Workers in the 28 right-to-work states earn much less than workers in states with stronger unions.
In politics, sometimes naming is everything. If the widely accepted name for a policy or position has a strong emotional connotation, it can leave supporters with an uphill battle to persuade voters before they’ve…
Employers used to invest in their workforce and promote from within. Now they allow entry-level workers to languish
There’s no question that American workers are taking home smaller paychecks than they used to, even though their productivity has skyrocketed. …
For Americans who were born in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, corporate market consolidation might feel like the natural order of things. We grew up in a country where Walmarts and other big box stores dotted rural and suburban landscapes, and the surge in Amazon’s prominence over the last two…
In a recent episode of “ Pitchfork Economics,” the journalist Anand Giridharadas, author of the excellent book “Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World,” explains how billionaires use philanthropic giving to whitewash their reputations — and avoid taxation.
“We’re living in this time in which you cannot…
In July, a successful worker strike at a Topeka Frito-Lay factory captured the nation’s attention. On a recent episode of the “ Pitchfork Economics” podcast, Kansas State Representative Jason Probst said the strike showed workers “have had their fill. …
“Everybody I know wants a simpler tax process,” a caller to a recent episode of “Pitchfork Economics” asked. “So why isn’t it happening?”
It’s a great question. Filing taxes in the United States is so incredibly complex that many people feel compelled to hire highly-trained experts to complete and file…
It’s impossible to discuss the size and scope of income inequality in America without including housing in the conversation. In the same way that corporate profiteers line their pockets while their workers fall below the poverty line, wealthy homeowners have rigged the system so their properties surge in wealth at…
“The United States is unique in that it really has three benefit systems that break down almost precisely by income level,” Professor Wendy Bach explained in a recent episode of “Pitchfork Economics.”
“We have what I like to call welfare for the wealthy at the top, delivered mostly through tax…
Saturday, July 24, was the 12th anniversary of the last time the federal minimum wage increased, to $7.25 an hour. This is, by far, the longest the nation has gone without an increase to the federal minimum wage since the labor law was first instituted in 1938. While many states…
Back in February, I wrote about the national grocery chain Kroger’s announcement that it was closing low-performing stores in Seattle and Long Beach, California, after the two cities passed laws requiring grocery stores to pay their front-line workers additional $4-per-hour “hero pay” during the pandemic.
“Giant corporations love to use…
