Exactly one decade ago, activists and civic leaders launched the Fight for $15. It’s hard to recall now, but the idea was wildly controversial at the time—Forbes called Nick’s support of a $15 minimum wage “near-insane,” for example. A new report from the National Employment Law Project (NELP) examines the legacy of the movement and all that it has accomplished in the last 10 years. Two of the report’s authors join us to discuss the Fight for $15’s impact beyond growing paychecks, including its effect on the racial wealth gap, union participation, and the economy overall. 

Yannet Lathrop is a Senior Researcher and Policy Analyst for the National Employment Law Project. 

Dr. T. William Lester is Professor and Acting Chair of Urban and Regional Planning at San José State University and Research Professor at UNC Chapel Hill. 

Twitter: @NELPnews

Ten-Year Legacy of the Fight for $15 and a Union Movement https://www.nelp.org/publication/10-year-legacy-fight-for-15-union-movement/ 

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The legacy of the Fight for $15 (with NELP)

We are living through a paradigm shift from trickle-down neoliberalism to middle-out economics — a new understanding of who gets what and why. Join zillionaire class-traitor Nick Hanauer and some of the world’s leading economic and political thinkers as they explore the latest thinking on how the economy actually works.

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This special episode of Pitchfork Economics features a live conversation from the "Redefining the Center: How to Make Middle-Out Economics the New Mainstream" conference hosted by Democracy Journal in Washington, D.C. Heather Boushey, a member of the White House Council of Economic Advisors, joins Nick for a wide-ranging discussion moderated by Michael Tomasky, editor of Democracy Journal. Hanauer & Boushey explore the policy initiatives being pursued by the Biden administration that prioritize working families and promote economic growth from the middle out and discuss the crucial role of the middle out as a paradigm shift in how people think about economic cause and effect. This dynamic and thought-provoking discussion was a great start to an outstanding conference.

Heather Boushey is an economist and policy advisor who serves as a key member of President Biden's White House Council of Economic Advisors and Chief Economist for the President’s Invest in America Cabinet. Prior to joining the Biden administration, she was the President and CEO of the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, a think tank focused on advancing evidence-based policies to reduce inequality. In her role in the White House, she plays a crucial role in shaping economic policy and advising the President on issues related to labor, income inequality, and economic opportunity.

Twitter: @hboushey46

Further reading: The Middle-Out Moment Is Here

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LIVE from DC: Redefining the Center (with Heather Boushey)

In the shadows of corporate greed and exploitation lies a sinister crime that is silently perpetrated, leaving countless victims in its wake—a crime that affects millions of hardworking Americans every year and sucks billions out of our economy —Wage Theft. No industry is immune to this insidious crime, from restaurant workers to construction laborers. On this episode of Pitchfork Economics, we are joined by Terri Gerstein, Director of the Labor Initiative at NYU Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, to unpack the chilling truth behind these workplace crimes, learn who the perpetrators are, and uncover how they get away with it. Most importantly, what can be done to stop them?

Terri Gerstein is the Director of the NYU Wagner Labor Initiative, at NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, which explores and helps activate the often-untapped potential of government in safeguarding and advancing workers' rights. Previously, Terri enforced labor laws in New York for 17 years, including as Labor Bureau Chief in the New York State Attorney General’s Office.

Crime music bed by Power Music Factory

News clips from CBS News, CBS Miami, and CBS Philadelphia

﻿Twitter: @TerriGerstein 

NYU Wagner Labor Initiative

Further reading: 
Prosecute Bad Bosses: More district attorneys are cracking down on abusive employers. It's about time

Report mentioned in the episode from the National Coalition Against Insurance Fraud: The Costly Crime and Impact of Workers’ Comp Premium Fraud

The Role of State Attorneys General in Protecting Workers’ Rights

Report: How district attorneys and state attorneys general are fighting workplace abuses

More states should follow new Colorado policy on wage theft

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The True Crime of Wage Theft (with Terri Gerstein)

Preston Mui, Senior Economist at Employ America, recently authored a report titled "The Dream of the 90s is Alive in 2024: How Policy Can Revive Productivity Growth." The report offers a blueprint for policymakers seeking to emulate the successes of an unparalleled period of productivity in the United States. Mui joins us to examine and reflect on the policy decisions which drove the strong productivity growth of the 1990s, and he also identifies dynamic new strategies for revitalizing American production in the present. 

