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Minimum wage hike hurts Maine and low-income workers
October 2009 · Kristen Lopez Eastlick · Portland Press-Herald
Maine’s minimum wage increased to $7.50 per hour this month, making it the eighth highest in the nation and 25 cents higher than the new federal rate. This increase – passed last spring as the recession was beginning in earnest – comes at a particularly damaging time for Maine’s entry-level work force. In passing the higher wage, well-intentioned politicians hoped this policy would benefit the state’s low-income… -
Offer health care reform we can afford
October 2009 · Rick Berman · Times of Northwest Indiana
The national debate over health care reform has ground to a halt, with both sides deadlocked over the scale and expense of potential government intervention. Tempers on both sides have run high, and in some cases disagreements over matters of policy have turned into confrontation and even violence. In the midst of this unrest, however, we can all agree on at least a few things: too many… -
State’s minimum wage reveals reality
October 2009 · Kristen Lopez Eastlick · Boulder Daily Camera
Earlier this month the Colorado Department of Labor announced that the state minimum wage would be decreasing. While many jump to conclusions about such a decrease, the economic impact may actually be a positive one. In the fall of 2006, Colorado voters approved a controversial ballot initiative that amended the state constitution to set the minimum wage at $6.85 and index it for inflation each year. Proponents… -
Minimum wage hike: What’s next?
August 2009 · Kristen Lopez Eastlick · Macon Telegraph
There’s no question that the nation’s unemployment situation is dire. Thirty-eight states reported job losses for the month of June, contributing to a national unemployment rate that’s at a 25-year high. Minority teens and young adults have been hit especially hard. The unemployment rate for black teens has skyrocketed to 38 percent, more than four times the national rate. Georgia has an unemployment rate of 10.1 percent,… -
Minimum Wage Hike: What’s Next?
August 2009 · Kristen Lopez Eastlick · Wichita Eagle
There’s no question that the nation’s unemployment situation is dire. Thirty-eight states reported job losses for the month of June, contributing to a national unemployment rate that’s at a 25-year high. Minority teens and young adults have been hit especially hard. The unemployment rate for black teens has skyrocketed to 38 percent, more than four times the national rate. Kansas has an unemployment rate of 7 percent.… -
Freeze the Summer Minimum Wage Hike
July 2009 · Kristen Lopez Eastlick · Cleveland Plain Dealer
Kristen Lopez Eastlick is a senior research analyst with the Employment Policies Institute, a nonprofit research organization dedicated to studying public policy issues surrounding entry-level employment. There’s no question that the nation’s unemployment situation is dire. Forty-eight states reported job losses for the month of May, contributing to a national unemployment rate that’s at a 25-year high. Minority teens and young adults have been hit especially hard.…