Category Archives: Allyson Fredericksen

Still Struggling to Make Ends Meet: A report on living wages in Washington State

Workers across the country face difficulties making ends meet; the same is true in Washington State. Two years ago, in an attempt to help the minimum wage keep pace with increased cost of living, voters in Washington State approved Initiative 1433. While that provided a much-need- ed boost to the state’s minimum wage, workers andContinue reading “Still Struggling to Make Ends Meet: A report on living wages in Washington State”

“Patchwork of Paychecks” Fact Sheet

Nationally, four of the top five fastest growing occupations pay less than $15 an hour. They are: retail salespersons; waiters and waitresses; cashiers; and food preparation and serving workers, including fast food. Nationally, for jobs that pay at least $15 per hour, there are seven job seekers for every job opening. The occupation category withContinue reading ““Patchwork of Paychecks” Fact Sheet”

Pay Up! Long Hours and Low Pay Leave Workers at a Loss

In recent years, a number of cities have raised their minimum wage to $15 an hour, which is significantly above federal and state minimum wages. These changes have prompted debate around the country regarding what constitutes an adequate minimum. This report contributes to that conversation by providing living wage figures, finding that current minimum wageContinue reading “Pay Up! Long Hours and Low Pay Leave Workers at a Loss”

Collective Bargaining is a Valuable Tool for Workers to Make Ends Meet

Working full-time should allow workers to make ends meet; instead, many workers across the country continue to be paid wages that leave them living paycheck-to-paycheck. As we’ve shown in our Job Gap Economic Prosperity Series since 1999, a living wage is well above the minimum wage that too many workers are paid. Our recent report,Continue reading “Collective Bargaining is a Valuable Tool for Workers to Make Ends Meet”

In Weighing Racial Discrimination, Consider Outcome, Not Just Intent

In the last two weeks, the Supreme Court handed down some monumental decisions: health care subsidies were upheld, ensuring millions will continue to see the benefits of the Affordable Care Act; and marriage equality became the law of the land, allowing LGBTQI people to marry. But, there was another major decision tucked in there, too:Continue reading “In Weighing Racial Discrimination, Consider Outcome, Not Just Intent”

More Low Paying Jobs Means Families Continue to Struggle

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has released the Employment Situation Summary, commonly known as the “jobs report,” for May. While many news outlets had headlines lauding May’s jobs numbers, at least some are beginning to come around to a fact that we have been stating for months: too many of these new jobs are inContinue reading “More Low Paying Jobs Means Families Continue to Struggle”