Preston Mui is a Senior Economist at Employ America, a macroeconomic policy research and advocacy organization committed to achieving and sustaining full employment outcomes.

Twitter: @PrestonMui

Three Motivations for Interest Rate Normalization: A Playbook for Fed Policy in 2024
The Dream of the 90's is Alive in 2024: How Policy Can Revive Productivity Growth
Preston Mui's thread on the “Dream of the 90's” series and report by Employ America 

Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com
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Nick’s twitter: @NickHanauer

Productivity is a Policy Choice (with Preston Mui)

Today, Arin Dube, Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, joins us to discuss his latest research, which suggests that the American labor market is undergoing a remarkable transformation. The widespread wage inequality that rapidly expanded between 1980 and 2019 is finally reversing, and American paychecks are growing again—especially at the bottom end of the income scale. In this enlightening conversation, Dube explains how and why the labor market has changed, how that's affecting wages, and how it all contributes to a virtual cycle of middle-out economic growth.﻿

Arin Dube is a Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, well-known for his expertise in labor economics and public policy and his groundbreaking empirical research on minimum wage. His work often involves empirical analysis and utilizes large-scale datasets to provide evidence-based insights into the effects of various policy interventions. Dube's research has been widely recognized and cited, contributing to the ongoing discussions among policymakers and economists around labor market dynamics and policy design.

Twitter: @arindube

The Unexpected Compression thread https://twitter.com/arindube/status/1724147807563477440 

NBER Working Paper https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w31010/w31010.pdf 

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Why Wages Are Growing From the Bottom Up and Middle Out (with Arin Dube)

In his State of the Union Address, President Biden made it clear that taxes and tax policy were his next big target for a middle-out makeover. However, we can't talk about the future of taxes without discussing the potential expiration of Trump’s’ 2017 tax law. Samantha Jacoby, a senior tax analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, joins us today to help us understand the repercussions of Trump's tax policies and the opportunities ahead. Trump’s tax law was marketed as a boon for every working American, promising an average annual benefit of $4,000. But Jacoby unveils the true economic reality behind the Trump tax law: the primary beneficiaries were the wealthiest individuals and corporations; they did not pay for themselves as promised; and despite the trillions of tax giveaways to people at the top, most Americans saw no tangible economic benefit.

Samantha Jacoby is a Senior Tax Analyst with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Before joining the Center in 2018, she practiced tax law at two international law firms in New York and Washington, D.C. Previously, she worked as a policy and research analyst at the Solar Energy Industries Association, where she focused on the impact of tax incentives on the renewable energy industry.
 
Twitter: @jacsamoby

The 2017 Trump Tax Law Was Skewed to the Rich, Expensive, and Failed to Deliver on Its Promises
https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-tax/the-2017-trump-tax-law-was-skewed-to-the-rich-expensive-and-failed-to-deliver 

IRS Funding thread by Samantha on Twitter
https://x.com/jacsamoby/status/1752088112291807298?s=20

After Decades of Costly, Regressive, and Ineffective Tax Cuts, a New Course Is Needed Bipartisan Senate Action Passes Minimal Test for IRS Funding While Multiple House Republican Bills Fail 
https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-tax/after-decades-of-costly-regressive-and-ineffective-tax-cuts-a-new-course-is 

Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com
Twitter: @PitchforkEcon
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Nick’s twitter: @NickHanauer

The legacy of the Fight for $15 (with NELP)

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