Reports & Articles
If the world of higher education feels complicated and vast, that’s because it is. Trade school, grad school, masters degrees, Running Start, four-year, two-year, land-grant colleges, private, public, for-profit, online, hybrid; expanding cultural horizons, learning basic skills, pursuing advanced degrees, training in technical fields – “higher ed” includes many kinds of schooling. And paying for […]
Hospitals are a critical piece of our communities. Within those walls, babies are born. The sick receive treatment. And sometimes, we say goodbye. But unlike in the past – when they were small, community-run entities – many of today’s hospitals are massive, complex structures, operated within equally massive, complex systems. Health care is no longer […]
Last year, Arizona-native and hedge fund manager Brian Heywood used his spare, untaxed cash reserves to launch six initiatives. The subject represent a wide range of social and fiscal issues. All six, though, have the same goals: To roll back, curtail, or prevent progressive policies. Three are set to go to the ballot, while another […]
Now that the legislative session is over, advocates and policymakers have turned their attention to another critical issues: the bundle of three conservative initiatives headed to the ballots this November. Under the umbrella of a campaign called “Lets Go Washington,” these dangerous initiatives are the brainchild of right-wing multi-millionaire Brian Heywood. Heywood, who the Seattle […]
Last week, the 2024 legislative session came to a close – but not before lawmakers passed a bill that provides new protections against wage discrimination. The timing of the bill couldn’t be better; Women’s Equal Pay Day falls on March 12 and begins a year-long recognition of the persistent pay gaps that women experience every […]
There’s a lot of scaremongering out there about Social Security’s financial situation – but the bottom line is simple: the Social Security 2023 Trust Fund report projects that this essential program can pay all benefits in full and on time until 2033. After that, approximately 77 percent of benefits will be paid, even if Congress […]
With every paycheck, both workers and employers contribute to Social Security. When we reach retirement age – or face extenuating circumstances like a disability or the death of a breadwinner – we are protected by modest but dependable monthly benefits. Nearly all of us are covered because nearly all of us contribute. But we don’t […]
Washington residents know that the only thing worse than needing medical care is the fight to get it – and pay for it. And thanks to unchecked greed and unregulated hospital consolidations, these problems are only growing. The Washington State Legislature is taking this issue on this session as it considers a bill to better […]
By Gabriela Quintana, Economic Opportunity Institute, and Tracy Yeung, Washington State Budget and Policy Center Since U.S. Senator Cory Booker and U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley introduced baby bonds in 2019 to narrow the nation’s racial wealth gap and increase families’ wealth, states like Connecticut and Washington D.C. have passed their own baby bonds legislation. We […]
Washington’s outdated, unfair, and inadequate tax code needs both reform and transformation. This session, lawmakers have set their eyes on reforming one of the more progressive taxes in Washington’s otherwise regressive tax code: the real estate excise tax (REET). Making the proposed changes to REET will make our tax code fairer and bring in much […]
For decades, Washington state has held the distinct dishonor of having the most regressive tax structure in the nation
Tens of thousands of Washingtonians are living out their years with a diminished quality of life due to insufficient income in retirement. One factor contributing to the problem: Among the bottom half of wage-earners nationally, only 60% have access to a retirement plan at work – and just 40% participate in such a plan.[1] Enter […]
Washington workers celebrated major labor wins in 2023. Starbucks workers unionized in over 25 locations across the state. United Farm Workers in Yakima won $3.4 million in a discrimination lawsuit. Researchers at the University of Washington won fairer wages and improved working conditions. In December, they notched one more victory – one which underscores a dark […]
Americans are living longer and longer. Even amid other public health challenges, life expectancy has risen steadily for the last four decades. Unfortunately, the infrastructure around aging in America hasn’t kept pace. For many retired folks, living longer also means living poorer. Lower wages, a higher cost of living, fewer housing options, and cuts to […]
Family is everything—whether genetic or chosen. Everyone should be able to take paid sick and safe leave to take care of their loved ones, no matter how they are related.
At one time or another, every worker will need to take time off work for health-related reasons. Without the protection of paid sick leave laws, they are forced to make tough choices between missing a paycheck or working while sick, risking their health and the health of their coworkers.
