Activists accelerate push for $15 minimum wage. Economists identify consequences.
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray has named a 23-member task force to make recommendations on a $15 minimum wage for the city. It’s a broad group, with representatives from business and labor, raising speculation that a clean recommendation may be out of reach. Murray acknowledged that consensus between labor and Seattle’s business elite might be difficult […]
January 13 , 2014 - Kriss Sjoblom
Friday's job report
Last Friday’s report on U.S employment was disappointing. The preliminary estimate from the establishment survey showed that employers added only 74,000 jobs in December, well below the 200,000 jobs that had been expected. The estimate of November job growth was revised upward by 38,000 to 241,000. The separate household survey, from which the unemployment rate […]
January 08 , 2014 - Richard S. Davis
Inequality and the poor 50 years after LBJ launches the war on poverty
A half century ago, LBJ declared war on poverty. He said it wouldn’t be a short or easy struggle. About that, he was right. Today’s debates on the minimum wage and inequality remind us of the challenges. It’s necessary to get past the rhetoric, though, to get some insight into the proper role of public […]
January 08 , 2014 - Richard S. Davis
Metro Puget Sound region poised for strong growth in 2014
In my column today I review a couple of recent studies that show economic strength in metro Seattle. Here are links to the reports for cities with economic momentum and the Milken Institute’s assessment of the best performing cities in 2013. As I note, the machinists’ vote to accept the Boeing contract helped make the […]
January 03 , 2014 - Emily Makings
I-522 postscript
The Wall Street Journal reports that General Mills has begun making Cheerios free of genetically engineered ingredients. As we showed in our report, “Initiative 522: Costly, Flawed and Ill-Conceived,” genetically engineered foods are safe and widely used. I-522 would have required mandatory labeling of certain foods made with genetically engineered ingredients, but Washington voters rejected […]
December 18 , 2013 - Kriss Sjoblom
November employment report shows state lost 6,000 jobs from October to November
The state Employment Security Department issued its employment report for November this morning. The preliminary estimate is that seasonally adjusted employment in Washington fell by 6,000 from October to November. This followed estimated declines of 7,400 from September to October and 1,400 from August to September. The estimated seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the state […]
December 18 , 2013 - Richard S. Davis
Governor's supplemental budget looks like a yawner … that's a good thing
Gov. Jay Inslee released his supplemental budget proposal yesterday. The details are available here. Inslee calls it “a hold-steady budget in a get-ready year.” That’s a pretty good description. The budget proposes a few modest new program increases and provides funding for increases in caseloads and school enrollment. That’s holding steady. He also warns of […]
December 11 , 2013 - Kriss Sjoblom
November 11 – December 10 state revenue collections beat forecast by $4 million
Every little bit helps. The Economic and Revenue Forecast Council issued its monthly Economic and Revenue Update today. Here are the key bullets on revenue from the summary: Major General Fund-State revenue collections for the November 11 – December 10, 2013 collection period were $4.0 million (0.2%) higher than the November forecast. Revenue Act collections […]
December 05 , 2013 - Richard S. Davis
SeaTac-to-Seattle $15 minimum wage march and the renewed national debate
Activists across the country protested for a $15 minimum wage for fast food workers today. Marchers left SeaTac this morning to bring the $15 wage narrowly passed in the airport city to Seattle. For some council members, it won’t be a hard sell. Newly elected socialist city council member Kshama Sawant (CHAH’-mah SAH’-want) says if […]
November 21 , 2013 - Kriss Sjoblom
Monthly employment report showing state lost 8,100 jobs is likely to be revised
The state Employment Security Department (ESD) issued its employment report for October yesterday. It is estimated that seasonally adjusted employment in Washington fell by 8,100 from September to October. This followed an estimated 1,400 decline from August to September. The estimated seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the state was 6.9 percent in September and 7.0 […]