News & Stories

Several states have adopted paid family leave policies as an important protection for the economic security of working families. After New Jersey implemented its own statewide policy in 2009, researchers from Rutgers decided to investigate how workers benefited from the change. They found paid leave is not only good for families, it’s better for businesses […]

The latest economic forecast for Washington state, issued by Washington’s soon-to-be-former Chief Economist Arun Raha, shows we may be beginning to dig out from the recession – but public sector cuts are holding back the recovery: The bright spots: The aerospace industry added 11,500 jobs since May 2010, double the 6,000 lost during the recession. […]

A new report from Cornell University and Restaurant Opportunities Center United highlights examples of restaurateurs across the country who have created “win-win-win” solutions for workers, diners, and employers by using “high-road” employment practices. Nationally, restaurant workers typically earn very low wages; 90% do not receive paid sick days, paid vacation, or health insurance through their […]

Despite sound economic research showing that good base wages have positive effects on businesses, workers and the economy, attacks on Washington’s minimum wage surface year after year – 2012 was no exception. On January 31, the House Labor and Workforce Development Committee heard testimony on several bills that would cut the paychecks of Washington’s lowest-wage […]

In yesterday’s “Labor and Workforce Development Committee” Washington’s best-in-the-nation minimum wage was under attack yet again. The latest offensive came in the form of three bills, introduced by Rep. Cary Condotta, which would: reduce the minimum wage for tipped workers, lower automatic cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) that track inflation, and suspend the minimum wage COLA when unemployment is above 7.5%. Rep. […]

From the Everett Herald | By John Burbank: We’ve had a lot of talk about the privilege of the top 1 percent, and how they are grabbing more and more of our national income. Once, productivity increases were proportionally shared between corporations and workers. Now they’re mostly grabbed by companies and their top executives, while […]

Either we ask the rich to pay a bit more in taxes to support opportunity and middle class prosperity, or billionaires like Nick Hanauer are going to have to start buying a hell of a lot more pants, say Moody’s and Fitch, the credit rating agencies that recently revised Washington’s debt rating outlook from “stable” […]

Business experience, academic research and political muscle are backing calls by small business owners for “high road” business and economic development policies – and policymakers are listening. The recent campaign for paid sick days in Seattle featured local business leaders like Dave Meinert, Makini Howell and Jody Hall. And they didn’t just support the idea […]

Over the last two years, 47% of women and 35% of men reported reduced confidence in having enough financial resources to last through retirement – and rightfully so. The stock market crash emptied out retirement accounts, the real estate crash put people’s homes “underwater”, and the “jobless recovery” brought lower wages and fewer workplace benefits, all of […]

Paid leave isn’t only crucial for ensuring parents can care for their children – it’s also important for adult children, an increasing number of whom are caring for an elderly relative. But while having time to care for a loved one is important to nearly all of us, not everyone can do it without risking […]

Unemployment remains persistently high, despite the “official” end of the recession in June of 2009. But recent improvements in the overall unemployment rate don’t tell the whole story. The “shadow” unemployment rate, which includes unemployed, underemployed, underutilized and discouraged workers, is a more accurate representation, including workers who have given up looking for jobs, and those who […]

Research shows that a significant portion of children’s learning and brain development occurs in the first five years. While the Washington State Constitution (Article IX) states that “It is the paramount duty of the state to make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders, without distinction or preference on account […]

When Washington voters overwhelmingly passed an initiative to index the state’s minimum wage to inflation back in 1998, naysayers made “doom and gloom” predictions that turned out to be more Chicken Little than anything else. Nine other states (AZ, CO, FL, MO, MT, NV, OH, OR, VT) followed suit, and more recently, some (at first […]

It is no secret that men, on average, earn more than women. But despite successful campaigns for social equality in America the last half-century, the gender wage gap has not shown significant improvement since 1990 – even with a changing labor force. In Washington, the gender wage gap has actually worsened in some respects since 1990. The […]

Crossposted from the Washington Family Leave Coalition: Washington lawmakers are studying two Paid Sick and Safe Days bills during this legislative session (House Bill 2508 and Senate Bill 6229) – and they need to hear from you! Please contact your legislators now to tell them why Paid Sick and Safe Days are important for you and your family’s health […]

Crossposted from the Washington Family Leave Coalition: You helped pass paid sick days in Seattle – but the devil is in the details. As the city begins drafting the rules that will actually implement the new ordinance, your input is crucial! By attending one of these meetings, you can help ensure Seattle’s Paid Sick Days […]

From the Seattle Business Magazine | By John Levesque Now is not the time for Washington state to scale back on providing a decent living wage. You probably heard this one before: Having a job is the new raise. True enough. In this desultory economy, few workers are likely to barge into the boss’s office […]

From the Everett Herald: Years ago there was a comic strip named “Pogo.” One of the most insightful strips was a distilled discussion of human foibles, in which Pogo announced, “We have met the enemy and he is us!” When it comes to the national debate over the 99 percent vs. the 1 percent, we […]

Economic trends show Washington women and families are falling behind in the economy, and repeated cuts to state childcare assistance is compounding the pain – especially for single mothers. Washington has a high percentage of parents in the workforce – including 70% of single mothers – so it comes as no surprise that affordable childcare […]

Washington state grabbed headlines this year with a minimum wage of $9.04/hour, thanks to a voter-approved automatic cost-of-living adjustment enacted in 1998. In 32 other states, the federal minimum – just $7.25/hour – applies.* But if it were adjusted for inflation using the Consumer Price Index (CPI), the federal minimum would be $9.16 today. For […]

Excerpted from Washington State Budget 101: Most states have an income tax that makes their tax system more equitable across all incomes and better ensures public revenues keep up with population and economic growth. That means other states have been able to invest in their people and public structures, while Washington has fallen behind. Washington’s […]

From the Huffington Post | By Stan Sorscher, Labor Representative for SPEEA and EOI Board Member I work for a labor union in the aerospace industry. We are 100% in favor of trade. We make products the rest of the world wants to buy. With increased trade we expect more prosperity. Instead, we see the […]

Excerpted from Washington State Budget 101: Washington’s tax code guarantees future revenue shortfalls Because of Washington’s heavy reliance on the sales tax, budget revenue doesn’t match growing needs for education, health care and other public priorities. People are spending more on services, which are mostly not taxed, and buying more over the internet, mostly tax-free. […]

Excerpted from Washington State Budget 101: While the legislature deals with budget gaps by cutting public schools, home health care for vulnerable seniors, preschool for low-income kids, and access to college, 100s of tax breaks for profitable corporations go unexamined. Not all tax breaks are bad, but when basic services are on the chopping block, […]

The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently released a compilation of national data about women in the workforce. But buried in the nearly one hundred pages of data are some nuggets of pure gold for policy wonks. In general, the data is trending positive. There are more women in the labor force than in decades past, […]