Reports & Articles
February marks the 30th anniversary of the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993— the first bill President Clinton signed into law. FMLA is a lifesaver for millions of families across the country. Nearly 15 million workers take this leave every year to care for newborns, seriously ill family members, or themselves, without […]
Our state needs tax revenue to fund all of the things we love and rely on. From public schools and universities to firefighters and so much more, taxes are essential. But the way we raise those funds matters. Unfortunately, Washington does not collect taxes equally. We have a potential solution, though: A wealth tax. Washington’s […]
By many measures, Washington is an affluent state. As a long-time home to drivers of industry and technology, Washington draws and creates wealthy individuals. A recent study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy describes the geography of extreme wealth in the United States and notes that Washington is one of a handful of […]
Washington is home to nearly one hundred individuals worth a billion dollars or more. At the same time, nearly one out of four Washingtonians lives in poverty.
This week President Joe Biden signed the historic Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a $700 billion bill funding reductions in prescription healthcare costs and climate issues, which Congress hopes will help the overall economy and each family’s economic well-being. The passage of the reconciliation mega-bill gives us hope that Senate and House representatives can and will […]
As we close out Pride month and honor LGBTQ history, let’s celebrate the many beautiful forms family can take and ensure that LGBTQ working families can access the legal protections they need to care for all their loved ones. For many people, especially those in the LGBTQIA+ community, family is found, created, and chosen. Following […]
View Executive Summary, here, or the PDF report, here. Introduction: Program overview and history Washington’s Paid Family & Medical Leave program (PFML) launched in January 2020, the same month that the nation’s first COVID-19 case was identified in the state. During its first two years, PFML provided benefits on 262,500 claims from people welcoming a […]
Did you know that Latinx women earn an average of 57 cents for every white man’s dollar, Black women earn 64 cents, and white women earn 79 cents? Our friends at Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream do, and to honor Equal Pay Day on March 15th, they’ll donate 10% of profits from all locations to […]
The way we talk about and report on the economy and the state budget often masks underlying problems. It can make it harder for our elected leaders to enact the policies we need to build more resilient and equitable communities. Right now, reporting on the economy paints a picture of a robust economic recovery despite […]
Since March 2020, when the pandemic began shutting down workplaces, schools, and social gatherings, child care providers and their staff have been going 110%. They’ve risked their health and faced extra costs, with resources dwindling every day. For them, anxiety and worry continue to grow as we head into year three of this seemingly never-ending […]
We all vividly remember the beginning of the pandemic and the economic crash we faced in 2020. In response to projected state revenue loss, Governor Inslee vetoed hundreds of millions of dollars of funding from the 2020 supplemental budget, including funding for more counselors at high-poverty elementary schools and $50 million for climate mitigation efforts. […]
Washington launched its new Paid Family & Medical Leave program (PFML) in January 2020, just weeks before the first U.S. COVID case was first identified in the state. That timing turned out to be fortuitous. PFML has helped keep Washington families financially afloat, improved health, and relieved stress during the past two tumultuous years. Because […]
For PDF Factsheet, click here. Washington’s Paid Family & Medical Leave program began providing benefits in 2020 to people needing time away from work to heal from their own serious health condition, care for a new child, or care for seriously ill family. Over the past two years, 250,000 workers and families have benefitted. Washington’s […]
We’re a major step closer to a stronger and more equitable recovery from COVID with the passage of Build Back Better through the House in Congress. Build Back Better makes important investments in America’s people and families that will build up health and economic security both for those who have been most devastated by the […]
Inflation has been in the news a lot lately. The Consumer Price Index, released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, shows a 5.4 percent increase in prices nationally since September 2020. Higher prices for basic needs such as food, energy, and housing are driving the increase. Food prices increased 4.5 percent overall, with meats, fish, and […]
It’s time to expand economic security for workers across the country with national paid family leave
Washington’s workers, families, and businesses are fortunate to have paid family and medical leave (PFML). Our state’s Paid Leave program provides 12 to 18 weeks of benefits for parents welcoming a new child, workers coping with a serious health condition or caring for ill loved ones, and people dealing with a family member’s military deployment. […]
