News & Stories

The other day, I had lunch with an economist I respect and admire. I asked him, what would it take for China to become a modern democracy and build a strong middle class? OK. I didn’t ask him that. I told him that China would need strong institutions of civil society, and a deeper sense of Social Contract to […]

Congratulations to Becky King for winning our ReCapture the Flag picture contest – she gets a delicious apple pie! Becky included this note with her photo: “Here’s my Flag Day Picture. And for the record, I was actually born on Flag Day. This was taken in South Korea during a World Cup match against Portugal–the […]

Yesterday’s post examined how Wal-Mart is fueling a downward spiral in American manufacturing by squeezing suppliers to drive down prices. But Wal-Mart needs workers to handle and sell the goods they import, which bring us to Part II of the story: Wal-Mart’s effect on domestic labor conditions, wages and benefits. Wal-Mart’s track record of outsourced […]

Despite vocal opposition from local unions and community groups, a new Wal-Mart shopping center opened in Bellevue’s Kelsey Square this June, reigniting debate over the big box retailer’s presence and pushing residents to reconsider the question: who wins and who loses when Wal-Mart comes to town? According to a report released by Puget Sound Sage, […]

Yesterday, the AP published an article with this headline: “Social Security not deal it once was for workers.” Perhaps it’s true that Social Security is not as good of a deal as it once was – but it’s still a pretty damn good deal. As a young person in the Millennial generation, my take on Social […]

It’s a feature of nearly every college graduation: that moment when the speaker calls the graduates to stand and acknowledge their parents with a round of applause. It’s a poignant moment at any ceremony, but even more so today as parents are footing more of the bill to see their children succeed. As college tuition […]

On the list of things that cross the minds of most young people, Social Security usually ranks near the bottom – somewhere below flossing your teeth but above Justin Bieber’s latest single. It’s understandable. Social Security is usually viewed as a benefit for seniors. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Social Security covers […]

Every four years we look forward to the Summer Olympics. It’s nonstop entertainment for two and a half weeks. The Olympics inspire all of us, from elite athletes to kids learning how to swim to grandparents bicycling on the Interurban. The athletes of the Olympics send a powerful message to all of us, to exercise […]

They say if you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room. But if you and your team are at EOI’s Trivia Night with renowned macroeconomist Dean Baker — author of eight books, co-founder of the Center for Economic Policy Research, and go-to “talking head” for national news outlets — then who’s […]

In a recent court decision favoring the for-profit education industry, a federal judge struck down a provision of the “gainful employment regulations” designed to ensure for-profit colleges were preparing students for the workforce without saddling them with unaffordable debt. This ruling, in addition to millions spent on lobbying to weaken consumer protection standards, has ensured minimal regulation of the […]

The first two years after the official end of the Great Recession, more than 84 percent of all growth in national income went exclusively to corporations. American workers, meanwhile, to0k home just 4.4 percent of income growth in the post-Recession recovery. In other words, in a head-to-head match-up between corporations and American workers, corporate profits […]

On Sunday, EOI Policy Director Marilyn Watkins joined host Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner on MomsRising Radio to talk about maternity and paternity leave, particularly in Washington state. Marilyn talks about the current status of Washington’s Family Leave Insurance program, and discusses the top three facts about paid family and medical leave, touching on businesses productivity, children’s success, and […]

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, more than 7,600 Washington households are receiving rebate checks from their health insurance company. According to the law, health insurers are now required to report how funds from consumer premiums are spent – specifically, how much goes toward health care costs versus administration. This rule, known as the 80/20 […]

Thanks to your support, EOI exceeded our (Re)Capture the Flag fundraising goal – and met the $10,000 match from a generous donor! Your donations will help EOI continue to advance public policies that improve opportunities for workers and students, promote healthy families and businesses, and ensure a dignified retirement for all. Remember – there’s still time […]

The last three years have been the worst in history for public sector job losses thanks to state and local government austerity, which has helped to hold back economic recovery. A recent analysis from the Economic Policy Institute found public sector job losses have created a serious drag on the overall economic recovery. Since June […]

