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A baseline for future study of Seattle's minimum wage

The UW research team that is studying Seattle's minimum wage ordinance released a report earlier this week that provides baseline employer survey and worker interview information. (There will be more reports from the team as time goes on.) Under the ordinance, the minimum wage in the city will gradually increase to $15 (how quickly depends […]

A positive outlook for West Coast ports, and will robots handle more cargo in the future?

The Journal of Commerce has an interesting story on the outlook for West Coast ports. 2015 wasn't a great year: "If the recession year of 2009 is excluded, laden containers moving through West Coast ports in 2015 hit the lowest level in 10 years." But Washington ports did see growth: The Seattle-Tacoma port complex was […]

Universities and the proposed overtime rule

Last summer the Obama administration proposed increasing the overtime pay threshold. Currently, certain workers that earn less than $455 a week are eligible for overtime pay. The proposal would increase the threshold to $970 a week. As a Nation's Restaurant News story notes, The rules could have a significant impact on employers’ costs and management […]

Audit finds $420,363 in UI benefits were improperly paid to people in jail

Yesterday the State Auditor's Office (SAO) released an audit that identified people who received unemployment insurance (UI) benefits while in jail (and thus likely ineligible for UI benefits). The audit covers the period of July 1, 2013 through September 30, 2014, and it looked at just eight jails (of 57). Still, it found 1,911 potential […]

How Oregon's minimum wage law will impact university budgets

Oregon is the first state in the nation to require a higher minimum in cities than in more rural areas. Employers in areas within Portland's urban growth boundary will have to pay a minimum of $9.75 beginning July 1, 2016, and growing to $14.75 on July 1, 2022. Employers in medium-density counties will have to […]

Links: Costs of the port slowdown, Oregon's minimum wage, apples

Earlier this week, the Washington Council on International Trade released a new report on the costs of the port slowdown of 2014-15. According to the report, Washington businesses lost $769.5 million. That figure incorporates exports that were not shipped (or had to be sent more expensively by air), delayed imports, and additional costs incurred for […]

New report: By Mandating A Specific Compensation Mix, Labor Policies Take Flexibility Out of the Equation

In a new report, we take a look at various labor policy issues that are being discussed in the state this year. Briefly: An initiative has been filed that would increase the state minimum wage. It would also mandate paid sick leave statewide. The House has passed a wage parity bill. The House and Senate […]

Preliminary results from UW's minimum wage study are inconclusive

The University of Washington is studying the impacts of Seattle's minimum wage ordinance. They recently released a paper that describes the methodology for their study and provides preliminary estimates of the ordinance's impact on prices. The price information is inconclusive, to say the least. There are many caveats: They may not adequately describe firm responses […]

President Obama's budget would subsidize wages for teens

Today President Obama proposed a budget for 2017. It includes $5.5 billion to "open doors to a first job." Of that, $3.5 billion would be used to create new partnerships with companies and communities to get nearly 1 million young people into first jobs over the summer and 150,000 young Americans who have been out […]

Washington has nation's 5th highest union membership rate

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the national union membership rate was 11.1 percent in 2015 (the same as in 2014). Washington's total union membership rate was 16.8 percent in 2015, also unchanged since 2014. Professors Barry Hirsch of Georgia State University and David Macpherson of Trinity University have updated their database, which shows […]