How the Fight for A $15 Minimum Wage in Baltimore Fell Apart
– Vox
Vox takes an in-depth look at the political dynamics that led to failure of a $15 minimum wage in Baltimore, MD. It was a surprising blow to an otherwise successful wave of minimum wage hikes across the country – 19 states and 22 municipalities. In Baltimore, though, such a big change was more of a gamble because increasing the minimum wage would plunge the city budget $116 million further into the red. Many businesses said it would force them to lay off workers or relocate to the suburbs, where they could pay employees much less. In the end, those objections triumphed.
Here’s Who’s Winning The $15 Minimum Wage Wars Now
– CNBC
After several years of meteoric growth, business groups are boasting about setbacks in the movement for higher wages. But closer examination shows momentum remains strong for improving pay for the 40 percent of U.S. workers who struggle on less than $15 an hour. What lies ahead? Two strong Fight for $15 supporters, Tom Perez and Keith Ellison, now lead the Democratic National Committee and more and more Democrats in Congress are talking about coming together around making $15 the next federal minimum wage bill.
– Axios
Facebook is a good tool for observing the rise of political movements. And, its role in activism will only grow bigger. New tools, like call-to-action buttons, fundraising buttons and buttons to contact elected officials directly, combined with traditional tools, like mass-event invitations, make it easy for political groups to form and spread on Facebook. We’ve already seen how the right leveraged the platform to influence national politics this past fall. Now, it seems, we are seeing a shift in that trend as the left and activist organizations flock to Facebook.
Why Americans Are More Likely to Work for a Large Employer, in 20 Charts
– The Wall Street Journal
Americans, in a generational reversal, are now more likely to work for a large employer than a small one, a shift that’s rippling through the economy. This shift, while broad-based, is starker in some corners of the economy than others. Big firms alone aren’t bad. But a concentration of sales and profits, if it discourages or prevents competition, could be.