News & Stories
Policy is personal. So, we want to share more than just data.
Stay up to date with our legislative updates, organizational news, media mentions, and more.
Over the next couple weeks, young people across the region will be graduating with new degrees and high hopes for the future. They are competing for jobs in an economy where the contrast between the the haves and have nots is stark. The occupations projected to have the most job openings in King County and […]
Lawrence Mishel, president of the Economic Policy Institute Policy Center, delivered the following testimony before the Democratic National Convention Platform Drafting Hearing on June 9, 2016, in Washington, D.C. I am Lawrence Mishel, and I am representing the Economic Policy Institute Policy Center. Thank you for inviting me to testify today. My testimony will focus on […]
Presentation by Marilyn Watkins, Policy Director, Economic Opportunity Institute to the League of Women Voters of Bellingham/Whatcom County. “What’s Behind the Wage Gap?” – League of Women Voters of Bellingham/Whatcom County – May 18, 2016 from Center for New Media on Vimeo.
Imagine living in a relatively small nation, where per capita income is $11,000 less than in Washington state, and the only natural resources are timber, water and ice. People pay a 31 percent tax on personal income in excess of $82,000, a value-added tax of 14 percent on food and restaurants, and 24 percent on […]
Would you consider giving 2.5 hours to ensure that a million Washington workers get paid sick days in 2016? On Saturday, June 4th, 250 volunteers will take to the streets and gather signatures for Initiative 1433’s Day of Action. Together we can gather 13,500 signatures in just one day and get I-1433 one giant step […]
Today President Obama makes up for four decades of neglect of middle wage workers by both Republican and Democratic administrations. That’s thanks to a new federal rule on how and how much employers pay workers. This new rule will result in workers gaining literally thousands of dollars more in earned income in our state. So […]
More than 30 cities and states have paid sick days, including Tacoma. It’s time to celebrate – and keep the momentum going! Join us to enjoy cake, share success stories and learn about the statewide effort for paid sick days and minimum wage increase. Thursday, May 19, 1 PM – 2:30 PM Tacoma Public Library, Moore Branch […]
Establishing universal paid family and medical leave in the United States is critical to restoring economic security for working families and overcoming the entrenched inequities of race, gender, and class that undermine our economy and squash opportunity for far too many. Scientific evidence overwhelmingly confirms the importance of paid parental leave to the health and […]
Wow. BIG thanks from all of us at the Economic Opportunity Institute, because despite the technical difficulties, you helped us reach our $20,000 goal! More good news: The Seattle Foundation will honor any donation given to EOI (during either GiveBIG day) for the stretch pool — so whether you gave on our website or through […]
Last week Boeing reported that it had skipped out on $305 million in taxes in 2015. Back in 2013, the Legislature enacted a special Boeing exemption from business taxes. The legislative intent was to keep jobs in Washington. But that was not written into the tax exemption bill. So in spite of, or maybe because […]
The old adage is true: money doesn’t grow on trees. Thing is, neither does justice. But when we pool our resources, energy and passions, we can build an economy that works for everyone. That’s why we are asking you to GiveBIG to EOI today. With your support, EOI can keep advocating for positive and progressive policy […]
For Laura Chandler, seeing parents struggle with the rising costs of child care and dwindling availability is almost a daily occurrence. Chandler has worked as an early learning curriculum coordinator at Small Faces in Seattle for almost three decades: “I’m proud to work in child care, but after 28 years in the field I’ve seen too […]
Marilyn Watkins, Policy Director, Economic Opportunity Institute, provides members of the Seattle City Council Gender Equity, Safe Communities and New Americans Committee with a Paid Family Leave and Workforce Equity Update:
UPDATE 5/3/16: Trouble donating to EOI during GiveBIG? You’re not alone. The Seattle Foundation tells us they’re having technical problems. Don’t let that stop you — you can GiveBIG to EOI via our website! Though it means we won’t receive the Seattle Foundation’s partial match, your gift will be doubled (up to $15,000) thanks to a […]
What is the value of work? Is it what you get paid? Economists trained to embrace the private market simply equate the value of your work with your wage. It’s simple, easy to understand…and wrong. That equation is built on the theoretical idea of an economy with “perfect” competition – meaning no employer or employee […]
If your inbox looks anything like mine, I know GiveBIG (the Seattle Foundation’s community fundraising campaign) brings on a flood of emails. So here’s a pro tip: You can pre-schedule your GiveBIG donation right now. And once you do, you won’t get another GiveBIG email from us this year (except to say thank you, of […]
[via The Olympian] A petition is circulating for a new ordinance that would tax Olympia’s wealthiest households to generate college tuition money for all local high school graduates. Backed by a volunteer group called Opportunity for Olympia, the proposal calls for creating a 1.5 percent tax on household income in excess of $200,000. Organizers estimate […]
From high-profile CEOs and movie stars to healthcare and retail workers, men consistently make more than women. Social scientists and economists have found clear evidence that gender-based discrimination persists – and is so deeply ingrained in culture and practice that it often goes unrecognized. Ensuring that all employees have the right to discuss and ask […]
This being early April, I found myself working on my taxes during some beautiful sunny weather last weekend — and wishing I’d done them the week before, when it was raining! It’s too bad paying taxes feels like such a solitary activity, because it’s really a community endeavor. I think of it like a potluck […]
[via Huffington Post] At Dr. Bronner’s, the company I run with my family, we believe that we can only prosper in the long run if we contribute to the prosperity of society as a whole. It’s why we strive to compensate all our staff fairly, cap executive compensation at five times the lowest paid position, […]
The federal Department of Labor is moving closer to implementing President Obama’s Executive Order establishing paid sick leave for federal contractors. With national paid sick days legislation (the Healthy Families Act) bottled up in the Republican-controlled Congress, it’s an important step along the path to ensuring everyone has paid sick days on the job. Paid […]
Early childhood caregiving and education is plagued by underfunding. As a result, private “tuition” is often higher than that of higher education, while caregivers and teachers work themselves into poverty. For example, the average annual cost of child care in a child care center in 2014 in Washington State was $13,488. The median wage of […]
Across the country, people are fighting back against rising income inequality, and we have an opportunity to bring the fight here to Washington. Raise Up Washington, a coalition of concerned Washingtonians and labor, faith, and community groups, is launching a statewide ballot initiative to support working people. Initiative 1433 would raise Washington State’s minimum wage […]
During this strange presidential campaign, several candidates are spouting wishful thinking about what our nation’s founders believed. Consider this: “Ted Cruz has spent a lifetime fighting to defend the Constitution. Our nation’s founding document and the supreme law of the land was crafted by our founding fathers to act as chains to bind the mischief […]
While women in other states can celebrate recent strides toward equality, here in Washington our state Legislature marked Women’s History Month by closing down its 2016 regular session on March 10 with bills attacking gender inequity…dead in their tracks. Progress was within reach – even given the partisan divide between the House (Democrat) and Senate (Republican). […]