EPI Research (Page 5 )

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  The Impact of a $12 Minimum Wage in Maine

  March 2016

  Proponents of a higher minimum wage in Maine, led by the state AFL-CIO, have gathered enough signatures to put their proposed $12 minimum wage to a vote this November. Executive Director Matt Schlobohm defended the proposed 60 percent increase with a moral appeal: “Working people deserve fair wages…they deserve better than poverty for full-time work.” The accumulated evidence, including a new analysis specific to Maine, shows that a wage increase will not deliver…
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  What’s in a (Brand) Name?: A Comparison Of Minimum Wage Effects on Franchise and Non-Franchise Businesses

  January 2016

  One unique feature of recent local minimum wage battles is the focus on franchise businesses. In Seattle, for instance, a minimum wage of $15 took effect in 2015 with multiple phase-in paths that depend on the business size (as measured by number of employees), with smaller businesses being granted more time to adapt to the mandate. Under the Seattle law, an independent, locally-owned franchise business…
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  The Effects of Minimum Wage Increases on Means-Tested Government Assistance

  December 2015

  One of the more popular contemporary arguments for raising the minimum wage is that it will save taxpayers money. Specifically, proponents of a higher minimum wage have argued that taxpayers “subsidize” employers who provide entry-wage jobs, and that raising the minimum wage could reduce employees’ reliance on social safety net programs. The proof to support such a claim has so far been thin. One 2015…
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  By Big Labor and For Big Labor: A Case Study from San Francisco of Union Involvement in the Legislative Process

  November 2015

  Since early 2012, labor unions and the left-wing pressure groups they fund have attacked conservative policy organizations for assisting state and local legislators in developing legislation. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the AFL-CIO in particular have loudly denounced “corporate interests” for funding these groups. However, many of the same unions and left-wing pressure groups employ nearly identical tactics to develop and enact liberal policies. San Francisco’s…
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  Survey of US Economists on a $15 Federal Minimum Wage

  November 2015

  The University of New Hampshire Survey Center conducted a survey of economists for the Employment Policies Institute (EPI). The specific areas of interest are economists’ opinions on a $15 minimum wage. Invitation and reminder emails were sent to five hundred and fifty-five (555) US based economists from a list provided by EPI. EPI obtained the list in June 2015 from a database of roughly 1,400 prominent…
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  Early Experiences with Chicago’s July 1st Minimum Wage Increase

  June 2015

  In December 2014, the Chicago City Council approved a law raising the city’s minimum wage by nearly 60 percent, to $13 an hour, by 2019. A press release from the office of Mayor Rahm Emanuel trumpeted the wage hike as a boon for the city. Small business owners were less sure, expressing concerns about the unintended consequences of labor cost increases that couldn’t be offset through higher prices. The first stage of the…