Washington Public Sector Labor Negotiations Blog
Trends and Developments Concerning Washington Public Labor Contracts
By Jim Cline and Kate Kremer
In our last inflation report, the August bimonthly Seattle-W CPI index was a full percentage point above the All Cities-W (2.7% versus 1.7%). However, the latest bimonthly CPI release shows a convergence of the two indices. The October Seattle W has dropped to 2.3% while the All Cities-W has risen to 2.2%: [Read more…]
By Jim Cline
T
he newly-released September 2012 report of the Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council identifies an economy, of a slow national economy coupled with a slightly stronger State economy. This report is consistent with the other recent Forecast Council reports. As we have discussed, the mixed economic conditions impede a full fiscal recovery for the State and local governments and serves as a significant constraint on the current collective bargaining environment. Until government budgets rebuild reserves and the labor market picks up momentum, we are unlikely to return to widespread robust contract settlements. [Read more…]
By Jim Cline and Kate Kremer
The Bureau of Labor Statistics just released CPI report that reports the August Seattle CPI-W at 2.7%, one full percentage point ahead of the All Cities number. These numbers are virtually identical to the last bimonthly (June) report in which the Seattle Index was reported at 2.7% and the all cities Index was reported at 1.6%. This chart shows the last 12 months of CPI-W data:
Here’s a table that also that shows the Seattle and All City W numbers alongside some other relevant West Coast inflation indices:
