David Madland
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davidmadland.bsky.social
David Madland
@davidmadland.bsky.social
180 followers 130 following 130 posts
Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress. Private account, opinions my own.
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davidmadland.bsky.social
Corruption is getting worse in the U.S. - latest Transparency International report shows
www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2025/...
2025 Corruption Perceptions Index - Explore United States’s results
How does United States measure up in the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index?
www.transparency.org
February 10, 2026 at 3:25 PM
davidmadland.bsky.social
www.americanprogress.org/article/work...
Working-Class Voters Shifted Slightly Toward Democrats in the 2025 Gubernatorial Elections
Working-class shifts in the 2025 gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey were led by nonwhite voters and suggest that economic issues can move some voters.
www.americanprogress.org
January 30, 2026 at 3:36 PM
davidmadland.bsky.social
truthout.org/articles/str...
Striking Spanish Workers Just Showed That Amazon Is Not Invincible
The workers used creative, disruptive tactics to win. Their victory holds lessons for the global labor movement.
truthout.org
January 23, 2026 at 8:35 PM
davidmadland.bsky.social
democracyjournal.org/arguments/th...
The Democracy-Prosperity Link
How Donald Trump’s anti-democratic actions threaten America’s long-term prosperity.
democracyjournal.org
January 13, 2026 at 4:46 PM
Reposted by David Madland
moreperfectunion.bsky.social
Utah has repealed a law that barred public unions from negotiating on behalf of their members.

Republican Gov. Spencer Cox approved the rollback of one of the most anti-union laws in the country after thousands of union members rallied outside his office for a week.

apnews.com/article/utah...
Utah repeals ban on collective bargaining for teachers, firefighters and police unions
Utah has repealed a collective bargaining ban that prevented labor unions serving teachers, firefighters, police and other public employees from negotiating on behalf of their workers.
apnews.com
December 15, 2025 at 3:33 PM
davidmadland.bsky.social
www.americanprogress.org/article/year...
Year 1 of the Second Trump Administration Made the Working Class Weaker
The Trump administration’s actions are shrinking jobs, slowing wage growth, and raising living costs for the working class.
www.americanprogress.org
December 15, 2025 at 3:45 PM
davidmadland.bsky.social
www.americanprogress.org/article/stat...
State and Local Policymakers Can Raise Standards and Build Power for Workers
States and cities can advance these 21 ideas in 2026 to build worker power, support unionized workers, and uphold workforce stability and standards.
www.americanprogress.org
December 10, 2025 at 3:39 PM
davidmadland.bsky.social
www.americanprogress.org/article/why-...
Why Gen Z Men Are the Most Pro-Union Generation in History: Unions Build Stable Finances
Gen Z men support unions more strongly than any other group, both today and when older generations were their age. Looking at the gains from union membership for young men, it’s easy to understand why...
www.americanprogress.org
December 3, 2025 at 9:54 PM
davidmadland.bsky.social
www.newsweek.com/donald-trump...
Trump's approval rating among working class now underwater by 28 points
A new poll found that people earning under $50,000 were more likely to report dissatisfaction with the president's job performance.
www.newsweek.com
December 3, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Reposted by David Madland
paulgp.com
> Between 1995 and 2021 (our sample period), there were a total of 47 individuals who have been a congressional leader; 20 of whom made stock trades both before and after ascension to leadership.
jakemgrumbach.bsky.social Jake Grumbach @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social · Dec 3
After becoming a congressional leader, a politician’s stock portfolio beats out those of peers by 47 (!!!) percentage points a year through trades timed around bills and firms that later get government contracts

