minimum wage
Bernie Sanders unveils push for $17-an-hour federal minimum wage, citing state increases
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Thursday announced Democrats’ plans to mark up legislation to increase the federal minimum wage to $17 an hour, pointing to an increase in the cost of living. Outside the U.S. Capitol, Sanders, a Vermont independent and chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said the panel […]
Going to work sick and losing income while caring for a newborn. NC workers talk about benefits and the minimum wage.
Blanca Borceguin became a mother of two daughters while working at jobs where she did not have paid maternity leave. While taking unpaid leave after her eldest daughter’s birth, she still had to pay $553 a month to keep her health insurance, she said. And after her daughter was born, Borceguin said her bosses didn’t […]
Kids at work: States try to ease child labor laws at behest of industry
WASHINGTON — Lawmakers in 11 states have either passed or introduced laws to roll back child labor laws — a push that’s come from industry trade organizations and mostly conservative legislators as businesses scramble for low-wage workers. In the past two years, those states have moved to extend working hours for children, eliminate work permit […]
Link between abortion bans and anti-worker policies detailed in new report
A new report prepared by researcher Asha Banerjee at the Economic Policy Institute explores and documents a troubling but unsurprising connection that afflicts several states in which the political right dominates policy-making. In “The economics of abortion bans,” Banerjee shows how “Abortion bans, low wages, and public underinvestment are interconnected economic policy tools to disempower […]
Experts: Why workers are much less likely to earn a decent wage in states like North Carolina
It comes as little surprise, but a new post from a pair of Economic Policy Institute experts — economist Ben Zipperer and state policy coordinator Dave Kamper — confirms that a key contributor to the stagnant low wages that millions of American working people continue to labor under is simple: out-of-date state minimum wage laws. […]
Child poverty rates highest in states that haven’t raised minimum wage
Analysis shows that North Carolina remains stuck among the lowest performing states Of the 20 states that have failed to raise the minimum wage above the federal $7.25 an hour standard, 16 have more than 12% of their children living in poverty, according to a States Newsroom analysis of wage and poverty data. Anti-poverty advocates […]
New ‘must read’ report shines a light on women and poverty in North Carolina
Over 3.2 million North Carolinians are poor or near poor, and many more experience economic instability and challenges over time. We’ve described some of these communities and the hurdles they face, individually and collectively, in our prior research. With this report, we examine the ways that women in North Carolina are caught in the crosshairs of irreconcilable social and economic demands.
Faith leaders urge minimum wage hike, expanded child tax credit as Congress nears recess
WASHINGTON — Faith leaders pressed Congress to pass voting rights legislation, a $15 minimum wage and a permanent expansion of the child tax credit during a Thursday briefing on Capitol Hill. “Poverty is a policy choice,” Rev. Dr. William Barber, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, said to lawmakers. Barber, who is the pastor of […]
What it takes to make ends meet in each North Carolina county
The 2022 Living Income Standard soars to new heights When COVID-19 arrived, few (if any) pundits predicted inflation would become one of the most fretted-over issues in 2022, but here we are. Supply chain disruptions, pent-up demand, war in Ukraine, and myriad other factors have made it harder and harder for many working families to make ends meet.
Raises for in-home care workers included in state budget turn out to be just a recommendation
In the state budget passed last fall, North Carolina lawmakers said they included raises for workers who provide direct care for the elderly or people with disabilities who live at home. The budget says that the rate increase is to “assist” in getting workers to $15 an hour. As it turns out those workers won’t get enough punch out of the budget provision to hit that $15 hourly minimum any time soon.
New report: Virginia-North Carolina comparison shows value of raising the minimum wage
Be sure to check out a new report that the good folks at Carolina Forward have published this morning about the minimum wage. As it notes, the fact that Virginia raised its wage substantially and that North Carolina has not, provides a handy experiment to see which of two very similar neighboring states is making […]