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Opinion: San Francisco provides a cautionary tale on scheduling law
October 2016 · Michael Saltsman · Puget Sound Business Journal
Seattle has now become the second major city after San Francisco to pass a law intended to limit how and when employers can schedule their employees. Proponents in the labor movement are trying to build momentum for their cause elsewhere in the country, including cities like New York, as well as states like California and Oregon. But early evidence from the Bay Area suggests legislators should proceed… -
Question 4 financed by out-of-staters
October 2016 · Michael Saltsman · Lewiston Sun Journal
While the leaked communications of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have dominated headlines, another embarrassing disclosure was recently made in Maine. Financial disclosures filed this month with the Maine Ethics Commission show that the state’s leading minimum wage political-action committee, Mainers for Fair Wages, is overwhelmingly funded by non-Mainers. An analysis of the disclosures indicates that 75 percent of the PAC’s $674,000 in monetary contributions comes from… -
Scheduling Law Nonsense
October 2016 · Michael Saltsman · U.S. News And World Report
Last month, Seattle became the second major U.S. city after San Francisco to pass a scheduling mandate on service-industry employers. These regulations, which wouldn’t look out of place in a collective bargaining agreement, force affected businesses to compensate employees for schedule changes and offer additional hours to existing employees before hiring new ones, among other provisions. Activists are trying to expand these mandates throughout California, as well… -
My Turn: Minimum wage’s minimum impact on 2016 politics
October 2016 · Michael Saltsman · The Arizona Republic
Researcher: Don’t buy polls that suggest strong support for higher minimum wages. Minimum-wage proponents get no points for originality. This fall, they’re dusting off their failed 2014 strategy which claims that U.S. Senate candidates should support a starter-wage increase because it could make the difference in battleground states like Arizona. “(U.S. senators) locked in close races could lose critical support — and even their seats — over opposition to… -
Painless? Study on $15 Minneapolis wage doesn’t add up: It draws on research funded by same unions pushing for hike.
October 2016 · Michael Saltsman · Minneapolis Star-Tribune
If a new economic report commissioned by the city of Minneapolis is to be believed, a proposed $15 minimum wage in the city will bring mostly gain and very little pain for the workforce. The authors optimistically estimate that over one-fifth of the city’s workforce will receive a pay boost, with the cost offset through minor price changes and insignificant impacts on the job market. The problem starts with… -
Minimum wage’s impact on 2016 political climate
October 2016 · Michael Saltsman · Nashua Telegraph
Minimum wage proponents get no points for originality. This fall, they’re dusting off their failed 2014 strategy which claims that U.S. Senate candidates should support a starter wage increase because it could make the difference in battleground states like New Hampshire. “[U.S. senators] locked in close races could lose critical support—and even their seats—over opposition to raising [the minimum wage]…”, wrote Paul Sonn of the labor union…