See the full story at Bloomberg Businessweek Five years after the city of San Francisco implemented a paid sick days ordinance, the Institute for Women’s Policy Research surveyed both employers and employees to determine the impacts on the city’s businesses and workforce. The results were overwhelmingly positive, easing concerns about job loss, shrinking profits and […]

From the “wait and let that sink in” department, a recent report from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service shows the distribution of wealth across U.S. households has continued to become more concentrated in recent decades. From 1989 to 2010, the share of wealth held by the top 10% of American households grew to nearly 75%. […]

Parents face numerous challenges adjusting to life with a brand new bundle of joy. In the United States, those challenges are intensified by the lack federal paid family leave policies – pushing parents to strain an already tight family budget or cut bonding time short to return to work. In fact, the United States stands […]

Today there is plenty of evidence the American Dream is in serious trouble. A recent Federal Reserve study found median household net worth has dropped almost 40% since 2007. With the cost of higher education skyrocketing, how can the next generation have more opportunity – or even the same opportunity – as we did? EOI […]

What makes an economy grow? Don’t forget to add retirees to the list – especially those who have pensions. Business start-ups, a prosperous middle class, high-quality schools, and good infrastructure come to mind as engines of economic growth. But Washington’s retired teachers, firemen, police officers and other public servants – who comprise 2% of the […]

New fee disclosure requirements for 401k plans are just around the corner – that’s good news for everyone who wants to save You can’t see them easily, but chances are they’re eating away at the money you’ve been putting away for years. I’m talking about hidden fees in 401K plans, long the bane of good […]

Looking at the weather map, how can you not be grateful we live in the Northwest? The rest of the country is sweltering and steaming in heat and humidity with no end in sight — meanwhile, we keep the comforter on the bed, the window cracked for fresh air, and enjoy mostly sunny days that […]

Help us reach the top! We’re past the halfway point- and with your help, we can meet our challenge: raise $10,000 in individual donations and we’ll earn another $10,000 match! Will you help us? If we get there, that’s $20,000 (!) to support EOI’s work to restore the promise of the middle class through new […]

CDC finds workers with paid sick days are more likely to get tests that detect cancer early. Using data from 2008 when 38% of the U.S. working population did not have access to a single paid sick day (43 million workers), researchers examined whether access to paid sick days was associated with a higher likelihood […]

We’re facing the weakest economic recovery in recent memory – but it’s worth remembering that the Great Recession was far less damaging than the Great Depression, thanks to the public services and structures Americans built for themselves. When the Great Depression began, there was no unemployment insurance or job retraining, no Social Security or Medicare, no […]

The National Federation of Independent Businesses is ignoring survey results from its own members in order to oppose a minimum wage increase. The National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) has already been criticized for its opposition to the Affordable Care Act, despite the law’s demonstrable benefits for small business owners. Now it appears the NFIB […]

Facing unemployment, out-of-pocket medical bills, and a fast-disappearing ladder out of poverty, low- and middle-income Americans are using credit cards to meet basic needs like rent, groceries, and utilities. Since 2008, working families have done everything they can to get by – changing spending habits, paying down debt, taking on 2nd (or 3rd jobs), digging […]

Members of Washington’s delegation to the 2012 National Summit on Paid Sick Days and Paid Family Leave are now in the “other” Washington to study best practices and lessons for paid sick days and paid family leave campaigns. Tomorrow they’ll spend the day visiting members of Washington’s congressional delegation to educate them about the importance […]

This week, “MomsRising Radio with Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner” tackles paid sick days – actually, the lack thereof – with: guests Seattle restauranteur and chef Makini Howell; Marianne Bullock, a mom who was fired when her daughter got sick; Seattle City Council-member Nick Licata; and Adriana Kugler, chief economist of the U.S. Department of Labor. Get the […]

Washington’s home care providers often live paycheck to paycheck, with little in the way of work standards to protect them – so how will we attract the estimated 400,000 new workers we need to care for our Baby Boomers in their golden years? Today, about 43,000 state-funded home care workers support vulnerable individuals by helping […]