The middle class is poorer today than it was in 1989, By Matt O’Brien, October 1, 2014, Washington Post: The fundamentals of the economy are, well, okay. It’s been slow and steady, but the recovery has chugged along enough to get us back to something close to normal. The economy has surpassed its pre-crisis peak, unemployment is at a six-year low, and stocks have more than tripled from their 2009 low. It’s not the best of times, but it’s certainly not the worst — which was a very real possibility after Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy threatened to send us into a second Great Depression…”
Day: October 3, 2014
State Minimum Wage Increases
- NJ’s minimum wage rising in January by 13 cents, By Michael Symons, September 30, 2014, Vineland Daily Journal: “New Jersey’s minimum wage will increase by 13 cents an hour, starting in January. The 1.59 percent increase, from $8.25 an hour to $8.38, is required under a constitutional amendment approved by 61 percent of voters last November that raised the mimimum wage by $1 and provided for automatic yearly increases to keep pace with inflation. It amounts to less than $20 a month for a minimum-wage worker putting in 35 hours a week, or almost $240 over the course of the year…”
- Minimum wage to rise to $8.10 for Ohio workers in 2015, up 15 cents, By Robert Higgs, September 30, 2014, Cleveland Plain Dealer: “Ohio’s minimum wage will increase to $8.10 an hour for non-tipped employees beginning Jan. 1, an increase of 15 cents triggered by inflation. The current rate of $7.95 has been in effect since the beginning of this year…”
- Washington’s minimum wage going up again to $9.47, tops in the U.S., By Brad Shannon, September 30, 3014, Tacoma News Tribune: “Washington’s minimum wage will go up by 15 cents to $9.47 an hour, affecting more than 67,000 workers, the state Department of Labor and Industries announced Tuesday. That keeps the state rate highest in the country on a statewide basis, although some jurisdictions such as Seattle and SeaTac have adopted laws to set higher rates. Oregon’s rate, which is the second highest, goes up 15 cents to $9.25 next year, Labor & Industries said in a news release…”
Ex-Offenders and Employment
Our criminal justice system is making it really hard for people to find jobs, By Jonathan Blanks, September 30, 2014, Washington Post: “Although the American economy has rebounded from the Great Recession, many people still struggle to find jobs. Politicians blame taxation, trade policies and automation. Some have even singled out the current welfare system. Often overlooked? The many punitive effects of the criminal justice system. Nearly 65 million Americans have a criminal record. This black mark carries with it potentially mandatory restrictions on jobs, housing, education and public assistance. As detailed in a National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers study, the federal government and every state imposes some sort of ‘collateral consequence’ to arrests or convictions…”