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Seattle's income inequality "not as bad as you think," plus bonus links on mobility and the minimum wage

Emily Parkhurst reviews income data in the Puget Sound Business Journal and finds the metro area is doing pretty well. The national debate over income inequality and raising the minimum wage may begetting a lot of attention here in the Seattle area, but this region is one of the best in the country to go […]

WA ranks #42 in share of tax filers claiming Earned Income Tax Credit

The Tax Foundation’s tax map this week shows EITC claims as a share of filers by state. Washington ranks No. 42. Go here for a good explanation of the EITC. BTW, today is Earned Income Tax Credit Day. Who knew? The Tax Foundation summarizes the general resul. Lower-income, southern states had a higher proportion of […]

New Brief: County Distribution of Washington's Minimum Wage Jobs

In 2012, there were 68,567 full time equivalent jobs at the minimum wage in Washington. In a new policy brief, we take a look at the distribution of those jobs across the state. Below is a chart from the report, showing the number of minimum wage jobs in each county:

Why it makes no sense to tie minimum wage increases to gains in productivity

The recent push to raise the minimum wage has seen occasional efforts by proponents to relate the minimum wage to increased productivity. For example, Up to 1968, increases in the minimum wage kept up proportionately with productivity increases. That made sense, as the gains in productivity were in that way equitably shared between employers and […]

Increasing opportunity: better politics and better policy than attacking inequality

In the days leading up to the State of the Union, the White House signaled a rhetorical shift. Less talk of inequality, more emphasis on opportunity.  As ABC News reported, The adjustment reflects an awareness that Obama’s earlier language put him at risk of being perceived as divisive and exposed him to criticism that his […]

Raising the minimum wage — government workers get it first

Seattle Times columnist Danny Westneat wonders if executive orders from Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and President Obama raising the minimum wage for government employees and employees of federal contractors may backfire. It’s possible that giving huge pay hikes to some government workers will spark a prairie fire to get higher pay for all. But it […]

"Student-athletes" and workers' comp

Football players at Northwestern University have filed a petition to unionize. According to ESPN, the approval process could take years. Here’s the part of the story that interested me the most: Northwestern is expected to oppose the action on the grounds athletes are not employees, and the NCAA, the trade association representing the athletic interests […]

2013 union membership in Washington

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its 2013 union membership report on Friday. The total union membership rate nationally was 11.3 percent (no change since 2012). The public-sector union membership rate was 35.3 percent and the private-sector rate was 6.7 percent. Washington’s total union membership rate was 18.9 percent (4th highest in the country). Additionally, […]

Inequality and the minimum wage – two different issues – and one just became more complicated

For reasons not entirely clear, discussion of increasing the minimum wage have been closely linked with expressions of concern over income inequality. In Seattle, for example, Mayor Ed Murray’s task force looking into the $15 minimum wage is called the Income Inequality Advisory Committee. Rep. Farrell’s statement in support of a $12 minimum wage included the […]

Defined benefit pensions are great for employees — until they aren't

The 2013 Employee Benefits Survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that of all private sector employees, 19 percent have access to a defined benefit pension and 59 percent have access to a defined contribution retirement plan. Conversely, of all state and local government workers, 83 percent have access to a defined benefit pension, […]