News & Stories

It was deja vu all over again yesterday as supporters of Initiative 1098 heard a pep talk from Bill Gates, Sr. and picked up the very first petitions for the campaign — just like the Initiative 1077 kickoff that took place almost exactly one month ago. So what’s the difference between the two measures? And […]

Here’s a question to test your knowledge of recession-time economics. In a downturn, will high-paying jobs outnumber minimum-wage jobs, or the opposite? That’s kind of a trick question. The answer is “both.” Surprised? It gets even more puzzling. There’s a chance the median wage could increase, too — as it did in Washington state during […]

Crossposted from MomsRising.org: Earlier this year, the nation of Kuwait passed a law ensuring paid leave to all workers in their country, even in their first year of work. In passing this basic, common-sense legislation, Kuwait joined a community of 145 other nations – including 19 of the top 20 most economically competitive countries in […]

Pop quiz: What common cause unites a prominent philanthropist, a venture capitalist, and a local businessman with a passion for public education? Answer: Initiative 1098. These three — Bill Gates Sr., Gerald Grinstein, and Michael DeBell — have nailed the case for the measure in a new Puget Sound Business Journal column: In the quest […]

The Wall Street Journal examines a budgetary boxing match between opponents and advocates of legislation to ensure New York City workers can earn paid sick days on the job. The question: How much will it cost? In one corner: the New York City Chamber of Commerce, which says the measure will cost billions. In the […]

John Burbank: BP Spends. We Pay. | More Washington’s Working Women 2010: Progress stalled without new workplace standards | More Local citizens urge Congress: Take action on paid family leave and paid sick days | More No ivory towers: EOI policy experts reach out to Washington leaders and voters | More Read the full newsletter […]

From the Everett Herald: The news from the Gulf Coast just seems to get worse, with the out-of-control oil rig explosion spurting 210,000 gallons a day, the oil slick taking over beaches, the dome device that was supposed to contain the oil not working at all, and the possibility of continued oil eruption from the […]

Coalition trip to DC: Advancing workplace policies for Washington families A group of Washington citizens are just back from a jam-packed 2-day trip to “the other Washington” led by the Economic Opportunity Institute’s Marilyn Watkins, where they urged members of the state’s Congressional delegation to take action on paid family leave and paid sick days. […]

When citizen delegates from Washington State converged in Washington DC to urge their representatives to take action on paid family leave and paid sick days, Selena Allen, of Tacoma (whose story we’ve profiled before), and EOI Policy Director Marilyn Watkins were interviewed by NPR reporter Jennifer Ludden: For millions of Americans, a major illness or […]

Public News Service notes the irony: Over the weekend, working moms might have been treated to cards, flowers and even breakfast in bed. But today, life is back to normal – and for Washington women, that means earning less per hour on the job and receiving fewer workplace benefits than men. “Washington’s Working Women 2010,” […]

More Washington women are primary breadwinners, but their economic progress has stalled out This Sunday, thousands of moms will be recognized and appreciated for all they do. But when they go back to work on Monday, neither their wages nor the policies at their workplaces will fully reflect the contributions they make at work or […]

Eye-catching headline aside, readers can safely skip over the first two paragraphs of Maddy Dychtwald and Christine Larson’s Huffington Post article, in which J. Lo’s latest movie The Back-up Plan is mostly just an entertaining hook. But don’t miss paragraph 3 and beyond, where the authors introduce a few eye-opening facts about modern motherhood and […]

In April 2010, a delegation from Washington State traveled to Washington, D.C. to advance family-friendly policies at work. Our representatives joined the national meeting of Making it Work: Advancing Workplace Policies for Today’s Families for a two day event that included a conference and day of action on Capitol Hill. Our state group shared the progress of […]

From the Everett Herald: We all patronize our local small businesses. Owned and operated by our neighbors, they provide our coffee, sandwiches and the small things to fix up our homes. They fix up our cars, and sell us bicycles and books. Most of all, they create the web of neighborhoods and community. One thing […]

A group of Washington citizens are just back from a jam-packed 2-day trip to “the other Washington” led by the Economic Opportunity Institute’s Marilyn Watkins, where they urged members of the state’s Congressional delegation to take action on paid family leave and paid sick days. One of those who made the trip was Megan Sacks, […]

In Washington, a typical woman working full time is paid $37,932 per year, while a similar man is paid $51,272 per year. That’s a gap of $13,340. If full-time working women in Washington were paid the same as their male counterparts, Washington’s families could afford: 100 more weeks of food bills (1.9 years’ worth!) 8 […]

Initiative 1098* has been filed to appear on the November 2010 ballot in Washington. If passed by voters, the measure will lower taxes for most Washington residents by lowering property taxes and exempting small businesses from the business and occupation tax. I-1098 would raise new revenue dedicated to education and health services by adding an […]

A press conference to announce Initiative 1077, the high earners income tax initiative, was held today at Soho Coffee in the Central District of Seattle. Announcing the initiative was Bill Gates, Sr., who addressed the need for a more fair and equitable tax structure that encourages the growth of small businesses. “Our tax code is […]

The fear sometimes expressed that a state income tax on high income households will drive wealthy people from the state is not supported by the evidence. People choose where to live based on multiple factors, including jobs, proximity to family, and lifestyle preferences. Since 43 out of 50 states have a state income tax, most […]

Imagine working side by side with someone who does the same job as you do. But while your co-worker is paid weekly, you get one week’s pay for every 10 days of work. That’s the reality of working life for thousands of Washington’s working women — and it’s the impetus for Equal Pay Day, which […]

Today is April 15. Tax Day. If you live in one of 43 states with an income tax, you’ll have to calculate your state income tax liability along with the federal. But here in Washington (along with AK, FL, NV, SD, TN, TX and WY), residents don’t pay a state income tax. Sure, it sounds […]

The Legislature has finally figured out a budget and closed up shop. The headlines will be about new taxes. But the equation that taxes are by nature bad doesn’t add up. What do taxes pay for? Schools, roads, health care, public health, college education, community colleges, police, firefighters, teachers, parks, recreation … In short, taxes […]