In total, Columbus schools will lose an estimated $35.5 million over 15 years due to a generous tax abatement package the city is awarding to software company, CoverMyMeds, according to Policy Matters Ohio. Tax abatements, a central part of state and local economic development strategy, eliminate all or part of
Policy Matters urges support for 10-point plan for working people New data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that in 2018, six of Ohio’s 10 most common jobs paid wages so low that a family of three would need to use food assistance to make ends meet. Today,
Every Ohioan who works full-time should be able to support themselves and their family without worrying about being able to afford the basics. Last year, six of Ohio’s 10 most common jobs paid so little that a typical full-time worker would earn less than $26,000 and need food assistance to
Introduction Ohio’s working people are the state’s backbone. They make the products we use every day: cars, washing machines and more. They keep our communities safe. They teach our children and care for our ailing loved ones. They are all of us. Working people deserve peace of mind, free of
SNAP EMPLOYMENT & TRAINING PROGRAM COULD DO MORE FOR OHIOANS Ohio could bring in millions of federal dollars to expand quality education and training and help people who need food assistance prepare for better jobs by expanding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program’s 50/50 reimbursement program (SNAP 50/50). SNAP 50/50 expansion
After a string of disappointing job numbers and data revisions, the March report from the Ohio Department of Job & Family Services is a break from the bad news, but it is still weak. The state gained 6,200 seasonally adjusted jobs last month. Ohio’s 12-month job growth rate is just
Good morning, Chair Hoops, Ranking Member Hicks-Hudson and members of the committee. Thanks you for the opportunity to submit my testimony in writing. My name is Hannah Halbert and I am project director for work and wages at Policy Matters Ohio, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with the mission of creating
Ohio has a wage theft problem and there’s nothing new in the state budget proposal to address it. Wage theft occurs when employers fail to properly pay workers for all work performed. It includes paying less than the minimum wage, paying less than the prevailing wage, not paying for all
The bureau tasked with protecting working Ohioans’ wages oversees the state’s 5.5 million jobs with only six people to do it. This woefully inadequate oversight has given rise to a serious wage theft problem that goes unaddressed in Governor Mike DeWine’s budget proposal. With the state largely absent, it will
Data released today by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services show that Ohio is off to a rocky 2019. The state lost 8,200 jobs in February. This news comes on the heels of a major data revision that reveals last year as one of the worst for growth
We initially reported 2018 as a banner year for Ohio job growth. Now, it is one of the worst since the end of the recession. According to revised seasonally-adjusted data released today by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services the state added just 44,700 jobs last year. Jobs
Workers at Sonic Drive-In locations in Lancaster, Circleville and Grove City walked off the job last week. According to reports, the walkout was in response to policy changes initiated by the new corporate affiliated franchise owner, SRI Operating Company. The new owners allegedly fired managers, some with more than seven
