Reports & Articles
Originally published in the South Seattle Emerald As tax revenues fall with people out of work and whole industries shuttered, Washington’s state and local governments are laying off staff, reducing pay, and slashing services that are helping people weather the COVID storm. Cutting important services now will cause immediate suffering, prolong the recession, and deepen […]
For a PDF, click here. COVID-19 has laid bare two inter-related public policy dilemmas in Washington State: Our tax system fails to generate the revenue needed to fund public services, due to our overdependence on sales taxes, business and occupation taxes (B&O), and property taxes. It is exacerbated by our failure to adequately tax growing […]
If legislators convene for a special session this summer, they’ll face an unprecedented economic and health crisis – and a stark choice: either raise new revenue from those who continue to prosper, or enact steep budget cuts that will worsen suffering and prolong the recession. Their decisions will signal who, and what, they care about […]
For a PDF, click here. Washington’s communities are hurting from the combined effects of the coronavirus pandemic, social isolation, and loss of income. To prevent extreme hardship, promote health, and provide opportunity to Washington’s diverse communities, the state must increase investments in public health, education, housing, and income support for the most vulnerable. Washington State […]
The economic expansion that followed the Great Recession was the longest in post-war history. But many people, especially those with low-to-moderate incomes, were already on an economic knife edge before the COVID-19 pandemic struck. The jobs numbers certainly looked rosy: from 2008 to 2019, Washington added nearly 479,000 nonfarm jobs. Over the same time frame, […]
For a PDF, click here. From 2009 through 2012, Washington’s Legislature made policy-level spending cuts totaling $13.2 billion. They avoided even deeper cuts by modestly increasing revenues and transferring from other funds. Washington also received about $4 billion in federal stimulus funds over three biennia (2007-2013).[1] The austerity approach: caused significant, long-lasting harm to individuals […]
For a PDF, click here. In the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, state and local policy makers need new and better fiscal tools to protect Washington residents and prevent a long and deep recession. Public health needs are escalating, more people are turning to public services to cover basic necessities, and businesses will need help to reopen […]
Last week, it seemed that billionaires might step up and come to the rescue. Jack Dorsey, who founded Twitter and Square, donated $1 billion, amounting to 28 percent of his wealth, to relief programs related to the novel coronavirus. But what about the richest man in the world, clocking in at $123 billion and growing? […]
We’ve received two calls in the last week from immigrants with questions about how their legal status will affect them during this COVID-19 crisis. The first was a DACA student about to graduate from Washington State University. She was laid off from her part time job, and her internship working with little kids was cancelled. […]
Wages Since 1979, wages for the bottom 60 percent of Washington workers have increased $1/hour — or less! — after adjusting for inflation; meanwhile, the top 10 percent have seen hourly wages jump nearly $18/hour.[1] It’s not for lack of economic growth: between 1979 and 2016 (date of latest available data), Washington’s economic productivity increased […]
Paid Sick Days Washington State, Seattle, and Tacoma all require employers to provide paid sick leave. You are entitled to use sick days for: your own illness or preventative care, a sick family member, to deal with the consequences of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, if your place of work or child’s school or […]
The current economic expansion, now the longest in post-war history, certainly looks rosy on the surface: since 2008, Washington has added nearly 479,000 nonfarm jobs, and average hourly wages have climbed 22.6 percent after adjusting for inflation.[1] But while more people have jobs compared to a decade ago, wage gains have largely accrued to a […]
Higher costs for rent or home ownership, health care, child care and higher education have far outpaced the (very) modest increases in a typical family’s income over the past decade. Housing Housing has become far less affordable in Washington, as median rental costs and home prices continue to exceed increases in median family income. After […]
Social Security improves the economic security of 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 […]
For a PDF, click here. Introduction Washington State is preparing to implement what will be the nation’s fifth comprehensive paid family and medical leave program (PFML). Beginning January 1, 2020, most workers in the state will be able to take up to 12 weeks – and in some cases up to 18 weeks – of […]
For a PDF, click here. Introduction In January 2020, Washington will become the fifth state in the U.S. to provide a comprehensive paid family and medical leave program (PFML). Workers will be able to take up to 12 weeks, and in some cases up to 18 weeks, of paid leave in a year to care […]
