PORTLAND, Ore. - The wealth gaps in the United States aren't only between rich and poor, but along racial lines - and a new policy brief from the Annie E. Casey Foundation makes recommendations for changing that.

According to the research, when lower-income parents don't have opportunities to save and build assets, children also have a harder time getting ahead as adults.

Oregon has taken some steps outlined in the policy brief, such as allowing families to have some assets and still qualify for public benefits. But Beadsie Woo, senior associate with the foundation's Center for Community and Economic Opportunity, said the typical goal of having three months' income socked away for emergencies is a high hurdle.

"That's a pretty hard goal to meet for any working family," she said. "We're less focused on setting a specific dollar target and more focused on getting people to save some amount of money, to develop a habit and to change their outlook for the future."

The brief suggests that the government could create and fund a modest savings account for every child at birth. It applauds Congress for expanding the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Family Self-Sufficiency program to encourage home ownership.

However, it also notes that from 2010 to 2013, black and Latino families saw their net worth decrease by 34 percent and 15 percent respectively, while net worth increased for white families by 2 percent.

Another recommendation in the brief is that states allow what's known as "prize-linked" savings, giving people chances to win cash prizes when they make a savings account deposit.

The Oregon Legislature has approved the idea, and Lynn Heider, vice president for public relations and communications for the Northwest Credit Union Association, said the rules are being finalized for the Save to Win program.

"You're building up a savings account and perhaps winning a cash prize; why would you not go open one of those accounts? I think that you'll see some credit unions offering the program in Oregon as early as May," she said, "and then, I think you'll see it grow throughout the year."

She said prizes range from $50 to $5,000, and "Save to Win" participants in other states have socked away more than $100 million.

According to the Casey Foundation, expanded access to retirement savings accounts also is needed - and that's what the Oregon Retirement Savings Board is working on this year.

The policy brief is online at aecf.org. Information about Save to Win is at savetowin.org.


get more stories like this via email

A case before the U.S. Supreme Court could have implications for the country's growing labor movement. Justices will hear oral arguments in Starbucks versus McKinney today to determine if the bar should be raised for the National Labor Relations Board when it seeks to impose court-ordered injunctions on companies.

David Groves, communications director with the Washington State Labor Council, said the Supreme Court could further undermine the power of the NLRB, the independent federal agency that protects employees' rights.

"We already have weak labor laws in this country that have such minor penalties for breaking union organizing laws that companies routinely do it, and this is another opportunity for them to weaken labor laws even further," he argued.

The case involves Starbucks' firing of seven employees in Memphis during their union campaign in 2021. The coffee company says it rehired the workers and denies wrongdoing. If the justices rule in favor of Starbucks, it could make it harder for the NLRB to seek court orders.

Groves said the law states that workers have a right to organize unions in their workplace without coercion or retaliation from their employers.

"That's all fine and good but if the penalty's not significant enough, then they'll just go ahead and break that law and consider it the cost of doing business if they have to pay a fine two years down the road," he explained.

Groves said his and other labor organizations support the passage of the Protecting the Right to Organize or PRO Act in Congress, which would strengthen labor laws, including providing greater authority to the NLRB.


get more stories like this via email

The U.S. House has approved a measure to expand the Child Tax Credit. It would help 16 million children from low-income families in Indiana and nationwide. Despite bipartisan support, the bill is stalled in the Senate. Advocates praise the credit's pivotal role in combating child poverty, pointing to its effectiveness in the past, and especially during the pandemic, when it was broadly expanded.

Candace Baker, an Indianapolis mother of 4, said the previous tax-credit expansion worked for her family, and she wants it reinstated.

"Having a child, and I had to get on some government-assistance programs. My grandmother never did because she just didn't want that stigma over her, but I utilized those services when I had a child. I didn't want to either, but I'm like, I need this support," she explained.

Congress approved expanding the Child Tax Credit in 2021. However, the expansion has expired, leaving families without vital assistance. As the Senate deliberates, pressure mounts on lawmakers to prioritize the needs of struggling families and secure passage. Opponents believe taxpayers who don't work should not be eligible. Some Republicans also contend the provision may incentivize parents to leave the workforce.

Families reeling from the pandemic received between $300 and $360 per month per child from the expanded tax credit. It lifted 3.7 million children from poverty. Baker currently works for a food bank in Indianapolis where she says she is able to help neighbors in need and give back to the community.

"Being able to be a voice for those who have no voice - that is my motto. Even though where you start, you don't have to stay there. So, that is my biggest motto that I stand on: You may start here, you may be on government assistance, you may be in poverty, but that does not have to be your end game," she said.

Families who benefited from the increased aid were more than twice as likely to pay their overdue rent during the initial stages of the pandemic. The Child Tax Credit did not pass in time for this year's tax deadline, and its prospects for the future are uncertain.


get more stories like this via email

Washington joins a handful of states to do away with mandatory meetings for employees on political or religious matters.

Sometimes known as captive audience meetings, the gatherings were seen as a way for employers to give their opinions on subjects like unionization, and held potential consequences for employees who didn't attend. Lawmakers passed a bill this session allowing workers to skip the meetings without repercussions.

Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Des Moines, a sponsor of the bill, said we live in a divided society where emotions run high on political topics.

"This bill simply protects employees to have a real choice on whether or not to attend a meeting called by their boss to be told about some political or religious issue," Keiser explained.

Keiser pointed out the legislation is nonpartisan. For instance, employers could not force employees to attend anti-union meetings, but also could not force them to attend a meeting about the importance of reproductive rights. The bill takes effect June 6.

Keiser noted the bill likely got across the finish line this session because of the uptick in union organizing and support for labor. She added there are widely known stories of Starbucks managers, for example, requiring employees to attend anti-union meetings while the employees organized the workplace.

"Employees have been forced to attend meetings to listen to the boss or the employer basically tell them why they shouldn't join a union," Keiser observed.

Washington is the sixth state to pass a law prohibiting attendance at captive audience meetings. Connecticut, Maine, Minnesota and New York have passed similar laws in recent years. Oregon passed a law allowing workers to skip such meetings without repercussions in 2010.


get more stories like this via email