July 29, 2014

Union-Backed Think Tank Sets a New Standard For Intellectual Dishonesty

The Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), which is generously funded by the AFL-CIO and the SEIU, is a staunch advocate for increasing the minimum wage. CEPR’s senior economist, John Schmitt, has been a loyal foot solider in the minimum wage battle for years, writing on the topic in…
July 22, 2014

New Analysis: One-Fifth of Lost Jobs From $10.10 Held By Hispanics

This week marks the fifth anniversary of the 2009 federal minimum wage increase to $7.25, and the network of labor unions and advocacy groups who are promoting another one aren’t wasting the occasion. But in their campaign to promote the supposed benefits of a wage hike, they’ve left out…
California July 1, 2014

A Minimum Wage Wake-Up Call for California

On July 1st, California’s minimum wage rose to $9 an hour, the first stage of a two-part increase to $10. Elsewhere, localities in the state have their sights set even higher, topping out with a $15 ballot proposal in San Francisco. These wage hikes couldn’t come at a worse time…
Washington June 24, 2014

New Survey: Seattle’s $15 Misstep

Earlier this month, Seattle became the first major city in the United States to approve a $15 minimum wage. With the ink from Mayor Ed Murray’s signature barely dry on the new ordinance, activists and legislators in other major cities—including New York, Chicago, and San Francisco– have announced their interest…
News June 23, 2014

A Copy-and-Paste Response to Inconvenient Facts about Paid Leave

In addition to researching wage mandates, the Employment Policies Institute has also conducted a series of employer surveys to gauge the impact of paid sick leave laws. Consistent with earlier research from San Francisco–published, ironically, by advocates for a paid leave mandate–EPI found that proponents of the…
June 2, 2014

Summer Bummer for Teens in Country’s Largest Metro Areas

Recently, the Employment Policies Institute (EPI) released a new analysis of Census Bureau data showing that many of America’s top U.S. metropolitan areas, including Los Angeles, Portland, San Diego, and San Francisco, have youth unemployment rates that average far higher than the national average of 21.6 percent.  Four of the…
May 22, 2014

Bill Clinton’s Case Against a 40% Wage Hike

In 1998, the U.S. economy was booming: Unemployment was at 4.6 percent, and just under 14 percent of teenagers in the labor force were searching for work. But even in these robust economic times, then-President Bill Clinton’s economic team gave a thumbs down to a 40 percent minimum wage hike,…
May 12, 2014

The Evidence-Free Case for a Wage Hike

When politicians don’t use facts to defend their position, there’s a good chance the facts don’t back them up. Exhibit A is a recent op-ed from New Jersey Senate President  Stephen Sweeney (D) in support of the state’s January 1st minimum wage hike. Sweeney claimed in the Times of Trenton that predictions about jobs being cut thanks…
April 7, 2014

Raising the Minimum Wage Will Hurt Women the Most

In a recent report, the White House described an increase in the minimum wage as “especially important for women,” pointing out that just over half of the employees covered by the President’s $10.10 proposal are women. (Other minimum wage advocates have echoed a similar message.) It’s an attempt…
March 31, 2014

The President’s Misleading Minimum Wage Op-Ed

The White House this week is distributing an op-ed signed by President Obama that promises “millions” of Americans will be raised out of poverty if the minimum wage is increased to $10.10. Unfortunately, the President’s rhetoric doesn’t match up with the research from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Far…