“Workers see that this is a moment where they have some power, they have power to leave their jobs and find better jobs and we see a lot of evidence that workers are doing that,” …
COWS in the News
New Report Shows Improved Employee Power in Wisconsin
A recent workforce study from a UW policy institute says that conditions have broadly improved for Wisconsin workers. We speak with the associate director of the UW-Madison think tank COWS about how national labor trends …
From Cooks to Nurses, Wisconsinites are Organizing for Better Work
Dresser, whose organization recently published the 2022 edition of its “State of Working Wisconsin” report, pointed to the spike in union activity as “the forefront” of a wider surge in labor organizing that also includes non-unionized workers …
Union Organizers Share their Experiences as the Economy Shows Workers their Power
“It isn’t a time of retreat from work, it is a time of engagement and workers taking this moment to recognize the power they have,” said labor economist Laura Dresser, associate director of COWS and …
Report: Wages, Union Organizing Rise in Wisconsin as Workers Demand Better Conditions
“If I was going to pick a single year to think of the best possible picture for workers in this century, I would pick this year,” said Laura Dresser, a professor in the UW-Madison Sandra …
COWS Report Shows Progress in Reducing Wage Disparities
A new report from a UW-Madison think tank shows wage growth in the past two years has helped to close some of the state’s “pronounced racial and ethnic disparities.”
Editorial | The State of Working Wisconsin is Actually Quite Good
The authoritative measure of Wisconsin’s economic circumstance suggests that we actually have something to celebrate this Labor Day. Indeed, according to the State of Working Wisconsin report from the UW-Madison’s Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS), …
Inflation Sends the Cost of Raising Children Soaring
“So, to stay in that market to catch up with or to keep workers working in childcare, there’s a lot of wage pressure,” Dresser said. “And that wage pressure really changes costs, because labor is …
Job Fair Targets a Rarity in the Tech Industry: Women
Dresser said there are ways tech companies can be more deliberate about diversifying their talent pools, including leadership positions. They can provide child care supports, she said, and structure roles around the individual candidate’s strengths …
Report Finds Little Economic Impact From Soccer Stadiums
Given that public financing for private sports franchises has become increasingly common, and the proposed Iron District will need it to move forward, a think-tank affiliated with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, called COWS (the Center on …