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Walmart Could Give Big Raises Without Raising Prices, Demos Think Tank Says

Walmart, enmeshed in a debate over low wages highlighted by a food drive for employees at a Canton store, can significantly raise the salaries of sales clerks and other workers without having to find additional money for the pay hikes, says a research brief by a think tank.

In the media
Olivera Perkins

How Wall Street — Not Pensioners — Wrecked Detroit

In its house editorial yesterday, USA Today retold the now-accepted story of Detroit’s bankruptcy. Railing on “reckless public pensions,” the newspaper told its readers that the Motor City is “Exhibit A for municipal irresponsibility” because it allegedly “negotiated generous pensions” that were too lavish.

In the media
David Sirota

Report: Detroit Bankruptcy Caused by State cuts, Shrinking Tax Base, not Long-term Debt

A New York-based think tank released a report today questioning Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr’s assertion that the city’s long-term debt is responsible for its fiscal problems, or that pension contributions are at major hurdle for the city’s finances.

Instead, the report by Wallace Turbeville, a senior fellow at Demos, a public policy organization, said Detroit’s decline into bankruptcy was caused by a steep decline in revenues partially due both to a shrinking tax base and deep cuts in state revenue sharing with the city.

In the media
Todd Spangler
Matt Helms

Wal-Mart's No Good, Very Bad, Pre-Thanksgiving Week

This is supposed to be a cheery season for retailers. Not at Wal-Mart (WMT), though, where it’s been a really bad week—and this is only Wednesday.
 
On Monday, the Cleveland Plain Dealer broke the news of a holiday food drive at an Ohio Walmart store—for its own employees. The newspaper story, including a photo of the bins set out for the donations, quickly made its way pretty much everywhere. And it came from OUR Walmart, a group of union-backed employees pushing for higher wages and better working conditions.
In the media
Susan Berfield

Report Shows Real Factors Behind Detroit Crisis: Revenue Decline, Wall Street Deals Play Largest Role

Modest Pension Benefits Play Little Role in Financial Crisis

DETROIT — In their push for bankruptcy, Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr and other public figures are incorrectly looking at Detroit’s long-term debt—figures generated using aggressive and in some cases inaccurate assumptions—to the detriment of solving the City’s immediate cash-flow crisis and its long-term structural challenges, according to a report released Wednesday by Demos.

Press release/statement

Think Tank: How Walmart Could Pay Workers $14.89 an Hour

A progressive policy research center says that the nation’s largest retailer could easily afford to increase the wages of its employees, if it would choose to avoid “Wall Street financial maneuvers.”

In the media
Christopher Freeburn

Thank Big Government for the Toilet

Today is World Toilet Day, which strikes me as a good moment to reflect on how government can radically improve people's daily lives.

Blog
David Callahan

A Politics of Public Goods

We need to restore the positive concept of public goods that existed decades ago.

Blog
June Sekera

Why Big Fines Don't Scare Wall Street's Cowboys

A historic $13 billion settlement is in the works between the federal government and JP Morgan -- the biggest-ever penalty for wrongdoing by a bank. 

But this settlement is unlikely to deter tomorrow's lawbreakers in finance, and here's why. 

Blog
David Callahan