Business- and Labor-Tied Nonprofits at Heart of Wage Debate

The battle over whether to raise the minimum wage illustrates how deep-pocketed interests wield ostensibly research-focused nonprofit groups to shape the public discussion on contentious political issues, writes The New York Times.

The article focuses on the Employment Policies Institute, a Washington-based economics think thank whose widely quoted reports warn that raising the minimum wage would increase poverty and unemployment. The institute is affiliated with public relations executive Richard B. Berman, who has formed numerous nonprofits to campaign on conservative and corporate causes, notably for the restaurant industry, which opposes the wage hike.

Left-leaning organizations that are financially supported by labor unions are also prominent in the debate, producing papers that consistently conclude that a higher minimum wage makes economic sense, although they have been less visible in recent months than the Employment Policies Institute.