Labor & Employment

Research Centers / Labor & Employment / Blog

Labor & Employment Blog

Businesses Need More than Bread and Circuses

May 22, 2012 in Blog

Yesterday kicked off the start of National Small Business Week.  Around the country government officials are paying homage to the small business owners who drive innovation in our national and state economies.

The recognition is certainly well deserved, but small businesses need more than a week of ceremonial platitudes in order to create the jobs that will spur our national and state economies out of recession. 

Yet Another Report Shows Washington’s Small Business Climate Needs Improving

May 9, 2012 in Blog

On the heels of two recent reports by the American Legislative Exchange Council and the Washington Roundtable concluding Washington’s business climate is in serious need of improvement comes a third report with the same conclusion.

Unions: Forcing Union Members to Work With Non-Union Workers Is Slavery

May 3, 2012 in Blog

The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 has filed a lawsuit against Indiana’s governor, attorney general and labor commissioner contending that forcing union workers to work alongside non-union workers is  slavery.

In New Report, State's Biggest Employers Say Washington's Business Climate Needs Fixing

May 2, 2012 in Blog

Reinforcing what most employers in Washington State already know, a new report by the Washington Roundtable concludes our state’s business climate is in serious need of improvement.

The Washington Roundtable is a nonprofit, public policy organization comprised of executives of some of the state’s biggest private sector employers (Starbucks, Safeco and Boeing, to name a few).  So when Roundtable members say our state needs a more competitive business climate, they know what they’re talking about.

State union negotiations begin tomorrow on 2013-15 contracts

May 1, 2012 in Blog

Governor Gregoire will begin negotiations with state employee unions tomorrow (May 2) to determine the terms of the 2013-15 state union contracts. These 2013-15 Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) are to be finalized by October 1 of this year - a month before the next Governor is chosen.

Impact of the pension reform deal

April 18, 2012 in Blog

One of the most contentious proposals the Legislature considered this year was the plan to reform the state's pension system. The compromise bill ultimately agreed to (SB 6378) was adopted by a vote of 56-42 in the House and 27-22 in the Senate.

You Don’t Need to Wear Shades for Washington’s Economic Future

April 16, 2012 in Blog

A new report by the nonpartisan American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) ranks the economic competitiveness in the 50 states, and while Washington’s rank over the past ten years (2000-2010) isn’t too bad, the future looks grim.  

Democratic mayors across the nation challenge teachers' unions in political shift

April 6, 2012 in Blog

I noticed an interesting Washington Post article this week.  It reports that Democratic mayors in Los Angeles, Chicago, Cleveland, Newark and Boston are challenging teachers unions.  It is unusual for elected leaders in major cities to identify local unions as one reason reforms cannot be achieved.  According to the story, these mayors:

If a High Minimum Wage can Kill a Sandwich, Imagine What it Does to Jobs

March 30, 2012 in Blog

Washington Policy Center has long warned that a high minimum wage reduces job opportunities and increases the cost of living.  The economics of it is simple.  The minimum wage is a price control that requires employers to pay workers a higher hourly wage.  That means they can afford to hire fewer workers, or they pay the inflated wages and pass the increased costs onto the customer, or a combination of both.