News & Stories

When the first cases of the H1N1 virus (swine flu) were confirmed in America back in April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised that sick individuals stay home from work or school. “Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people,” the CDC said. “If you get sick, […]

Big business organizations have panned the notion of required sick leave, with the Chamber of Commerce saying that “the problem is not nearly as great as some people say,” and the National Association of Manufacturers warning that the Healthy Families Act “would impose an inflexible government mandate on employers, making it more difficult for manufacturers […]

It wouldn’t be the holidays if we didn’t have grinches. In the spirit of the season, this week we saw calls to lower the federal minimum wage (yes, you read that correctly), thinly disguised as a way to help the economy. In this time of recession and high unemployment, however, that is actually the last […]

Two major cities — San Francisco and Washington D.C. — have implemented mandatory paid sick leave policies, while a third — Milwaukee — has passed the requirement, only to see it tied up in court. In addition, 15 states have proposed mandatory sick leave laws. “We are all being advised by our doctors to stay […]

From the Everett Herald: Last week the 787 finally made it up into the air for its first test flight. I watched its smooth take-off, and cheered, along with thousands of other citizens in our state. It seemed like we could claim again another milestone for flight, thanks to the Machinists and engineers who put […]

By Karen Pesapane, National Partnership for Women and Families The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention keeps updating its guidelines to help child care and early childhood programs – – and all of us – – respond to influenza during the 2009-2010 flu season. Guidelines for providers include separating children with signs of illness from […]

Despite warnings from the CDC, millions Americans can’t afford to stay home when they or their child catches the flu. In this video, ABC News investigates how the H1N1 flu season is affecting students, parents and millions of American workers who could be facing the loss of pay or even the loss of their job. […]

Video from a December 4th hearing Washington State House Commerce and Labor Committee hearing. The H1N1 hearing starts about halfway through–I recommend starting at 01:06:18 to hear personal testimony from a restaurant worker. | Watch

Janet Bauer | Oregon Center for Public Policy In the pantheon of American values, few are more venerated than work. The esteem accorded to a strong work ethic dates from the days of the Puritans and was evident in President Obama’s recent address to the nation’s schoolchildren. But if we rightly value work, why does […]

An emergency job creation program for the Washington State We’ve got an official unemployment rate of 9.3% here in Washington, and the likelihood of increased unemployment in the coming months.  This understates the actual unemployment and underemployment of workers in our state, and the decrease in the employment to population ratio.  The national underemployment rate […]

From the Everett Herald: For anyone who thought we could just elect a new president and magically fix all our problems, the bloom is probably off the rose. Not even one year in, the Obama administration is grappling with fixing Wall Street, completing the job in Afghanistan and Iraq, getting a universal health care solution […]

From the Washington Post By Petula Dvorak The coughing starts in the middle of the night. And while you are watching your child’s poor little body in footed pajamas curl up with every hacking spasm, you are doing the calculations in your head, realizing that you are absolutely hosed if you miss work the next […]

The “experts” who could not see the $8 trillion housing bubble that wrecked the economy are now telling us that we have to create a special commission so that they can cut Social Security and Medicare. With much of Washington’s punditry behind this effort, they could succeed. The basic story is straightforward. There is a […]

EOI’s latest analysis of Washington’s economy reveals that many hallmarks of middle-class life – owning a home, sending the kids to college, having health care, and building a retirement nest egg – have become increasingly unattainable for local families: Owning a home: Falling home prices are good news for people looking to buy – but […]

Seattle Times: Guest columnist James N. Gregory urges state lawmakers to stop being afraid of Eyman and the voters, exercise some leadership and reform our tax system: Tim Eyman may be finished. His Initiative 1033 proposal to freeze government spending was not only rejected by voters, it was crushed by a 15-percent margin. And he […]

From the Everett Herald: Voters east of the Cascades turned conventional wisdom on its head last week. These voters are often portrayed by the Seattle media market as conservative, anti-tax, anti-government citizens. Turns out they can recognize snake oil as soon as they see it. Twelve out of 20 counties in Eastern Washington rejected Tim […]

From the Washington Post: When Great Falls resident Carolyn Cuppernull’s 10-year-old daughter came down with swine flu, she didn’t have to take time off work to stay home with her. Cuppernull is senior marketing manager of the Washington office of the law firm Akerman Senterfitt. Under the group’s former policy, she would have had to […]

Come on down! It’s been over 50 years since The Price is Right began challenging contestants – most often women – to guess the price of consumer goods and “showcase” their ability to make sound financial decisions at home. Since then, most women have entered the workforce; today they earn the majority of college degrees. […]

Rich Nafziger -> A Rocky Road Ahead: We have a long way to go if we are going to create enough jobs to get us back to where we were before the four quarter of 2007. Since that time the economy has shed 7.2 million jobs. The most recent forecasts (from the Washington State Revenue […]

From the New York Times: Public health experts worried about the spread of the H1N1 flu are raising concerns that workers who deal with the public, like waiters and child care employees, are jeopardizing others by reporting to work sick because they do not get paid for days they miss for illness. Tens of millions […]