Boosting Paychecks

Boosting Paychecks

Author: Daniel P. Gitterman

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2010-05-01

Total Pages: 194

ISBN-13: 0815704585

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When most people think of policies designed to help the poor, welfare is the first program that comes to mind. Traditionally welfare has served individuals who do not work—hence much of the stigma that some attach to the program. An equally important strand of American social policy, however, is meant to support low-wage workers and their families. In Boosting Paychecks, Daniel Gitterman illuminates this often neglected part of the American safety net. Gitterman focuses on two sets of policy instruments that have been used to aid the working poor since the early twentieth century: the federal tax code and the minimum wage. The income tax code can be fine-tuned in many ways—through exemptions, deductions, credits, changing tax brackets and rates—to alter the amount of income workers are left with at the end of the day. In addition, it interacts with the minimum wage to determine the economic well-being of many lowincome households. Boosting Paychecks analyzes the partisan politics that have shaped these policies since the New Deal era, with particular attention paid to the past three decades. It also examines the degree to which they have succeeded in lifting low-wage workers and their families out of poverty. Forging a new political bargain that balances labor market flexibility with security for poor working families is one of the most critical challenges facing government today. Boosting Paychecks sheds new light on the scope of this challenge and the political constraints and opportunities policymakers face.


What Works for Workers?

What Works for Workers?

Author: Stephanie Luce

Publisher: Russell Sage Foundation

Published: 2014-01-31

Total Pages: 362

ISBN-13: 1610448197

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The majority of new jobs created in the United States today are low-wage jobs, and a fourth of the labor force earns no more than poverty-level wages. Policymakers and citizens alike agree that declining real wages and constrained spending among such a large segment of workers imperil economic prosperity and living standards for all Americans. Though many policies to assist low-wage workers have been proposed, there is little agreement across the political spectrum about which policies actually reduce poverty and raise income among the working poor. What Works for Workers provides a comprehensive analysis of policy measures designed to address the widening income gap in the United States. Featuring contributions from an eminent group of social scientists, What Works for Workers evaluates the most high-profile strategies for poverty reduction, including innovative “living wage” ordinances, education programs for African American youth, and better regulation of labor laws pertaining to immigrants. The contributors delve into an extensive body of scholarship on low-wage work to reveal a number of surprising findings. Richard Freeman suggests that labor unions, long assumed to be moribund, have a fighting chance to reclaim their historic redistributive role if they move beyond traditional collective bargaining and establish new ties with other community actors. John Schmitt predicts that the Affordable Care Act will substantially increase insurance coverage for low-wage workers, 38 percent of whom currently lack any kind of health insurance. Other contributors explore the shortcomings of popular solutions: Stephanie Luce shows that while living wage ordinances rarely lead to job losses, they have not yet covered most low-wage workers. And Jennifer Gordon corrects the notion that a path to legalization alone will fix the plight of immigrant workers. Without energetic regulatory enforcement, she argues, legalization may have limited impact on the exploitation of undocumented workers. Ruth Milkman and Eileen Appelbaum conclude with an analysis of California’s paid family leave program, a policy designed to benefit the working poor, who have few resources that allow them to take time off work to care for children or ill family members. Despite initial opposition, the paid leave program proved more acceptable than expected among employers and provided a much-needed system of wage replacement for low-income workers. In the wake of its success, the initiative has emerged as a useful blueprint for paid leave programs in other states. Alleviating the low-wage crisis will require a comprehensive set of programs rather than piecemeal interventions. With its rigorous analysis of what works and what doesn’t, What Works for Workers points the way toward effective reform. For social scientists, policymakers, and activists grappling with the practical realities of low-wage work, this book provides a valuable guide for narrowing the gap separating rich and poor.


Purpose and a Paycheck

Purpose and a Paycheck

Author: Chris Farrell

Publisher: AMACOM

Published: 2019-02-05

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 0814439624

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Purpose and a Paycheck tells the compelling story of how a growing movement of older entrepreneurs and part-time workers are creating a stronger and more vibrant economy. People 65 and older will account for 20 percent of the population in 2030, up from 13 percent in 2000. Many prognosticators blame the aging population for the stagnating economy, citing that as more people retire, they will stop working as relatively fewer working people have to support growing numbers of dependent elderly. Purpose and a Paycheck debunks this line of thought by showing how a growing movement of elderly entrepreneurs and part time workers are creating conditions for a stronger economy Growing numbers of Americans are no longer retiring in the traditional sense, and the numbers are striking such as: the labor force participation rate of men 60 years and over has risen nearly one-third from a low of 26 percent in 1996 to 35 percent in 2014, the comparable rate for women is from 15 percent to 25 percent, and 25.5 percent of new business ventures in 2016 were started by the 55-to-64-year-old age group, up from 14.8 percent in 1996. America’s aging society and workforce is redefining work for all generations and is a strong force in shaping the U.S. economy and society, alongside globalization, automation, and climate change. Reframing aging will result in faster rates of economic growth and higher living standards for all of us in addition to a more fulfilling and financially secure second half of life for our aging population.


