News & Stories

Yesterday, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop signed paid sick days legislation into law that ensures businesses with 10 or more employees will offer up to five paid sick days a year to their employees. Businesses with fewer than 10 employees can offer up to 40 hours of unpaid but job-protected sick time – providing those employees with […]

Cross-posted from the United Faculty of Washington State blog: Obviously, health care and college should be free. Both should be amply funded by the state with the proceeds from a progressive tax system. But over forty years of transferring public wealth toward private profiteering has left us in a place where the obvious has become politically […]

In our last post outlining Nari Rhee’s new report on the impending retirement crisis, we outlined how we are facing a collective multi-trillion dollar retirement gap between what has been saved and what needs to be saved for a dignified and comfortable retirement. That “gap”, however, isn’t shared equally among all Americans. Retirement insecurity is primarily faced by […]

Part two of a three-part series on America’s testing culture and its impacts on education. In our last post about the negative percussions associated with American education’s testing culture, we outlined how examination after examination hurts the development of our students. But while it is important to keep in mind the purpose of our schools […]

Last week, Governor Inslee hosted the first-ever Leadership Summit on Aging. Initiated by AARP Washington, the goals of the summit are to address the upcoming “silver tsunami”- when many baby boomers are set to retire. However, hopes are to address concerns beyond just retirement, and have the conversation expanded to all aspects of ageing. “We […]

Next January, Washington’s minimum wage will adjust for inflation with a 13-cent increase to $9.32 per hour. But is that enough? The change is the result of Initiative 688, approved by voter in 1998. I-688 increased the state’s minimum wage in two steps, then tied future increases to inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for […]

It’s been five years since the 2008 economic collapse. While the focus of economists and politicians is still on the recovery, the next crisis is looming and potentially more devastating. And unfortunately for most Americans, it is approaching fast and will hit hard. Nari Rhee, the Manager of Research for the National Institute on Retirement […]

The mobilization of low-wage workers nationwide calling for a $15-an-hour minimum wage has sparked a massive economic debate. Would a wage increase boost the local economy or lead to job cuts? What’s a fair minimum wage? Host Brian Callanan moderates a live, interactive, televised discussion with a panel of business owners, lawmakers, economic experts and […]

Republicans in the Congress have lost. They failed to stop the Affordable Care Act from starting up. Every day, more and more people sign up for health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act. And every day, by doing nothing, the hole the republicans have dug for themselves gets deeper and deeper. The numbers in […]

Before October 1st California employees could only take paid family leave for a seriously ill spouse, domestic partner, child or parent. Of course, the reality is that a modern family’ often includes extended family members. Now, California can celebrate being on the forefront of paid family leave legislation yet again: By signing SB 770 into […]

As calls for an increase in the federal minimum wage grow, cracks are showing in the opposition’s facade. Take Paul Saginaw, owner of Ann Arbor’s Zingerman’s Deli, who utterly eviscerates the National Restaurant Association’s opposition to a liveable wage in this op-ed for The Detroit News: “It is a cruel irony that many of the 13 million […]

A majority of D.C. workers rely on tips for their wages, meaning they don’t qualify for D.C.’s Accrued Sick and Safe Leave Act (ASSLA)- the local paid sick days law passed in 2008. Nearly 80 percent of D.C.’s restaurant workers don’t have access to paid sick days. But this could soon change if the Council passes […]

For many in Washington, Monday was the last day at work for the unforeseeable future. Almost 50,000 federal employees in Washington have been indefinitely furloughed due to the Republican government shutdown by GOP extremists bent on defunding the Affordable Care Act. The sad (and frustrating) irony ? The government shutdown defunds the salaries and operations […]

Starting today, millions of American families have a new resource for affordable healthcare coverage.  Across the nation, states are turning on the cyber “open” sign for their online healthcare exchanges. In Washington, the new healthcare exchange means nearly one million uninsured residents can now access affordable healthcare coverage. Curious about how Obamacare will impact you […]

“As Winston Churchill said over and over again, Americans will always do the right thing… after they’ve exhausted all the alternatives.” – Robert Reich Robert Reich, former U.S. Secretary of Labor, is trying to start a conversation on income inequality. His new film, Inequality for All is a groundbreaking piece on America’s shrinking middle class […]

Puget Sound Sage recently released a new report examining the economic impact of SeaTac’s living wage initiative, Proposition 1.  Click here for a copy of the press release. According to the analysis, worker spending will multiply, resulting in up to $54 million of increased income for the region and more than 400 new local jobs. […]

I looked out the window as I was getting ready for work and realized that, yes, fall has come to Puget Sound and with it, rain. So we start our six months of gray, dark, rainy weather. Twilight comes earlier and earlier. Could it be that fear also ratchets up? There are reasons — fear […]

2nd Annual Women’s Equality Day Celebration Sponsored by Eastside Democratic Women, August 25, 2013 It’s great to be here today to celebrate the real progress we have made towards women’s equality. But I suspect many of us are also here today because we recognize how far we still have to go. When I was girl […]

The U.S. Senate’s Joint Economic Committee released a new report regarding student loan debt, and the numbers aren’t pretty: over the course of the recession, the aggregate amount of student loan debt has nearly doubled from $550 billion to $1 trillion. Not only does this make student loan debt the biggest aggregate balance of U.S. […]

We all remember just how enticing the snooze button looked when our alarm went off at 6:15 every morning in high school. Sleep deprivation – as students tried to balance their studies with part-time work and a social life – has become the norm for many young adults. The issue is particularly problematic for those […]

Today the Main Street Alliance of Washington released a statewide survey of small businesses’ views on corporate tax reform. After a legislative session where proposing new taxes was akin to saying Voldemort, the survey’s results might surprise you. According to the report: On corporate tax responsibility: Small business owners believe large corporations are not paying […]

The fast food industry has put its lobbyists into hyper-drive. Their concern is the growing public support for striking workers at the major chains who are demanding $15 an hour. The lobbying groups argue that this sort of pay hike would inevitably backfire, leading to job loss and higher unemployment. I’ve taken a special interest […]

Reason #5: Fewer good choices for jobs. U.S. trade and economic policies are creating more low-wage and high-wage jobs, while hollowing out the job market for middle-class jobs. (Washington Post) Reason #4: You are a woman working in Seattle. Overall, women are paid 77 cents for every dollar paid to men, amounting to a yearly wage gap of $11,084 between […]