Washington Public Sector Labor Negotiations Blog
Trends and Developments Concerning Washington Public Labor Contracts
By Jim Cline
In our past two newsletters, we’ve discussed the continuation of higher-than-expected inflation. Those articles identified the prediction by economists earlier this year for the mid-year 2023 national inflation to subside to 3.6% and our doubts that those predictions will materialize. We are now expecting the June CPI numbers to be closer to 5% nationally and higher for the Seattle indices.
By Jim Cline
In our last newsletter we discussed the most recent CPI reports. It discussed the slowing but still high inflation numbers. This chart shows the 12-month trend line in the Seattle and All Cities CPI:
By Jim Cline and Kate Kremer
The latest CPI report continued to show high inflation numbers, even higher than the previous set. But inside those numbers were signs that the predicted slowdown in inflation may lie ahead. The Seattle 12-month through April to April “W” index was reported at an eye-popping 8.1%. The All-Cities index was even higher at 8.6%:
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.
