One by-product of the debate in Kansas over whether to raise its minimum wage (currently $2.65 per hour): a list of facts about minimum wage laws by Graham Kreicker:
Arguments against making the minimum wage a living wage are based on the faulty claim that it will hurt corporate profits and result in higher unemployment. But history shows that dividing the pie more equitably will neither bankrupt corporations nor cost us jobs. It will, rather, improve life for all employees and their families.
Just as true in Kansas as it is in Washington.
Filed under: minimum wage, work and family , business, public policy, washington state, work
California is a bellwether state on many fronts, and the latest is a proposal making its way through that state’s legislature to let private businesses and workers funnel direct payroll deposits into a retirement investment account. The California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) would administer the pooled money.
This idea has been around a while, but it’s getting real traction in many states now, as people become more worried about their retirement security.
In fact, the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems is currently designing a program called Washington Voluntary Accounts (WVA), based upon a policy proposal developed by EOI, to expand retirement security for Washington workers who aren’t covered by a retirement plan at work.
Filed under: retirement security , public policy, retirement, retirement savings accounts, washington state
Representatives Pete Stark (D-CA), George Miller (D-CA), Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) and Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) today introduced landmark legislation to provide workers with 12 weeks of paid leave in order to care for a new child, a sick family member, recover from an illness, or because of an exigency arising from the deployment of a member of the armed services.
The “Family Leave Insurance Act of 2008” will provide families with the support and flexibility they need and businesses with improved productivity and employee morale. The legislation will:
Read the rest of this entry »
Filed under: work and family , business, family, paid sick days, politics, public policy, united states, work
For most people, tax season officially ends in April. But for state policymakers, it’s always open season on taxes.
With I-960 in the courts and Washington State in a recession, balancing the state budget next year may prove to be a greater challenge than ever. How will we fund vital state services in a fair manner to educate children, provide health services to seniors, train workers, and keep the transportation system rolling?
Two new publications by the Economic Opportunity Institute highlight possible answers to that question:
Read the rest of this entry »
Filed under: state economy, tax and budget , business, economy, public policy, taxes, washington state
