Seattle’s $15 Wage Plan to Boost Families and Businesses

The day after Republicans in the U.S. Senate blocked a modest minimum wage increase to $10.10, Seattle small business owners with the Main Street Alliance proclaimed their support for a city level $15 minimum wage. “It is smart and responsible to raise the minimum wage, boost our local economy, and support small business success atContinue reading “Seattle’s $15 Wage Plan to Boost Families and Businesses”

‘Homeowners Bill of Rights’ Helps Fight Foreclosure in Colorado

After three years of persistent and tireless work by Colorado Progressive Coalition members, the Colorado legislature this month finally passed meaningful protections for homeowners at risk of losing their homes. For years horror stories have abounded in the press of banks that lost paperwork, homeowners never speaking to the same person twice, promises of aContinue reading “‘Homeowners Bill of Rights’ Helps Fight Foreclosure in Colorado”

Tax Day Means Tax Refunds for the Country’s Powerful Corporations

You pay your taxes today – April 15 – and every day, when you shop and buy products for your home or business. The nation’s most profitable corporations, on the other had, aren’t just avoiding taxes – but actually getting refunds. General Electric is especially imaginative it seems, when finding ways to short-circuit their tax-payingContinue reading “Tax Day Means Tax Refunds for the Country’s Powerful Corporations”

Anti-Minimum Wage Restaurant Association Serving Up Powerful Lobbyists

The National Restaurant Association is a lobbying powerhouse in Washington, D.C. and a leading opponent of efforts to raise the minimum wage. A new analysis by the Alliance for a Just Society and Restaurant Opportunities Centers United uncovers the “secret sauce” behind the NRA’s success: a heaping helping of insider influence. In The Hill thisContinue reading “Anti-Minimum Wage Restaurant Association Serving Up Powerful Lobbyists”

Driver’s Licenses for Immigrants Strengthens Families and the Economy

Across the nation, families, business owners, and police officers are calling on lawmakers to bring fairness to all in need of driver’s licenses – an item that many simply take for granted as an award for learning the rules of the road. But for millions of undocumented residents throughout the U.S., the denial of thisContinue reading “Driver’s Licenses for Immigrants Strengthens Families and the Economy”

Tipping Subminimum Wage in Favor of Workers

When you go out to dinner at a restaurant you might ask for salad dressing on the side, whether the carrots are organic, or if the chicken is free range, but do you ever ask the restaurant owner if her employees make a living wage? Waitresses and waiters are the largest group of tipped workersContinue reading “Tipping Subminimum Wage in Favor of Workers”

Expanding Health Care Coverage With Federal Funds In Idaho Will Create Economy-Boosting Jobs

If Idaho accepts federal funds to expand Medicaid coverage, an estimated 88,000 state residents will gain health insurance.  In addition, accepting the federal funding will also create jobs  more than 16,000 jobs and boost the Idaho economy, according to a new report by the Alliance for a Just Society. The report was released today byContinue reading “Expanding Health Care Coverage With Federal Funds In Idaho Will Create Economy-Boosting Jobs”

Critics Overstate Job Loss in CBO Report; Living Wage Lifts Families from Poverty

Yesterday, the Congressional Budget Office released a report on the estimated effects of increasing the minimum wage to $10.10 and indexing it to inflation by 2016. Opponents of the increase have jumped on the report’s (questionable) conclusion that it would cost jobs, while many in favor of increasing the minimum wage have focused on theContinue reading “Critics Overstate Job Loss in CBO Report; Living Wage Lifts Families from Poverty”

State of the Union Has the Right Themes, Action Must Follow

President Barack Obama delivered his fifth State of the Union address Tuesday night: low-key compared to other addresses, determined and occasionally defiant. He touched on many of the priorities being worked on by the Alliance for a Just Society this year, including mentioning that nine million Americans have signed up for private health insurance orContinue reading “State of the Union Has the Right Themes, Action Must Follow”

Families and Our Future Sinking in a Sea of Student Debt

This is the first in a three-part series by the Alliance for a Just Society, looking at the high cost of student debt for our country and for our future. Young college graduates are putting their futures on hold as they struggle under the burden of high student debt – and a weak economic recoveryContinue reading “Families and Our Future Sinking in a Sea of Student Debt”