For a PDF, click here. During the run-up to the 2020 elections, several proposals have been developed for enhancing health-care access and affordability. Some presidential candidates are discussing “Medicare for All.” Others are taking a more generic position for universal health coverage. In our state, the Legislature passed into law a measure to develop a […]
Declining unionization, and race- and gender-based discrimination are increasing economic disparities in the state. Declining Unionization While no single factor is entirely responsible for the growth in inequality, declining unionization has been a contributing influence.[8] Following the passage of the National Labor Relations Act in 1935, the spread of collective bargaining led to decades of […]
The Great Recession took a massive toll on the state’s job market. Today, more than a decade after the onset of the Great Recession, statewide unemployment in Washington is finally below pre-recession levels. But the state unemployment rate is just one way of looking at employment. Let’s dig in to explore a little deeper. In […]
Over the past three decades, Washington’s workforce has become increasingly older, more diverse, and more likely to have a four-year college degree. Age The share of younger people (age 16-24) in the workforce is less than half what it was in 1979, while the share of older workers (age 55+) has nearly doubled. Two big […]
Washington faces a crisis of low-income elderly residents in the coming decades, with many residents at risk of living out their years with a diminished quality of life and more reliant on the public safety net. It doesn’t have to be this way: states have long pioneered innovative retirement security policies for their residents. Washington […]
For a printable fact sheet, click here. As the Legislature confronts the need to fully fund public services, our elected public officials should be looking at the “Swiss cheese” nature of Washington’s tax code and focusing on past tax exemptions. One such giveaway excuses precious metal dealers from paying sales or B&O taxes.[1] This includes […]
For a PDF, click here. Washington’s estate tax is one of the few progressive revenue sources in our regressive state tax system. Less than 1 percent of residents who pass away are wealthy enough for their estates to be taxed. We can capitalize on recent reductions in the federal estate tax and raise $300 million […]
While the gender pay gap has declined since 1979, the state has not made any significant or lasting progress in closing the gap since the late 1990’s. In Washington, a typical woman (or one earning median wage) is paid 22 cents less per dollar paid to a typical man. Assuming 40 hours per week, 52 […]
For a PDF of this report, click here. Executive Summary This report is part of a research project focusing on the challenges facing child care providers and the barriers to increasing and maintaining the quality of early learning programs in Washington State. It contains the findings from case studies of fifteen childcare providers located in […]
For a PDF of this document, click here. Social Security benefits are crucial to the economic security of more than 1.3 million Washington residents and their families, and contribute significantly to the economic stability of every region of the state. Yet some members of Congress are threatening once again to cut Social Security to pay […]
For a PDF of this report, click here. Introduction Long hours of work, inadequate pay, and lack of paid leave undermine health, economic security, and opportunity for working people and their families. Federal and state minimum wage and overtime laws are intended to assure that workers receive reasonable compensation for their work and that they […]
Stagnant wages and growing income inequality (driven by declining unionization and gaps in pay by gender and race) mean that most working people and families – whether in Seattle, Longview, or Yakima – are finding it harder live, work, and/or raise a family. Even after adjusting for inflation, costs for rent or home ownership, health […]
Declining unionization, and race- and gender-based discrimination are increasing economic disparities in the state. Declining Unionization While no single factor is entirely responsible for the growth in inequality, declining unionization has been a contributing influence.[8] Following the passage of the National Labor Relations Act in 1935, the spread of collective bargaining led to decades of […]
Jobs may be booming — but wages and income are only increasing for those at the top. Wages Since 2008, wages have stalled for two-thirds of Washington’s jobs, while already high-wage jobs have seen big gains. However, that trend goes back much further than the Great Recession. In fact, looking all the way back to […]
By many measures, Washington’s economy has soared since the Great Recession. Since 2008, the state has added over 404,000 total nonfarm jobs, and average hourly wages climbed 13 percent after adjusting for inflation. But while more people are bringing home paychecks compared to a decade ago, wage growth for most workers has been anemic at […]
Summary By many measures, Washington’s economy has soared since the Great Recession. The state has added over 400,000 jobs since 2008 – more than making up for previous losses – and average hourly wages have climbed 13 percent after adjusting for inflation. However, those rosy numbers mask the fact that sluggish wage growth, increasing inequality […]