News & Stories

The other day I was talking with a relative, and the subject of voting came up. He didn’t know anything about the coming elections, who the candidates are, and when you can vote. That is, he was like the majority of Washington citizens, for better or worse. That makes you wonder about why people vote, […]

The land of higher education teeters on the brink, as a winter of student debt threatens to sweep down upon it from a white wall of loans. Yet hope endures, for a “Stark” contrast has emerged: Pay It Forward. Today, 7 in 10 students are graduating with an average $29,400 in debt, making them less likely to own homes, […]

“I pay close to three hundred dollars a month just for medical, that’s not even dental and eye [care].  That’s a big chunk of money. In my son’s situation, with [his] reoccurring illnesses, there’s always labs and tests. I had to take a loan out to cover a procedure for my son.” Carmen is a proud mother and […]

Great news! If you’re a man — especially a highly educated White or Latino man in a professional job — having a baby is great for your earnings. Congrats, dads! We’re happy for you. No, really, we are. But what about women, you ask? The news ain’t so bright. Staff reporter Claire Cain Miller at The New York Times wanted to […]

The latest research from the Alliance for a Just Society shows just how difficult it is for people to achieve basic economic security here in Washington. The study, which analyzes household debt and surveys the wide the gulf between the state’s minimum wage and living wage for 11 states across the country, has some hard truths for our state, including: Average student debt at graduation was […]

The kids are back in school – and last week the Washington Supreme Court gave the State Legislature an “F” for failing to adequately fund public schools across the state. Meanwhile, a new analysis by Standard & Poor’s concludes that growing income inequality is causing sales tax revenues to fall. According to the highly respected global credit rating firm, […]

From FamiliesUSA The Affordable Care Act did a lot to help uninsured consumers get health coverage, but it did not entirely resolve the very real problems with insurance affordability for low- and moderate-income consumers. These consumers often struggle to meet other living costs and, even once they have health insurance, may not be able to get […]

From the Huffington Post: My job depends on trade. I’m 100 percent in favor of trade. By the same token, we can have good trade policies that raise living standards, or bad trade policies that deindustrialize our economy and distort social and political power relationships. Two cases in point: the “Trans-Pacific Partnership” (TPP) and the “Trans-Atlantic […]

With a proposed Pay It Forward pilot program, Oregon takes another step toward rebuilding higher education’s ladder of opportunity Students in Oregon just got some really good news. Pay It Forward – EOI’s plan to restore college access by replacing tuition with income-based contributions made after graduation – took a major step forward on Thursday, […]

You are warmly invited to join the Economic Opportunity Institute in strengthening women’s economic security in Bellingham on October 16th. In partnership with the Washington Work and Family Coalition, we are co-hosting events across Washington state to help build policies that support working women and families. What: Strengthening Women’s Economic Security Forum When: October 16th, 5:30-7:00 pm Where: Bellingham […]

I always think of September as the actual beginning of the year.  School starts, summer vacation is over, and we are all back to work.  As I help out with coaching duties for cross country at Ballard High School, I can feel the enthusiasm that rolls over the athletic field filled with girls playing soccer […]

The Economic Opportunity Institute and Washington Work and Family Coalition are on tour across Washington state to build women’s economic security. Last night, Vancouver joined the list of towns and cities across WA who have hosted a forum on issues facing working women and families. Local Vancouver and Clark County legislators Representative Monica Stonier and […]

“Ever since I turned 16, I’ve had a job. I’ve always had at least two jobs, so when I lost one, I had another to fall back on until I found another job… I’m so sick of having to work two part-time jobs. I’ve been doing that for 10 years now… Even with my degree […]

“You feel like you want to become an adult, live on your own, leave your parents, go to work, go to school, but financially, that’s really not possible.” Jessie, a young man in his early 30s, has lived in Washington most of his life. He received his Bachelor’s degree at Washington State University and is […]

When my brother was born, my dad took the day off work. He was overjoyed about the birth of his first child and couldn’t wait to spend as much time as he could with him. The next morning though, being the tough working class guy that he was, my dad felt an even stronger weight […]

“I honestly don’t know how I’ll make it, but I can see the long-term goal so it just keeps me working harder.” Tara is a preschool teacher who is also in school, working toward her Bachelor’s degree. The high cost of tuition works against Tara’s ability to finish school and provide opportunities for her children, but she […]

I start fretting in August about paying the second half of my property taxes in October. I worry that I will forget to pay (as I have done), and get penalized (as I have been). So I decided to pay early and not worry about it. And, as you know, it can be a big […]

You are warmly invited to join the Economic Opportunity Institute in strengthening women’s economic security in Vancouver on September 10th. In partnership with the Washington Work and Family Coalition, we are co-hosting events across Washington state to help build policies that support working women and families. What: Strengthening Women’s Economic Security Forum When: September 10th, 5:30-7:00 […]

“When you have kids at home that look up to you, you have to try every day. It can be a struggle.” As the sole breadwinner for her family of four young children, Ashley can’t afford not to work. She’s got work experience, some college under her belt, and wants to finish her degree. But […]

The Great Recession didn’t only damage our economy – it also hurt the growth and development of many American kids. During the past quarter century, national and state policies have resulted in numerous positive gains in child health, safety and education – advances in medicine and public health, increased safety regulations, and improved high school […]

Was there an election last week? Well, yes there was, but most people seemed to be more interested in the Blue Angels than participating in our seasonal exercise in democracy. It’s pretty easy to vote at your own kitchen table, filing in the little ovals with your choices while sipping a cup of coffee, and […]

While the U.S. has finally regained the number of jobs lost during the Great Recession, those gains have been disproportionately concentrated in low-wage sectors – especially for women. Nationally, more than one in three jobs gained in the recovery by women pay $10.10 per hour or less, compared with one in five jobs gained by […]

There’s a lot of talk about the minimum wage these days. But how much do Washingtonians actually need to earn in order to meet basic costs — and what are basic costs for a single-parent family (as 29% of children in WA are) versus a two-parent/two kid family? Learn the answers to these questions and […]

You are warmly invited to join the Economic Opportunity Institute in strengthening women’s economic security in Spokane on August 20th. In partnership with the Washington Work and Family Coalition, we are co-hosting events across Washington state to help build policies that support working women and families. What: Strengthening Women’s Economic Security Forum When: August 20th, 5:30-7:00 pm Where: Spokane […]

Congress improved working conditions for millions of women and families across the nation when they passed the landmark Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) twenty-one years ago. However, today millions of workers are still without access to paid leave and many are forced to choose between keeping their jobs and caring for a sick family member or […]

If you’re a woman in New Hampshire, things just got a little easier for you. Calling the Paycheck Fairness Act “the most significant piece of legislation for women in New Hampshire in over a decade,” the Granite State’s Governor Maggie Hassan held a ceremonial signing of the bill on July 22. What is the Paycheck […]

Shelby Ramirez wears many hats: mother of two, daughter, worker and full time student. After a recent experience of taking time off work to care for sick family members-and facing poverty as a result-Shelby questions if she should add another hat to the list: activist. Watch Shelby’s Story, one of the latest from Family Values @ Work. In the short […]

This week the Social Security Trustees reported that our FICA contributions plus interest, net of all benefits paid out, have increased the Social Security Trust Fund by $32 billion. The trustees also forecast that Social Security benefits are completely sustainable for the next two decades. The media hasn’t played these reports up much, perhaps because […]