Washington Public Sector Labor Negotiations Blog
Trends and Developments Concerning Washington Public Labor Contracts
By: Jim Cline and Kate Kremer
This article is the first in a series summarizing recent Interest Arbitration decisions that have occurred over the past year. The series itself focuses on the extent to which arbitrators are, or are not, providing more expansive awards in the post-Great Recession era. A summary of the Economic Elements of Arbitration Awards from 2008 to the current time is posted and available on our premium website.
By Jim Cline and Kate Kremer
Last week’s BLS Report revealed a significant jump in the inflation rate. The April All Cities index was 2.0%, up from 1.0% in February. The Seattle index jumped from 1.3%, to 2.6% during the same two-month period. The numbers show CPI edging up over the past year:
By Jim Cline
Most of our recent blogs on economic developments have emphasized the modest nature of recent economic improvement, but a series of reports over the past few weeks have signaled that the economy may, at last, be gathering a bit of momentum as it heads into 2014. While the government shutdown and debt ceiling debate seemed to place a chill on the economy this fall, these new economic releases have often exceeded economists’ expectations and point to a possible improved economy in the year ahead. [Read more…]
