Waitstaff Raises Decades Overdue - but You Can Help
Many tipped restaurant employees haven't seen a raise in 22 years, but there are ways you can help boost their wages.
minimum wage
Why April 9 Isn't Really Equal Pay Day
Equal Pay Day highlights the extra three months of work that a woman must do to equal what an average man makes in a year. But is real equality getting even further away?
Why Well-Paid Employees Are Good for Business
Retailers like Costco and Trader Joe's are proving that you can pay employees a fair wage -- and still make big profits.
Why Costco is Backing Obama's Minimum Wage Push
Costco CEO Craig Jelinek is throwing his support behind President Obama's minimum wage hike. Here's why a higher minimum wage makes good business sense for Costco.
Retail, Fast Food Stocks Stung by Obama's Minimum Wage Push
President Obama's State of the Union proposal to raise the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour has the retail industry on edge and fast food stocks struggling.
Obama's SOTU Economic Pitch: This Time, It's Personal
In Tuesday's State of the Union address, President Obama turned that old feminist rallying cry that "the personal is political" on its ear with a long list of proposals that argued that the personal is economic -- and the economic is political.
State Of the Union: Obama Unveils Ambitious Jobs Agenda
In President Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday, he mentioned the word "jobs" 46 times, more often than he did in any of his prior presidential addresses, signifying what will be the focus of his second term.
Focus on the Economy: State of the Union Highlights
President Barack Obama laid out an ambitious agenda, both economic and otherwise, in his State of the Union address Tuesday night. Here are the highlights of those proposals.
Fast Food Labor Strikes: What It'll Mean If Workers Have It Their Way
Fast-food workers are joining the movement to unionize in protest over low pay. More than 200 workers at Burger King, Wendy's, McDonald's, and other fast-food restaurants recently went on strike in New York -- and organizers say it was just the start of a larger campaign.
Living Paycheck to Paycheck: Personal Finance for the 40%
According to a new CareerBuilder survey, 40% of Americans say they are living paycheck to paycheck -- and if that sounds rough, it's an improvement from a 2008 peak of 46%. Here's a great infographic on what that means for our personal finances.
Pop Quiz: Is America Still the Land of Economic Opportunity?
"Moving on up" is a fundamental part of America's identity, but the path from rags to riches is getting harder to navigate. To gauge the state of American promise, we dug into the numbers: Take our quiz to find out if American hope lives up to American hype.
What Unions Should Have Said in New Ad Campaign
Organized labor in the U.S. has been under sustained assault for some time; now, unions are fighting back with a major ad campaign designed to improve their image. Problem is, the centerpiece commercial mangles the message -- and misses the point.
Should the Rich Lose Their Social Security Benefits?
For millions of retired Americans, Social Security benefits barely beat earning the minimum wage, while rich retirees who don't need the money receive much larger checks. With the iconic safety net program in budget trouble, should the wealthy be forced to sacrifice those benefits?
Social Security Benefit Is Barely Minimum Wage
Good news: Retirees will get a 3.6% Social Security cost-of-living adjustment in 2012 -- their first boost since 2009. Bad news: The average benefit is $1,229 a month, about the equivalent of working for minimum wage.
Will China's 'Have-Nots' Be Next to Rebel?
In most respects, China is a world away from the oil-dominated autocracies in the Mideast now seething with anti-government unrest. But it faces similar issues: high inflation and a troubling wealth gap that could fuel social upheavals, if Beijing doesn't make some big changes soon.
Undercover Boss: Choice Hotels' CEO Makes the Beds
Undercover Boss starts its second season with a glimpse under the sheets at Choice Hotels, one of the world's largest hospitality firms. President and CEO Stephen P. Joyce gets to experience tougher side of the hotel business, as he scrubs a pool, makes beds and straightens up a few of the company's estimated 490,000 rooms.
People@Work: Do Higher Minimum Wages Really Hinder Teen Employment?
A recent OECD report cites the nation's $7.25 an hour minimum wage as a barrier to teen employment because it makes them too costly to train. But when wages are adjusted for inflation, that argument doesn't hold up as well. Still, the bottom line is fewer teens are finding jobs.
Colorado Is First State to Lower Minimum Wage
Colorado's minimum wage will drop slightly in the new year — the first decrease in any state's minimum wage since the federal minimum was adopted in 1938.
