Emily Makings

GE labeling, fear, and "consumer choice"

Michael Specter has a good blog post at the New Yorker today — “The Problem with G.M.O. Labels.” He makes some of the same points we made in our report on Initiative 522, which would have required labeling of genetically engineered foods but was rejected by Washington voters last year. (An initiative requiring labeling will […]

New Brief: 2015–17 Budget Preview: McCleary Not the Only Cloud on the Budget Horizon

In a new policy brief, we preview the upcoming 2015–17 state budget. It is based on a budget outlook presentation from the Office of Financial Management. The upshot is that even before considering new education funding under the state Supreme Court’s McCleary decision, legislators face a significant budget challenge. If voters approve Initiative 1351 (which […]

State budget is the winner in public pension cases, as WA Supreme Court holds that gain sharing and UCOLAs may be repealed

This morning, reversing lower court rulings, the state Supreme Court held that the Legislature was within its rights to repeal the uniform cost-of-living adjustment (UCOLA) and gain-sharing programs for public employees. By doing so, the court has finally given budget writers some good news: The state actuary had estimated that if the UCOLA and gain […]

New Brief: Initiative 1351 Class Size Reduction: A $4.7 Billion Unfunded Mandate with Dubious Educational Merit

In a new policy brief, we look at Initiative 1351, which will be on the ballot in November. I-1351 would reduce class sizes for kindergarten through 12th grade. Below are a few main points about the initiative, which are fleshed out in the brief. It would increase state K–12 spending by $4.7 billion through 2019—over […]

Fiscal impact of class size initiative, and other budget complications

The Office of Financial Management released its fiscal impact statement of I-1351 today. The initiative would lower class sizes for grades K-12 but contains no dedicated funding source. According to OFM, if approved by voters, I-1351 would increase state spending by $4.7 billion over 5 years ($2 billion in 2015-17 and $2.7 billion in 2017-19). […]

Ferry replacement troubles provide insight on local hire ordinances

Two Seattle stories from yesterday are a telling juxtaposition. First, in the Stranger, “Should Seattle Require Local Workers on Its Construction Projects?” and second, at KUOW, “Why Washington Ferries Are Such A Headache To Replace.” As the Stranger reports, For more than a year, the city has been studying a potential “local hire” ordinance, which […]

Various and sundry links

“Cancelling Washington R&D Incentives Will Erase Success,” by Tom Ranken and Eric Viola of the Washington Clean Technology Alliance, in Xconomy: “Before the programs, Washington tax law was punitive to R&D growth—and the job growth that goes with it.” (Here’s our policy brief on the R&D incentives: “Supporting Research and Development with Responsible Tax Policy.”) […]

Hotel development booming in Seattle

Bloomberg has a story on Seattle’s hotel building boom: Seattle, the fastest-growing among the top 50 U.S. cities, is attracting a wave of development as employers such as Amazon.com Inc. expand and lodging occupancies reach records. Three hotels opened in 2013 and two were completed early this year, while almost a dozen have been proposed […]

More on the NLRB's joint employer standard

Insurance Journal has a good article on the legal issues surrounding the NLRB’s general counsel’s decision that McDonald’s can be considered a joint employer in complaints against franchisees. If the five-member, Democrat-controlled NLRB board agrees with Griffin, the agency’s top prosecutor, corporations that may be far removed from day-to-day personnel decisions made by franchisees and […]

NLRB rules that McDonald's is a joint employer with franchisees

Earlier this month, I wrote about the National Labor Relations Board’s impending decision on whether or not to treat McDonald’s as a joint employer in unfair labor practices complaints against franchisees. Today, according to the New York Times, the NLRB’s general counsel ruled that McDonald’s is the joint employer for workers at its franchisees’ restaurants, […]