The U.S. Congress is working out the details of a Human and Care Infrastructure package that will make major investments in childcare and pre-K access, long-term care, paid family and medical leave, health care, college affordability, and other essential family economic security needs, all paid for with increased taxes on the wealthiest individuals and corporations. These […]
The Washington Work and Family Coalition, and the many people who shared their experiences helped win essential improvements to Washington’s Paid Family and Medical Leave program during the 2021 Legislative Session. We are excited to share that people can now claim these new benefits! Covering All Families Washington’s Paid Family and Medical Leave program now […]
August 3 is Black Women’s Equal Pay Day. That’s the day in 2021 when Black women in the U.S. who have worked full-time since the start of 2020 catch up to what the typical white man was paid by the end of December. In other words, African American women are paid just 63 cents to […]
For PDF version, click here. Introduction and Overview The Economic Opportunity Institute collaborated with Families of Color Seattle to conduct two listening sessions in March 2021 on Black, Indigenous, and other women of color’s experiences with Washington’s Paid Family & Medical Leave program (PFML). Fifteen women who had recently had babies participated: 14 used or had […]
For pdf version, click here. Introduction and Overview In January 2020, Washington became the fifth state in the U.S. to provide comprehensive paid family and medical leave (PFML) benefits. As of early 2021, seven states operate fully functioning programs and three more are in the process of implementing programs.[1] With no permanent national paid leave […]
March 2021 marks a year into a world-altering global pandemic declared during Women’s History Month. A year of turbulence, loss, and what seemed like never-ending change. Many of us transformed our homes into offices, classrooms, gyms, and shelters that kept us safe while a mysterious virus raged on. COVID-19 forced the collective to get creative […]
Washington is one of the country’s most affluent states, ranking fourth in GDP per capita and seventh in median household income. However, Washington’s tax system prevents the state from turning its affluence into true prosperity.
Early on in the pandemic, Washington’s budget forecasters were predicting sharp drops in state revenue to well below the level necessary to sustain state services. The good news in the March 17, 2021 forecast is that expected receipts from state taxes are pretty much back to the level being projected for this budget cycle in […]
The burden of the COVID-19 pandemic and economic recession has fallen disproportionately on Black and brown households. These communities continue to face systemic racism that manifests itself in police brutality, mass incarceration, and economic and political disenfranchisement, all of which have only been heightened with COVID-19. One indicator of these inequities is the racial wealth […]
For a PDF, click here. Since benefits began in January 2020, 170,000 Washington workers have applied for Paid Family & Medical Leave program (PFML) benefits while they recover from their own serious health condition, welcome a new child, care for a critically ill loved one, or cope with a family member’s military deployment. PFML supports […]
Originally published in the South Seattle Emerald One bright spot in this mostly dismal 2020 has been the launch of Washington’s Paid Family Medical Leave program (PFML). About 170,000 workers have applied for benefits this year. They include many people who had the joy of welcoming a new child into their family, others coping with […]
Washington State has experienced incredible economic growth thanks to our booming tech industries. High salary tech jobs have pushed up overall median incomes and caused housing and other basic cost to skyrocket all across the state. However, even before the pandemic and recession, most workers in other sectors hadn’t seen their own wages rise much, […]
Washington State’s legislators face enormous challenges in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, systemic racism and economic recession. They also have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rebuild our economy so that it better promotes shared prosperity, healthy communities, and opportunity for all Washingtonians. This toolkit will help us rebuild our state so that we come out of […]
For a PDF, click here. Background Washington is the fifth U.S. state to implement a comprehensive Paid Family & Medical Leave program, and the first to build the full program from the ground up. After a multi-year campaign and stakeholder negotiations, Washington’s legislature passed the program in 2017. Payroll contributions by employees and employers began […]
Social Security improves economic security for more than 1.3 million Washington residents and their families, and contributes significantly to economic stability and growth across the state. While it is currently on sound fiscal footing, federal lawmakers should act now to remove Social Security’s cap on taxable earnings, raise benefits, and make other improvements to ensure […]
Washington State has failed for years to make the investments necessary to promote educational opportunity and healthy communities because of our insufficient and unjust tax system. While some problems are masked during boom growth periods, they become starkly clear during recessions. Washington stands to learn from its mistakes in the Great Recession, as austerity and […]