Maine March 2, 2016

The Impact of a $12 Minimum Wage in Maine

Proponents of a higher minimum wage in Maine, led by the state AFL-CIO, have gathered enough signatures to put their proposed $12 minimum wage to a vote this November. But earlier today a coalition representing approximately ten thousand Maine business owners announced their support for a competing $10 minimum wage proposal. Last year,…
March 1, 2016

Even Proponents Agree: Wage Hikes Cause Job Loss

Erica Payne is the President of an organization called Patriotic Millionaires, which made a name for itself during the lame duck session of Congress in 2010 when they demanded higher taxes for America’s wealthy, themselves included. More recently, the millionaires have taken to supporting a higher minimum wage as a…
February 18, 2016

Busting Myths About the Minimum Wage

Proponents of a higher minimum wage are determined to make their case no matter how much evidence piles up against them. But in doing so they conveniently avoid the evidence that directly challenges their arguments. We looked at several of the popular arguments proponents of a higher wage make, and…
February 16, 2016

Union Think Tank’s Rose-Colored Conclusions

Recently, the union-backed Economic Policy Institute released a study that determined, “raising wages would significantly reduce reliance on public assistance.” They reached this conclusion after examining eligibility data on federal and state means-tested programs for low-income families and making projections based on this information. But in doing so they conveniently…
February 3, 2016

Media Matters vs. The Truth about Wage Hikes

Proponents of a higher minimum wage are determined to make their case no matter how much evidence piles up against them. It’s like a lawyer who knows he’s been handed a bad case but the law says he must be a zealous advocate no matter how insurmountable the odds. Case…
Kentucky February 1, 2016

Policy Brief: The Impact of a $10.10 Minimum Wage in Kentucky

Policy Brief: The Impact of a $10.10 Minimum Wage in Kentucky Kentucky House Speaker Greg Stumbo recently introduced legislation to raise the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour. Stumbo and other proponents argue that a minimum wage increase will, on net, be a benefit for Kentucky employees. But the evidence, including a…
District of Columbia January 26, 2016

Washington, DC’s, Lesson in Unintended Consequences

Walmart recently announced plans to close 154 of its U.S. locations by the end of the month.  Among the list of closures are stores in high-minimum wage markets including Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, and San Jose. But just as notable as the locations the retailer is closing are the…
November 13, 2015

The Impact of a $12 Federal Minimum Wage

The “Raise the Wage Act,” introduced by Sen. Patty Murray (D-CA) and Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) in March 2015 would raise the federal minimum wage by 66 percent to $12 an hour. The legislation received a high-profile backer this fall in Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Proponents say that such a…
Maine October 30, 2015

Should Portland Listen to “Patriotic” Millionaires?

Voters in Portland, ME, will next week decide at the ballot box whether to raise the city’s minimum wage to $15 an hour. It’s a controversial proposal: The City Council just increased the city’s minimum wage  to $10.10 an hour, and many local voices — including the editorial board of the Press-Herald and…
October 20, 2015

Big Labor’s Bad Letter

Big Labor wasn’t going to let a fellow traveler disparage the $15 minimum wage without a response. Earlier this month, liberal economist Alan Krueger wrote an op-ed in the New York Times arguing that “a $15-an-hour national minimum wage would put us in uncharted waters, and risk undesirable and…