Press Releases

09/10/2012

Study: “Job Sprawl” Still Subsidized Despite Four States’ Modest Reforms

Washington, DC, September 11, 2012 -- Four states’ efforts to curb “job sprawl” by altering economic development subsidies have had little effect on transit ridership, land use patterns or site location decisions, according to a report released today by Good Jobs First.

Attempts by officials in California, Illinois, Maryland, and New Jersey to break down “policy silos” and make job subsidies location-efficient have failed. Some of the policies were weak to begin with; others got watered down or ignored, and one got rapidly deregulated.

06/13/2012

Americans for Transit

Washington, DC, June 14, 2012 -- Responding to the nation’s public transportation crisis, the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) and Good Jobs First (GJF) announced today the launch of Americans for Transit (A4T), a new non-profit to create, strengthen and unite grassroots transit rider groups.  They also announced Andrew Austin as A4T’s founding executive director.

Ridership on buses, trains, and ferries is skyrocketing with Americans taking 10.4 billion rides in 2011 – the highest number in decades.  But due to the recession, 85 percent of transit agencies have had to cut routes, borrow money and/or increase fares just to keep running.

04/11/2012

Where Are Workers’ Taxes Actually Going?

Report: State Withholding Taxes Increasingly Pay for Corporate Subsidies Rather than Public Services

Washington, DC, April 12, 2012 --Nearly $700 million a year in state income taxes withheld from worker paychecks in 16 states is being used to provide lavish subsidies to corporations rather than paying for vital public services. These diversions have gone to more than 2,700 companies, including major firms such as Sears, Goldman Sachs and General Electric. Few if any of the affected workers are aware, because no state requires they be informed on their pay stubs.

These are the key findings of Paying Taxes to the Boss: How a Growing Number of States Subsidize Companies with the Withholding Taxes of Workers, a study published today by Good Jobs First, a non-profit, non-partisan research center based in Washington, DC. It is available at http://www.goodjobsfirst.org.

01/17/2012

Report: States Lack Sound, Consistent Policies to Enforce Job-Creation and Other Performance Requirements in Economic Development Subsidy Programs

Washington, DC, January 18, 2012 -- Despite the fact that many economic development deals fall short on job creation or other benefits, states are inconsistent in how they monitor, verify and enforce the terms of job subsidies. Many states fail to verify that companies receiving subsidies are meeting commitments, and many more have weak penalty policies for addressing non-compliance.

These are the findings of Money-Back Guarantees for Taxpayers: Clawbacks and Other Enforcement Safeguards in State Economic Development Subsidy Programs, a study published today by Good Jobs First, a non-profit, non-partisan research center in Washington, DC. It is online at www.goodjobsfirst.org.

12/21/2011

Manual for Organizing Transit Riders Features Creative Community Victories

Washington, DC, December 22, 2011 -- Good Jobs First today published a grassroots organizing manual for riders of public transportation seeking to preserve and improve transit service.

“Organizing Transit Riders: A How-To Manual” is a 64-page resource guide that includes six case studies of successful transit-funding campaigns plus interviews with the nation’s two oldest transit advocacy groups, the NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign in New York and the Bus Riders Union in Los Angeles.