Exposing Pay

Exposing Pay

Author: Peter Bamberger

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2023

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 0197628168

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"Pay, and particularly others' pay, is a topic of interest to all of us. While we may deem it inappropriate to ask our boss what others in the organization are earning, that doesn't mean we wouldn't like to know. Nor is this due merely to curiosity. Knowing the figures on others' paychecks is important because, lacking such information, it's difficult for us to assess how fair our own pay is, whether we are justified in seeking a raise, or whether it's worth our while to seek our fortune in some other organization or career. Moreover, we might look favorably upon greater transparency in pay-related matters not only as employees, but also as citizens. Greater pay transparency might serve as a means to (a) better ensure that labor markets efficiently match individuals with those employers most able to leverage their talent, and (b) make it harder for employers to discriminate, whether intentionally or not, against women, minorities, and other disadvantaged groups with respect to pay"--


Rewarding work

Rewarding work

Author: Edmund S Phelps

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 2009-07

Total Pages: 230

ISBN-13: 9780674042117

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Since the 1970s a gulf has opened between the pay of low-paid workers and the pay of the middle class. No longer able to earn a decent wage in respectable work, many have left the labor force, and the job attachment of those remaining has weakened. For Edmund Phelps, this is a failure of political economy whose widespread effects are undermining the free-enterprise system. His solution is a graduated schedule of tax subsidies to enterprises for every low-wage worker they employ. As firms hire more of these workers, the labor market would tighten, driving up their pay levels as well as their employment.


Hearings

Hearings

Author: United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Post Office and Civil Service

Publisher:

Published: 1969

Total Pages: 1346

ISBN-13:

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The Squeezed Middle

The Squeezed Middle

Author: Parker, Sophia

Publisher: Policy Press

Published: 2013-01-16

Total Pages: 188

ISBN-13: 1447309510

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As wages stagnate but living costs keep rising, the pressure on working people grows more intense. The issue of living standards has become one of the most urgent challenges for politicians in both Britain and America. 'The squeezed middle' brings together experts from both sides of the Atlantic to ask what the UK can learn from the US. American workers have not benefited from growth for an entire generation - the average American worker earned no more in 2009 than in 1975. Now British workers are undergoing a similar experience. No longer can they assume that when the economy grows their wages will grow with it. This collection brings together for the first time leading economic and policy thinkers to analyse the impact of different policies on those on low-to middle incomes and to explain what lessons the UK can learn from America's 'lost generation'. This timely book is essential reading for everyone concerned about the living standards crisis, an issue which could decide elections as well as shaping the future for millions of working families.


Boosting Paychecks

Boosting Paychecks

Author: Daniel Paul Gitterman

Publisher:

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 180

ISBN-13: 9780815702856

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When most people think of policies designed to help the poor, welfare is the first program that comes to mind. Traditionally welfare has served individuals who do not work —hence much of the stigma that some attach to the program. An equally important strand of American social policy, however, is meant to support low-wage workers and their families. In Boosting Paychecks, Daniel Gitterman illuminates this often neglected part ofthe American safety net. Gitterman focuses on two sets of policy instruments that have been used to aid the working poor since the early twentieth century: the federal tax code and the minimum wage. The income tax code can be fine-tuned in many ways —through exemptions, deductions, credits, changing tax brackets and rates —to alter the amount of income workers are left with at the end of the day. In addition, it interacts with the minimumwage to determine the economic well-being of many lowincome households. Boosting Paychecks analyzes the partisan politics that have shaped these policies since the New Deal era, with particular attention paid to the past three decades. It also examines the degree to which they have succeeded in lifting low-wage workers and their families out of poverty. Forging a new political bargain that balances labor market flexibility with security for poor working families is one of the most critical challenges facing government today. BoostingPaychecks sheds new light on the scope of this challenge and the political constraints and opportunities policymakers face.