News and perspective on public policy issues affecting Washington's economy and quality of life, brought to you by the Economic Opportunity Institute.
Washington state grabbed headlines this year with a minimum wage of $9.04/hour, thanks to a voter-approved automatic cost-of-living adjustment enacted in 1998. In 32 other states, the federal minimum – just $7.25/hour – applies.* But if it were adjusted for inflation using the Consumer Price Index (CPI), the federal minimum would be $9.16 today. For [...]
Via Sightline: What does it take to live in Washington state? To pay for the bare necessities like rent, childcare, groceries, clothing, shoes, transport to work, telephone service, cleaning products and household items? (That’s without the additional costs of any comforts such as savings, vacations, cable TV, or the occasional restaurant meal.) A new report [...]
In late 2010, the Restaurant Association, Farm Bureau and a handful of other corporate interest groups sought to block a scheduled minimum wage cost-of-living adjustment for 2011. Their challenge to Washington’s voter-approved law was denied — but that hasn’t stopped them from bringing their faulty economic theory and poor business practices to Washington’s legislature. House [...]
From the Everett Herald: Minimum wage workers will see a small boost in their paychecks this week. That’s because the people overwhelmingly approved an initiative back in 1998 to increase the minimum wage and then index it to inflation. The idea is simple: The lowest paid workers should at least be able to realize the [...]
Recent Comments