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Experts Debate the Merits of Calling Student Debt a "Crisis"

“This view that college pays off and that most people pay off their loans, is narrow and tragically flawed,” Heulsman said in his opening remarks. “This is a crisis of equity, it’s a crisis of opportunity and we’ll argue it’s a crisis for the economy.”

In the media
Jillian Berman

As Democrats Fret Over 'Sharing Economy,' GOP Moves In

But it is the recent, explosive growth of Uber and other "sharing economy" companies that have attracted the most concern.   HomeJoy recently announced it would shut down in the face of four lawsuits alleging it should treat the people who clean homes on its behalf as employees rather than as independent contractors not entitled to the same workplace protections.   "If a technologist wants to disrupt an industry that has middle-class jobs and replace them with insecure, not-as-good jobs, there has to be a conversation about that,"
In the media
Nicholas Riccardi

The 1 Percent's Twisted Games: How They're Distorting Reality and Diluting Democracy

What would America look like if donors didn’t rule the world? It’s an interesting question and one worth pondering as the 2016 Presidential campaigns kick off. Available data reveals that donors not only have disproportionate influence over politics, but that influence is wielded largely to keep issues that would benefit the working and middle classes off of the table.

In the media
Sean McElwee

Most Americans Don't Vote in Elections. Here's Why

New U.S. Census data released on July 19 confirm what we already knew about American elections: Voter turnout in the United States is among the lowest in the developed world. Only 42 percent of Americans voted in the 2014 midterm elections, the lowest level of voter turnout since 1978. And midterm voters tend to be older, whiter and richer than the general population.

In the media
Sean McElwee

Fast-Food Wage Hike Puts All Owners on Notice

The implications of a state labor board's July 22 decision to raise the minimum wage for fast-food workers to $15 an hour from $8.75 are clear: Other industries with low-wage workers could find themselves facing a similar pay hike soon.   Next up is likely the retail industry, followed by home care, child care and even adjunct professors, said Amy Traub, a senior policy analyst at Demos, a liberal think tank.   "The patchwork of wage hikes by locality and industry, as well as the falling unemployme
In the media
Adrianne Pasquarelli

New York State Board Finally Delivers Higher Minimum Wage for Fast Food Workers

...while fast food may be an extreme case, it is hardly the only industry – in New York or nationwide – where front-line workers are underpaid and inequality is metastasizing. In fact, our economy is increasingly built on job growth in the most unequal industries: a trend that concentrates more and more income at the top and makes it even more difficult for working people to share in the benefits of economic growth.

That’s why the push to raise wages won’t stop with fast food –or with New York. 

In the media
Amy Traub

Fight for 15 Keeps on Stepping

Chanting "$15.00 and a union," thousands of federal contract workers walked off their jobs yesterday, led by the Senate's cafeteria workers who serve Senators their food. They were joined by Senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, and members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, led by Keith Ellison (D-Minn) and Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz). Sanders announced they were introducing legislation to raise the federal minimum wage to $15.00 an hour.
In the media
Robert Borosage

#SayHerName Sandra Bland

Our hearts are shrouded, but our vision is clear: we see a world without fear for all of our people—a world where there is no dispute that #BlackLivesMatter.

Blog
Heather McGhee

Demos Applauds NY Wage Board Decision

Demos Vice President of Policy and Research Tamara Draut issued the following statement:

"After two months of deliberations, hearings, and moving testimonies, the wage board created by Governor Cuomo voted yesterday to recommend a wage increase in a series of steps to $15 an hour by 2018 in New York City and by 2021 in the rest of the state. Fast-food workers’ decision to challenge their powerful corporate bosses was a huge risk—and it paid off.

Press release/statement