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What I’ve Been Reading This Week


It seems to have been the case many weeks so far this year, but this one in particular was somewhat more hectic with work travel than the past few.  With very little spare time, I did not have much of a chance to read through articles, but the two below are worth highlighting.

As always, below are a couple articles that caught my eye this week.


Some Workers See Wage Growth (Thanks to Wage Hikes); Others See Decline

Perhaps we should call this conversation, water is wet.  After all, I do not think it should come as much of a surprise that hourly workers in states that have raised hourly wage rates have seen a 4% wage growth.  On the other hand, for workers in states that have not seen wage hikes, it also should not come as a shock that these workers have seen a - .5% wage growth.  With that being said, this study from the National Employment Law Project is Worth a read for a more nuanced discussion on the topic.


Democratic Presidential Candidate Tom Steyer Proposes $22/Hour Minimum Wage Rate

Let us call this one of the most progressive positions during the 2020 primary cycle.  Last Sunday, Democratic Presidential candidate Tom Steyer was in South Carolina, ahead of the state‘s primary in a few weeks, during which Steyer announced that he would seek to raise the federal hourly minimum wage rate to $22/hour if elected President.  Readers might recall that there has been broad support for a $15/hour minimum wage rate...but $22/hour is a whole other story.  While Steyer’s candidacy is expected to fall short, might the Democratic platform include an hourly wage rate above $15/hour?  Time will tell, although I would not be surprised if Steyer’s $22/hour wage proposal helps propel the conversation forward before the Democratic convention in Milwaukee this summer.

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