“It matters to say this is the standard that we are going to meet. This is what jobs should do,” said Laura Dresser, the associate director of High Road Strategy Center at UW Madison. Her research focuses on low-wage work and workforce development systems.
High Road Strategy Center in the News
Wisconsin’s minimum wage lags behind neighbors
Laura Dresser, associate director of the High Road Strategy Center, tells WPR that market forces have driven many jobs to post wages around $15 or $16 an hour regardless of the state minimum wage. But Rep Hong says raising the wage floor would ensure that all workers are fairly compensated for their labor.
3 Wisconsin neighbors see minimum wage increases to start the year
Wages for the lowest-paid workers in Wisconsin have risen faster than pay for higher earners in recent years, fueled by a tight labor market, according to a 2024 report from the High Road Strategy Center.
Charter school proposed to MMSD board would focus on career pathways for high schoolers
And with increasing focus in schools to be “college ready,” the Forward Academy is set to have a broader focus on all career paths, helping students prepare for a labor market that UW-Madison Associate Professor Laura Dresser said is filled with opportunity.
High pay scale of Wisconsin’s CEOs, Lingering questions in police shooting 20 years ago, How to deal with secrets uncovered in your family history
A recent report revealed that CEOs at Wisconsin’s 25 largest publicly traded companies make hundreds or thousands more than their workers do. We talk with an expert on labor about the disparity and what it means for the economy.
Wisconsin sees big uptick in union petitions, following Midwest trend
Laura Dresser, a clinical associate professor and associate director for UW-Madison think tank High Road Strategy Center, says this trend supports the notion that U.S. workers are increasingly interested in unions.
Taking the High Road
In this episode of Capitol Gains, hosts Matt Posner and James McIntyre sit down with University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor Joel Rogers, a leading advocate for high road development. They explore how local governments can foster equitable growth through sustainable infrastructure, workforce development, and democratic participation. Joel shares insights on the challenges cities face when financing resilience projects and how to break down silos between finance, resilience, and other departments to create long-term solutions.
As Election Day nears, the economy remains top of mind for Wisconsin voters
The workers who’ve fared the best in recent years were the state’s lowest earners, whose wage growth has outpaced Wisconsin’s highest earners, according to a recent report from the High Road Strategy Center, a worker-focused economic think tank at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
New report finds rising wages and declining unemployment in Wisconsin
The economy and inflation have been top issues in this presidential election year. But a new report suggests that Wisconsin workers are doing relatively well and even exceeding expectations, despite inflation.
The report released by the High Road Strategy Center at UW-Madison, found rising wages and declining unemployment in Wisconsin.
“The labor market is strong in the sense that we’ve produced a lot of jobs —25,000 jobs over the past year—more today than in the past,” says Laura Dresser, associate director of the center.
Madison Montessori school teachers file for union election
In the child care sector specifically, unions are an anomaly, said Laura Dresser, a labor economist and associate director of the UW-Madison think tank High Road Strategy Center.
“Child care unions are really rare in Wisconsin … and unions are rare in child care nationally as well,” Dresser said.