By Jim Cline and Kate Kremer

Wednesday we provided a fairly detailed live Webcast covering inflation, economic indicators, the latest in settlement trends, and where we see inflation and wage negotiations heading.  For Premium Website subscribers, the Video and Transcript are available here.

By Jim Cline and Kate Kremer

The latest inflation numbers were reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics last week. The numbers have been edging down and the December CPI numbers coincide with predictions that the CPI will continue to fall and return to normal over the next year.

By Jim Cline and Kate Kremer

This article continues our series on recent contract settlement trends. It uses city police settlements as the data source, but these trends seem to apply generally to other public safety occupations. In this article we cover the impact of timing (when the contract was settled) on contract settlements.

By Jim Cline and Kate Kremer

This article continues are series on recent contract settlement trends. It uses city police 2022 settlements as the data source, but these trends seem to apply generally to other public safety occupations. In this article we cover the impact of location on contract settlements.

Jim Cline and Kate Kremer

This article continues our series on recent developments influencing contract negotiations. One of the most important influences on contract negotiations (and arbitration) is contract settlements, especially among comparable jurisdictions. There have been some unusual patterns that have developed in Washington public safety labor negotiations, and these seem to be highly influenced by external economic events.

By Jim Cline and Kate Kremer

In the last couple of articles in this series, we discussed the state of local government revenues and their potential impact on negotiations. In this article, we discuss how the differences between the structure of local economies can impact negotiations. We also discuss some significant shifts in revenue distribution that have occurred in recent years, especially since the pandemic.

By Jim Cline and Kate Kremer

In the last article in this series, we briefly discussed the Washington tax system and how it impacts local government revenues. In this article, we will discuss the current revenue situation.

By Jim Cline and Kate Kremer

In the previous articles in this series, we’ve discussed inflation and inflation predictions. We have also discussed expectations for whether there will be a recession and how that might impact the job market. Two other important economic factors to discuss, as they will have some impact on labor contract settlements, are the tax revenues and budgets of local governments.