Lee Badgett, economics professor, director of the Center for Public Policy & Administration and research director at the Williams Institute, is cited in an article about changes to the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The U.S. Department of Labor has ruled that FMLA will now allow employees to take unpaid leave to care for children of same-sex partners. Badgett’s study concludes that up to 100,000 children in 50,000 families could be affected by the ruling. (Gltnewsnow.com, 6/23/10)
Lee Badgett, economics professor and director of the Center for Public Policy and Administration, says it’s unclear whether there will be a public backlash if a federal judge overturns California’s ban on same-sex marriage. She points to a recent Gallup poll that shows a statistical increase in the number of people who say gay and lesbian relations are “morally acceptable” or “morally wrong.” The difference in the latest poll has increased and seems to indicate that the number of people who find gay and lesbian relations “morally wrong” is declining over time. (Keennewsservice.com, 6/27/10)
Robert Pollin, economics professor and co-director of the Political Economy Research Institute, writes an op-ed in the New York Daily Newssupporting legislation that would create a living wage law in that city. He says paying workers a minimum of $10 per hours does not artificially boost prices and hasn’t been shown to reduce the number of lower-wage jobs in cities that have adopted this policy. Overall, Pollin argues, living wage laws have not harmed low-wage workers or had unintended economic consequences. (New York Daily News, 6/27/10)