By now, you’ve probably heard the news: Jeff Bezos is moving to Miami! And you may have found yourself reacting before you even read past the headlines. You may have wondered what it all means. Maybe you asked yourself something like, “if Jeff Bezos is moving to Florida, a well-known tax haven, it’s probably a […]
This summer, I joined representatives from AARP Washington and the Washington State Labor Council for a retirement security listening tour organized by Washington State Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti. While the sessions were held in five very different communities (Tukwila, Port Angeles, Yakima, Everett, and Steilacoom), many of the comments and conversations were strikingly similar. One common […]
Most people know that Pride Month is celebrated in June. But did you know that October is LGBTQ+ History Month? This is an important distinction. Pride is a celebration of the queer community and its culture. But we should also take October as the time when we reflect specifically on the ways LGBTQ+ folks have […]
When we discuss ways to correct Washington’s unfair tax structure, we’re often met with questions. If we passed a state wealth tax, who would pay? And who would benefit? How would the revenue be spread across the state, and would less-dense counties really stand to gain much value? These are fair questions – and they’re […]
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is proposing to extend federal overtime protections – the right to be paid more when working more than 40 hours of work – to 3.6 million workers. It is great news for workers nationwide. It also demonstrates that once again, the Evergreen State is at the forefront of labor […]
Though it may be difficult to remember now, there was a time when talking about a wealth tax or progressive tax structures wasn’t common. But way back in 2011, during the national Occupy Wall Street protests and ensuing conversations, activists brought these topics to the forefront. Almost overnight, the terms “the 99%” and “the top […]
Tech workers don’t always get a fair shake in Washington. They tend to get blamed for everything from traffic to the housing crunch. But truthfully, the Evergreen State has had plenty of problems long before Microsoft or Amazon. It’s baked into our structures – starting with our very unfair, very inefficient tax system, which is […]
If you’re planning a vacation this summer, there’s a good chance you’ll be boarding a commercial airplane. As you take off your shoes and place your laptop into the bin, you may find yourself thinking about how much easier it must be for the ultra-rich to see the world. Aboard their private jets, destined for […]
One of the most valuable elements of the labor movement has been its ability to close numerous wage gaps. Union membership is one proven way for marginalized groups – women, members of the LGBTQ community, BIPOC folks, and immigrants, to name a few – to achieve wages that are on par with those of white […]
Washington’s health care workers and patients banded together this year to address our health care staffing crisis and – despite significant pushback from the hospital industry – won a major victory. Governor Inslee signed the Safe Staffing bill (SB 5236) into law on April 20th, following passage in the House and Senate with strong bipartisan […]
Tax day is a day that inspires lots of feelings. Due to Washington’s lack of an income tax, we don’t have to file a Washington state return on Tax Day. So, many of us spend our time while filing taxes thinking about federal taxes and the federal government. But we think it’s a good day […]
Everyone knows that Washington is expensive. But what does housing affordability mean for renters and owners in Washington? As of 2021, nearly 927,000 Washington households (31.6% of all households) were considered cost-burdened. That means they were spending more than 30% of household income on housing. While roughly similar numbers of owner-occupied (~440,000) and renter-occupied (~487,000) […]
Wages vary dramatically between occupations. Unfortunately, in Washington, that means homeownership just isn’t possible, no matter how much a person might work. For the relatively few people in occupations where wages have kept pace with the cost of housing, home prices are still about as affordable as they were more than a decade ago. But […]
On March 14 – Equal Pay Day – April Sims made a bold statement(opens in new tab): Organized labor is the answer to decades-old questions about how to close the wage and race gaps. Sims, who was elected President of the Washington State Labor Council (WSLC), AFL-CIO, in October of 2022 knows this better than anyone.
The advertised price of a home is the same for everyone. Unfortunately, due to systemically lower wages, buying a home is harder for BIPOC Washingtonians. Homes are typically far less affordable Black and Hispanic workers in Washington, creating an equity gap that is difficult to bridge. Here’s the math. The estimated median wage of a […]
The housing market in Washington is red hot – but who can afford to buy a home here, anyway? The collapse of the housing market during the Great Recession temporarily made homes more affordable. Unfortunately, that relief didn’t yield a more buyer-friendly market for long. Housing has gotten more expensive as demand. As home costs […]