News & Stories

Fully two-thirds of Americans (67%) favor increasing the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $10.00 an hour. According to Public Religion Research Institute’s 2011 American Values Survey, strong majorities of nearly all demographic groups support this sizeable hike in the minimum wage. Notably, the only groups to oppose raising the minimum wage are Americans […]

A casino can be an entertaining way to pass the time, provided you know two things: 1) you’re probably going to lose; and 2) if you win, it’s not because of skill – its luck. But even “no-limit” poker is small stakes compared to what we all play for in life. That’s why some things […]

From the Everett Herald: What would you think if you could just drive over to your local Apple Store and when you walked in, they handed you a new iPad. For free. You wouldn’t believe it. That’s because you know that in a market economy like ours, you have to pay for a lot of […]

Washington legislators will convene a special session on November 28th to respond to a $1.4 billion drop in expected revenue for the remainder of the 2011-13 state budget. As this fact sheet outlines, closing tax breaks that favor the few and wealthy can support up to $1 billion in public investments that create jobs and […]

Join us for an event on the future of Social Security with Terry O’Neill, President of the National Organization for Women. Special guests include Rep. Jim McDermott and former King County Executive Ron Sims. Driving directions to Kane Hall From I-5 (either direction) Take the NE 45th Street exit (#169). Turn East onto NE 45th […]

A comprehensive study profiling 280 of America’s most profitable companies finds that 30 enjoyed a negative federal income tax rate from 2008-10 – including two with major operations in Washington state: Paccar (-30.5%) and Boeing (-1.8%). In total, 78 companies paid zero or less in federal income taxes in at least one year between 2008 […]

State and local government budget cuts and layoffs, combined with the sharp falloff of federal investment, are slowing down the tenuous beginnings of economic recovery and threatening to derail it altogether. Since 2009, Washington policymakers have slashed billions of dollars from the state budget, harming individuals, schools, and communities. Those cuts have hurt the economy […]

From the Everett Herald: I rode to work in the dark this morning, and I will probably ride home in the dark this evening. It’s that time of year, the sun rising later and setting earlier, Halloween right around the corner, and winter and darkness impending. The nation’s mood is equally darkening, and things are […]

When we win, we like to party – and that’s why you’re invited to join us for “Straight Shuffle”, a dinner to benefit the Economic Opportunity Institute. This won’t be a typical stuffy fundraising dinner. Would you expect that from a place that led the effort to pass a landmark paid sick days law in […]

Washington legislators will convene a special session this fall to respond to a $1.4 billion drop in the state’s expected revenue for 2011-13, brought on by high unemployment and the lingering recession. State lawmakers have already slashed billions of dollars from the state operating budget since 2008, crippling individuals, schools, and communities in every part of […]

Friday (10/21/11) at 6:30 AM PST, the Center for American Progress and the National Partnership for Women & Families are hosting a discussion on the growing momentum for paid sick days laws. Paid, job-protected sick days provide a critical workplace standard that promotes the economic security of U.S. workers and their families and safeguards the […]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZQlbtlErLo] Don’t think Social Security cuts affect you? Think again. Because if Social Security is cut, your parents might be movin’ in. Here’s the deal: right now, everyone pays Social Security taxes on the first $106,800 they earn, which means most people pay Social Security taxes on their whole paycheck. But since $106,800 is the […]

From The Story via American Public Media, cross-posted from Seattle Coalition for a Healthy Workforce: Getting Her Due: Ever noticed a sniffling check-out clerk when going through a grocery line and wondered why they didn’t stay home? Tasha West Baker says some of them can’t afford to. Tasha works as a checker at a local […]

From the Washington Post: A quarter of millionaires in the United States pay a smaller share of their income in federal taxes than many middle-class families, according to a new congressional analysis that offers fresh support for President Obama’s push to raise taxes on the nation’s wealthiest households. The report, by the nonpartisan Congressional Research […]

From the Everett Herald: It used to be that working hard and playing by the rules earned most people economic security and the ability to retire with dignity. But jobs are being outsourced, the jobs that remain offer lower wages and fewer benefits, and the retirement savings of most Americans has been decimated by the […]

In response to unfounded attacks on Social Security, EOI and Social Security Works – Washington will be hosting a free event in Everett this Tuesday, October 18th to dispel myths about Social Security. The event will be held at the Jackson Conference Center on the campus of Everett Community College, October 18th from 6:30 – […]

A recent report by Sentier Research shows real median household income is continuing to decline for the American working and middle class. The typical household income has lost more income since the economy recovery supposedly began than during the Great Recession itself. During the official recession, which lasted from December 2007 to June 2009, American […]

A DINNER TO BENEFIT THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY INSTITUTE NOVEMBER 9, 2011 | MUSEUM OF FLIGHT 5:30 PM MIXING HOUR | 6:30 PM DINNER AND PROGRAM In today’s economy, the deck is stacked against the middle class – so it doesn’t matter how hard you work. Good jobs that pay enough to support a family are […]

From the Washington Post’s Wonkblog: As the Occupy Wall Street protests swell in size and people pay closer attention to the gap between the wealthiest Americans and everyone else, one question is why this divide even matters. One way to look at income inequality, after all, is that it’s no big deal. If a country […]

Maybe you caught Danny Westneat’s column in the Seattle Times titled “Microsoft doesn’t need our tax break“. It was in response to Washington’s downwardly-adjusted revenue forecast, which lops an additional $1.3 billion off our already beleaguered state budget. In case you didn’t, Westneat’s column offered a solution to the shortfall: “Prioritize.” He writes: When you […]

Work-life standards like Seattle’s new paid sick days law aren’t the only way public institutions can support strong, healthy families. Grant-making agencies can also have a significant influence. Take, for example, the new standards recently released by the National Science Foundation (NSF): Internal changes to a government agency’s home-and-work policy don’t normally warrant a White […]

Via Washington News Service: OLYMPIA, Wash. – The minimum wage in Washington state goes up 37 cents on Jan. 1, to $9.04 an hour. Washington is one of only 10 states that ensure by law that their minimum wage keeps up with inflation, which was calculated at just over 4 percent this year. Whenever there’s […]