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 […]
December 02 , 2013 - Emily Makings
WA average workers' comp rates to increase 2.7 percent
The Department of Labor and Industries has announced that it will increase average workers’ compensation rates by 2.7 percent for 2014 (after two years of no increases). Per the news release, Noting that the 2011 reforms are projected to save approximately $150 million in the fiscal year that ends next July, [Director Joel] Sacks said […]
December 02 , 2013 - Emily Makings
SeaTac and local minimum wage laws
The Wall Street Journal writes about the “patchwork of local wage laws”: A wave of successful state and local initiatives to raise the minimum wage is creating the potential for a greater patchwork of pay standards around the country than ever before, fueling the debate over whether Congress should raise the federal level. Of course, […]
November 07 , 2013 - Richard S. Davis
Special legislative session signals good news for machinists, for Boeing and for the state economy
Gov. Jay Inslee called lawmakers back to Olympia for a special session today designed to secure the Boeing 777X and its carbon fiber wing for Washington state. The proposed legislation complements the agreement reached by Boeing and the Machinists union for an eight-year contract extension assuring continued labor peace and changes benefiting the company and […]
October 24 , 2013 - Emily Makings
State Supreme Court hears public pension arguments
This morning the state Supreme Court heard arguments on the public pension gain sharing and uniform COLA cases. The Department of Retirement Services summarized the issues yesterday: At issue in one case is a law from 2008 which repealed gain sharing provisions for members and retirees of certain state retirement plans and replaced them with […]
October 18 , 2013 - Emily Makings
On the "California Rule" and why it matters for WA pension reform
In a Bloomberg View article, Steven Malanga writes about an effort in California to amend the state constitution to specifically eliminate the notion that employee benefits are a contractual right that bars all future changes. [San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed] is pushing for the amendment because workers are challenging a San Jose pension measure approved […]
August 20 , 2013 - Emily Makings
WA had the nation's highest workers' comp benefits paid in 2011
Today the National Academy of Social Insurance released Workers’ Compensation: Benefits, Coverage, and Costs, 2011. (This annual report has a two year data lag.) The report shows that in 2011, Washington still had the nation’s highest workers’ compensation benefits paid, at $835.40 $855.78 per covered worker. Alaska followed with $782.99 per covered worker. In terms […]
August 16 , 2013 - Emily Makings
Special report: Proposition 1 and the "Living Wage Movement" in SeaTac: Increasing Unemployment, Decreasing Opportunity
A proposal on the November ballot in SeaTac would establish a $15 minimum wage and paid sick leave benefits, and impose restrictions on employers’ labor practices. In a new special report, we consider the economic effects of Proposition 1. Our five main findings are: Approximately 5 percent of low wage jobs will be lost. Another […]
August 06 , 2013 - Emily Makings
An October court date for pension policy
Oral arguments in the public pension gain sharing and automatic cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) cases will be heard October 24 of this year. (Mark your calendars!) In the meantime, a few recent publications from the Center for Retirement Research (CRR) may be of interest. First, last month, CRR released a report on the funded status of […]
July 16 , 2013 - Emily Makings
Report on paid sick leave in Seattle focuses on benefits offered prior to implementation, awareness of law
Seattle’s paid sick leave ordinance requires a written evaluation of the impacts this ordinance has had on employees and employers. This evaluation will include an assessment of patterns and practices relating to shift swapping, the potential abuse of leave by employees who take time for other than the intended purposes, use of explicit waivers of […]