionized workers — the highest single-year numbers at any point in the last decade.

The grant money comes as part of President Joe Biden’s signature $1.2 trillion infrastructure package signed into law almost two years ago, and aims to promote gender equity and inclusion in the male-dominated field.