BossFeed Briefing for October 10, 2023
President Biden became the first sitting president to walk with workers on a picket line, yesterday was Indigenous Peoples Day, and October 5th was Latina Equal Pay Day - the day when Latinas catch up to average pay of a non-Hispanic white man in 2022.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW THIS WEEK:
Minimum wage is going up: Washington state is getting a new minimum wage for 2024. Starting January 1st it’ll be $16.28, making it the highest of any state’s minimum wage in the nation and more than double the federal minimum wage of $7.25. The current wage is $15.74.
Where there’s a will there’s a way: Canada is trying out a $10 a day childcare program - and it’s been working. Childcare centers in British Columbia say they’ve never been more stable, and with both parents able to work outside the home, the economy got a boost as well.
Terrible landlords: A Port Orchard-based company has been buying up Washington mobile home parks and jacking up prices until tenants can no longer afford them. Rent increases of 55%, cut services, and fees for violations are resulting in economical evictions for elderly & low income families in mobile home parks throughout the state.
TWO THINGS TO ASK:
Have federal student loans? You may want to check on them, as they’re back in repayment now. Another $9 billion was forgiven last week by the Biden administration, targeting those who have disabilities, work in public service, or who were entitled to relief through the use of an income driven repayment plan for 20+ years. For all things federal student loans, go to www.studentaid.gov
Which would you rather pay for? Labor or theft? Retailers are weighing this question based on data from years of self-checkout kiosks that were supposed to provide labor cost savings. Turns out, real people are needed. Who knew.
AND ONE THING THAT'S WORTH A CLOSER LOOK:
The Washington unemployment system is still recovering from pandemic era issues with “overpayments.” Claimants who had applied for benefits largely didn’t know they were breaking rules as the department provided confusing and complicated information, but were suddenly on the hook for paying back thousands of dollars. Thanks to the relentless organizing of hundreds of workers, the Employment Security Department announced a waiver process last year. The only hang up is the time it’s taking to weed through them all. So far only around a quarter of the 115,000 eligible claimants have applied, and of those applications, only about 200 have been processed. All that to say, apply if you need to, and if you already have, hang in there.
Read this far? Consider yourself briefed, boss.
Let us know what you think about this week's look at the world of work, wages, and inequality!