Labor Policy

Tea Party Republican Joins with LA Democrat and Introduces Legislation to Assist Long-Term Unemployed Americans

CALIFORNIA NEWSWIRE 02/11/14 By Christopher Simmons SAN FERNANDO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Seeking to lower the number of long-term unemployed Americans, a Tea Party Republican joined with a Los Angeles Democrat today, introducing legislation in Washington D.C. that would provide long-term unemployed Americans with assistance in moving to search for […]

Federal Minimum Wage War Outmaneuvered By Municipalities

HUFFINGTON POST 12/11/13 By Michael Shank and Ed Lazere As Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid pushes for a national minimum wage increase this congressional session — and as SeaTac, Washington, passes the highest minimum wage in the country at $15 an hour — the leaders of the District of Columbia […]

Minimum Wage War Reaches Tipping Point

WASHINGTON TIMES 12/09/13 By Michael Shank and Ed Lazere WASHINGTON, December 9, 2013 —As Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid pushes for a national minimum wage increase this Congressional session – and as the Seattle area suburb of SeaTac, Washington passes the highest minimum wage in the country last week at […]

Tea Party, Progressives Unite on Fast-Track Trade Authority

WASHINGTON TIMES 11/13/13 By Michael Shank WASHINGTON, November 13, 2013 — With the Tea Party coming out hard against President Obama’s trade agenda, there may be some synergy among conservatives and progressives in tackling this year’s hottest transnational conflict. Outspoken critic of the Obama trade agenda and Washington Times Communities […]

Creating Just Jobs Around the World

US NEWS & WORLD REPORT 10/31/13 By Michael Shank and Sabina Dewan One of the biggest drivers of inequality is a lack of jobs. But not just any jobs, just jobs, ones that come with appropriate wages, rights, protections such as healthcare and pensions and opportunities for economic mobility. As […]

How to Build a GDP Measure for the Real Economy

THE ATLANTIC 10/24/13 By Michael Shank, Ben Beachy, and Justin Talbort Zorn One year ago this week, Hurricane Sandy ravaged much of the eastern seaboard, leaving tens of thousands of families homeless and nearly as many businesses shuttered.  Yet, by many estimates, the hurricane was good for the economy. It […]

Congress Needs to be Involved in Trade Talks

THE HILL 07/11/13 By Michael Shank, Ph.D. With 150 negotiators in 24 working groups descending on Washington D.C. this week to take part in the first round of US-EU trade talks, and with the joint EU-US High Level Working Group saying that “ambitious outcomes” should be sought for the areas […]

Congress Should Scrutinize Pending Trade Pacts

POLITIX 07/05/13 By Michael Shank President Barack Obama’s decision to suspend trade relations with Bangladesh due to worker safety concerns sets new a precedent for two major trade deals on the administration’s docket – the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the U.S.-EU Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). These proposed pacts […]

What Trans-Pacific and U.S.-EU Trade Partnerships Must Tackle: Jobs

HUFFINGTON POST 06/13/13 By Michael Shank and Sabina Dewan A high-level panel appointed by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon released its recommendations last month for a global development agenda when the Millennium Development Goals expire at the end of 2015 and when approximately one billion people will still […]

Not Just Any Jobs, But Just Jobs

THE HILL 06/12/13 By Michael Shank and Sabina Dewan Last week, a high-level panel appointed by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon released its recommendations for a global development agenda when the Millennium Development Goals expire at the end of 2015 and when approximately one billion people will still […]