After several decades in which economic growth and productivity gains have not translated into wage growth for large segments of the labor force, policy makers are looking for strategies that can expand opportunity and raise wages for working people. This report looks at a proposal in Massachusetts that would set a minimum wage of $15 an hour for workers in fast food and big box retail businesses that have more than 200 employees.
Aiming to improve public safety and allow more people to participate effectively in their economies, eleven states and D.C. currently provide drivers licenses for qualified residents regardless of immigration status. This new fact sheet examines fiscal, economic and safety implications of expanding access to driver's licenses for immigrants who are currently ineligible to be licensed to drive in Massachusetts.
Labor Day will arrive again this Monday, offering all of us a chance to remember and to celebrate the social and economic achievements of American workers. While Massachusetts workers have seen some improvements recently – including lower unemployment, a higher minimum wage and earned paid sick time – unfortunately, since the late 1970s, our national and state economies have not given workers much cause for celebration.
This fact sheet examines the core elements of the “Pacheco Law”- the requirement that privatization efforts lead to savings based on improved efficiency and that they do not drive down the wages of working people – and describes the processes and steps the law requires.
The state earned income tax credit (EITC) helps providing a meaningful boost to the after-tax earnings of thousands of low-income working families. This Facts-At-A-Glance provides town-by-town estimates of tax filers who received the state EITC in 2013.
This report provides an overview of what the state has and has not been doing to provide the support low income parents need to succeed in the workforce. While Massachusetts increased some investments after the welfare reforms of the mid-1990s, there have been deep cuts and chronic underfunding since then.
The number of children living in poverty in Massachusetts would be twice as high as it is if low income families did not receive help from effective anti-poverty programs such as the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly called food stamps), WIC nutrition programs, and the Child Tax Credit.
For an overview of what’s working, what’s holding back progress, and how to fix what’s broken, check out this infographic.
This report traces economic and policy changes since the launch of the Great Society, and how these changes have affected the lives of children and adults at all income levels in Massachusetts.
To protect their physical and economic security, survivors of domestic and sexual violence sometimes need to take time off from work to address health and safety issues. Many employers provide “safe time” leave for such employees and Earned Paid Sick Time laws in several cities and states give employees the right to take safe time when needed. This fact sheet examines these policies and also provides a description of state programs that assist these survivors.