Teenagers, athletes, and the minimum wage
On Tuesday, the House passed HB 1355, which would increase the state minimum wage to $12. (See our special report for more.) As Jim Camden of the Spokesman-Review notes, House Republicans tried repeatedly to change the bill, offering 13 amendments for things like lower teen wages, taking a longer look at inflation or varying the […]
February 26 , 2015 - Emily Makings
Rules proposed for Seattle's minimum wage
The City of Seattle has released proposed rules for implementation of the $15 minimum wage. According to the Seattle Times, the public comment period is open until March 6. The minimum wage ordinance takes effect April 1; it will gradually increase the minimum wage in Seattle to $15 (and index it to inflation) depending on […]
February 24 , 2015 - Emily Makings
February 20 , 2015 - Emily Makings
New report: The Long-Lasting, Negative Consequences of the Minimum Wage
We have a new report today: The Long-Lasting, Negative Consequences of the Minimum Wage. Briefly: High labor costs hurt a state’s economic competitiveness. In Washington, these costs include the nation’s highest minimum wage. Unlike the federal minimum wage, Washington’s is indexed to inflation and has no tip credit. HB 1355 would increase Washington’s minimum wage […]
February 17 , 2015 - Emily Makings
February 05 , 2015 - Emily Makings
Teen unemployment rate is higher in Washington than in Idaho
As Jim Camden at the Spokesman-Review reports, yesterday the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee held a hearing on bills that would allow for a lower minimum wage for teenagers (SB 5421 and 5422). One part of the hearing stood out to me, and Camden notes it in his blog post: Democrats on the committee criticized […]
January 27 , 2015 - Emily Makings
Union membership declined in Washington in 2014
New data from the Current Population Survey shows that union membership in Washington declined in 2014, both in absolute numbers and as a percentage of total employment. In 2014, Washington’s total union membership was 490,112 (compared to 544,986 in 2013) and the percent of employment that was unionized was 16.8 (compared to 18.9 percent in […]
January 19 , 2015 - Emily Makings
Robotic orchard bins and the minimum wage
Last week Democrats in the House announced a bill that would increase the state minimum wage to $12 in 2019. Washington currently has the highest state minimum wage in the country, at $9.47. Meanwhile, researchers at WSU have won a federal grant to develop an intelligent bin management system supported by a robotic self-propelled fruit […]
December 30 , 2014 - Emily Makings
2014 remainders: workers' comp, freight plan, and the ports
Some end-of-year housekeeping — the following are some items I didn’t get around to blogging about over the past month: The Department of Labor and Industries announced that workers’ compensation premiums will increase by an average of 0.8 percent. In September, L&I had proposed an increase of 1.8 percent. The Washington State Department of Transportation […]
December 30 , 2014 - Emily Makings
New NLRB complaints could impact all franchises
On Dec. 19, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued complaints against McDonald’s franchisees and their franchisor, McDonald’s USA, LLC, as joint employers. The complaints allege that McDonald’s USA, LLC and certain franchisees violated the rights of employees working at McDonald’s restaurants at various locations around the country by, among other things, making statements and […]