News & Stories

While Washington state ballots will continue to be processed for several days, one measure that passed early on was Initiative 502 – the initiative to legalize and regulate marijuana. The measure allows people age 21 and older to possess up to one ounce of marijuana, and sets up a licensing system for cultivation and sale. […]

Washington state has been a national leader with our landmark minimum wage law, passed in 1998 by two-thirds of Washington voters. That law increased Washington’s minimum wage, and tied all future increases to inflation – making increases automatic and predictable. Since then, nine states and several cities have followed suit – and last night’s election […]

We may know who will be governor by the time you read this – and then again, we may not. The same goes for some competitive legislative races, like the state senate race north of Everett between Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, and Barbara Bailey, R-Oak Harbor. But no matter who wins, there is a […]

Via the Alliance for Retirement Income Adequacy | By John Devine While it may seem that the retirement crisis now at the doorstep arrived all of a sudden, in reality it has been decades in the making and is the result of both intended and unintended consequences, pension experts like John Burbank say. The decades-long […]

From 24/7 Wall Street: Income inequality is severe in some industries, and there are states with concentrations of these businesses. In these states, the gender earnings gap for full-time workers is extremely high, and Washington state is one of the worst. In an interview with 24/7 Wall St., Institute for Women’s Policy Research study director […]

When Washington’s Supreme Court found the state legislature “has not complied with it’s constitutional duty to make ample provision for the education of all children in Washington” (see McCleary vs. State of Washington), legislators gave the Washington State Institute of Public Policy* this question to answer: “If K–12 spending is increased, is there reason to […]

Washington began shedding jobs in the fall of 2008 as the Great Recession started taking its toll on the state. That was more than four years ago, and many workers and families are still experiencing the effects of the recession. However, Washington’s economy appears to be on the rebound, and gradually adding jobs over the […]

As Washington voters consider their ballots in the final days of election season, there’s no doubt many are thinking about the economy. So where does Washington’s economy stand? Economic growth has finally begun to accelerate in 2012, with most sectors adding jobs each month. Yet, employment gains are modest, and the state’s unemployment rate sits […]

Zeynep Ton, professor at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, explains why “crummy jobs” – jobs that are often part-time, low-wage, and offer few benefits – are not driven by low prices. These jobs are a corporate choice, and there are plenty of retailers who offer full-time positions with good pay and benefits that are also […]

The Pew Research Center reports that more Americans are worried about financing their retirement – and for good reason. In a recent survey, 38% of respondents said they were “not too” or “not at all” confident they would have enough income and assets for retirement, a big increase from 25% who responded that way in […]

Thanks to our supporters, EOI’s work has led to a best-in-the-nation minimum wage (1998); expansion of Basic Health Plan coverage (2001); passage of the Family Care Act (2002); improved wages and training for early childhood educators (2005); estate tax funding for K-12 education (2006); and Seattle’s paid sick days law (2011). Now is you chance […]

By EOI Board Member Stan Sorscher The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is probably the most important trade agreement you’ve never heard of. Sometimes described as our “21st Century trade agreement,” its terms are being negotiated in secret by 11 countries, big and small, arranged around the Pacific Ocean. As the TPP takes shape, we see that […]

Growing numbers of Washington’s high school graduates are losing their shot at the American Dream, as the long-term decline in state funding for higher education – exacerbated by deep budget cuts during and after the Great Recession – pushes tuition costs out of reach for middle- and low-income families. Facing stagnant household incomes, students and […]

The big news of last week for those receiving Social Security benefits was the announcement of a 1.7% benefit increase for 2013, thanks to a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) linked to inflation. These COLAs began in 1975, when Congress tied annual benefit adjustments to inflation. Each year when there’s inflation, benefits are increased to keep up with […]

Finally our ballots have arrived! Now we can vote in our own homes, talk over the candidates and the issues with our family, and know that when we drop that ballot in the mail, it will be cast and counted. Think of that — voting made easy. And if you haven’t registered to vote yet […]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcC2l8zioIw] “On the surface, Finland is the education world’s ultimate slacker. Children don’t start school here until they’re seven years old. They have far less homework than many countries. And they log fewer hours in the classroom than most developed countries, even the United States. But don’t be fooled. Finnish students score first in the […]

The University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital just released a national poll on children’s health — “Sick Parents, Struggling Kids,” which confirms loss of pay and/or a job are real concerns of parents whose young children are or may become sick. The hospital’s survey found that many child care settings exclude sick children “until […]

A recent flurry of publications has documented a rise in wealth among U.S. women. In general, women are earning more than they did two decades ago – which has contributed to a narrowing of the pay gap. But men’s earnings have also been on the decline and the pay gap still exists – and it’s […]

From the Seattle Coalition for a Healthy Workforce: Join the Seattle Women’s Commission to thank the Seattle Coalition for a Healthy Workforce and other supporters for making Seattle’s new Paid Sick and Safe Time Ordinance a reality. Monday, October 29, 6:00 pm Bertha Landes Room, Seattle City Hall 600 4th Avenue (enter on Fifth Avenue) […]

The latest annual report from the Institute for College Access and Success shows student debt levels continuing to rise for graduating college seniors. The report, which does not include for-profit colleges, estimates that 66% of all graduating seniors held student debt, with an average of $26,660 per graduate – a five percent increase from 2010. […]

While churning cream leads to a nice treat, the same cannot be said for payday loans. In fact, “churning” payday loans can lead borrowers to financial despair – and payday lending companies to great wealth. A 2009 study by the Center for Responsible Lending estimated that 76% of payday loans are “churned” – meaning borrowers […]

From the Vancouver Business Journal: By Tom Mears, Chairman of Burgerville and Vaughn Lein, Partner with LSW Architects. Children in Clark County just headed back to school. Along with their new backpacks filled with new pencils and paper, are tucked not only their hopes and dreams for bright futures, but our economic necessity for them […]

The Center for American Progress recently proposed a nationwide paid family and medical leave system. Their proposal would be far more inclusive than the current Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which offers unpaid leave only to workers in businesses with 50+ employees. The proposal, called Social Security Cares, would establish a national paid family […]

Washington needs a new tax system. As a state, we have been ratcheting down the level of spending on education for at least two decades, depriving many of our children and young adults of the foundations they need to achieve their full potential. Even after we restore full employment and economic growth, we simply will […]

Call for Nominations! Each year, EOI gives the Aubrey Davis Award for Progressive Leadership to a champion of progressive economic values – someone working for broad-based economic opportunity and making an impact in the lives of everyday people.* Help us recognize the great work someone making a difference in our community, or our state, even […]

Private sector workers in California without a workplace retirement plan are one step closer to being able to save through their employer. As you may remember from a post last month, the California legislature was considering legislation that would provide a public option to the 6.3 million California workers without a workplace retirement savings plan. […]

Eight years ago, while thousands of corporations were shutting down their retirement plans, the United Methodist Church decided to go back to the future. The Methodists took a lesson from their faith. The Methodist Book of Discipline guides the church in employment practices, and states that the church is “to discharge our fiduciary duty solely […]