How Sea‐Tac Airport’s substandard working conditions hurt our region and how other major airports changed course toward growth and prosperity

This report gives a description of common sense policies towards making today’s jobs better and tomorrow’s jobs good. The middle class is the great engine of the American economy, but today that engine is sputtering and as a result, both American families and the economy are struggling.

The day before Alaska Airlines executives report "stellar" profits at the company's annual shareholders meeting, a new report holds the Port of Seattle and Alaska Airlines accountable for their role in creating poverty-wage airport jobs.

SEATTLE – A new study from Puget Sound Sage provides evidence that gentrification underway in southeast Seattle is likely to cause displacement of renters and low-income residents from Rainier Valley.

SEATTLE — While Seattle’s downtown hotel sector recovers from the recession and faces widely projected growth and profitability, its workforce endures poverty wages and pain and injury from unsustainable management practices.

A report released today by Puget Sound Sage, a regional economic policy advocacy organization, concludes each new Walmart store opening in a Puget Sound neighborhood will result in a net loss of $13 million of net economic output and $14 million in lost wages over the 20 year life of the store.

Where does the Port of Seattle Port Clean Trucks programs fall short and how can it be improved?

A majority of Georgetown and South Park residents reported that Port of Seattle operations — including both heavy truck traffic in their streets and airplane traffic overhead — are negatively affecting their health. Survey respondents were particularly concerned about the effects of air pollution, pedestrian hazards and excessive noise on their community and family.

Sage's latest issue brief reveals that annual earnings for Puget Sound workers fell by 2% last year, only the first of bad economic news for working families. New Census data also show that vulnerable groups, including single-mother families and African-Americans will likely be the hardest hit as the recession takes its toll.

Cities and metro regions offer a wealth of opportunity for regenerating our country’s social, economic and environmental infrastructure. The 100 largest metro areas account for 65% of the U.S. population, almost two-thirds of U.S. jobs, and three-quarters of GDP.1 Decades of disinvestment and failed federal policy have left many of these regions in decline, with unprecedented levels of economic inequality, and an economy in which the fastest growing sectors produce the lowest quality jobs.

Despite the fact that 2007 appeared to be a strong year for the Puget Sound region's economy, Puget Sound Sage's brief illustrates that low-wage workers are struggling more than ever.

Community Benefit Agreements (CBAs) — deals between developers and coalitions of community organizations, addressing a broad range of com- munity needs — are safeguards to ensure that affected residents share in the benefits of major developments.