www.nber.org/papers/w34524

via @florianederer.bsky.social
"Captain Gains" on Capitol Hill Shang-Jin Wei & Yifan Zhou WORKING PAPER 34524 DOI 10.3386/w34524 ISSUE DATE November 2025 Using transaction-level data on US congressional stock trades, we find that lawmakers who later ascend to leadership positions perform similarly to matched peers beforehand but outperform them by 47 percentage points annually after ascension. Leaders' superior performance arises through two mechanisms. The political influence channel is reflected in higher returns when their party controls the chamber, sales of stocks preceding regulatory actions, and purchase of stocks whose firms receiving more government contracts and favorable party support on bills. The corporate access channel is reflected in stock trades that predict subsequent corporate news and greater returns on donor-owned or home-state firms. 令 1 1 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 9 Year Figure 2: Estimated dynamic quasi-difference-in-differences coefficient, di, of equation(3), with vertical dashed lines representing 90 percent confidence intervals. The point estimate of the year in which the lawmaker became a congressional leader (Year 0) is normalized to zero. BHAR over the 250 days following each trade is the dependent variable and calculated using the Fama-French five-factor plus momentum as the benchmark model.
December 3, 2025 at 4:35 PM
davidmadland.bsky.social
www.americanprogress.org/article/unio...
Union Trigger Laws 101: How States Can Protect Workers if Federal Labor Law Falls
Trump and conservative courts are threatening to end Americans’ right to unionize. Here is how cities and states can prepare if the National Labor Relations Act is struck down or ceases to be enforced...
www.americanprogress.org
November 19, 2025 at 5:18 PM
davidmadland.bsky.social
www.americanprogress.org/article/the-...
November 13, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Reposted by David Madland
americanprogress.bsky.social
Everybody likes unions—policymakers shouldn't stand in the way of our right to organize.
November 12, 2025 at 8:01 PM
davidmadland.bsky.social
New analysis shows everybody likes unions (except Republican Boomers)

www.americanprogress.org/article/ever...
Everybody Likes Unions
At a time when Americans cannot agree on many things, unions have achieved popularity across nearly every age group regardless of partisan affiliation or education.
www.americanprogress.org
November 10, 2025 at 5:55 PM
davidmadland.bsky.social
I have been thinking a lot about George Orwell's classic essay arguing that fuzzy language enables the defense of the indefensible. Headlines in today's papers are a case in point: "Donald Trump Jr. Pitches ‘Patriotic Capitalism’ at Saudi Summit"
www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-f...
Politics and the English Language | The Orwell Foundation
"Political language... is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind."
www.orwellfoundation.com
October 31, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Reposted by David Madland
epi.org
And @rrepnnad.bsky.social studied the practical (and positive) impact of unemployment insurance for striking workers in this report
Unemployment insurance for striking workers: A low-cost policy that’s good for workers and state economies
Lawmakers across the country are increasingly recognizing that making striking workers eligible for unemployment insurance (UI) is good for workers and good economics.
www.epi.org
October 31, 2025 at 2:01 PM
davidmadland.bsky.social
www.americanprogress.org/article/the-...
The Fight to Unionize Starbucks by the Numbers
Thousands of unionized Starbucks workers across the country are ramping up pressure on the corporation to finalize a first contract that could boost take home pay, hours, benefits, and working conditi...
www.americanprogress.org
October 29, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Reposted by David Madland
aaronsojourner.org
Featuring @seiuhcmnia.bsky.social @kandrias.bsky.social @davidmadland.bsky.social.
www.minnpost.com/state-govern...
How labor unions revived New Deal model for nursing home staff
The idea has roots in the 1940s era expansion of labor unions and the ‘fight for 15’ of more recent vintage.
www.minnpost.com
October 18, 2025 at 11:23 AM
davidmadland.bsky.social
Good story on the challenges of trying to form a union in retail in the South with a broken NLRA.
capitalandmain.com/dollar-store...
Dollar Store Workers Fight to Improve Jobs, Even Without a Union
With unionization dropping under Trump, experts say “premajority” campaigns can help workers score wins.
capitalandmain.com
October 15, 2025 at 5:23 PM
davidmadland.bsky.social
www.gov.ca.gov/2025/10/03/g...
Governor Newsom signs landmark worker legislation, in stark contrast to Trump’s assault on workers and government shutdown | Governor of California
www.gov.ca.gov
October 6, 2025 at 1:12 PM
davidmadland.bsky.social
www.americanprogressaction.org/article/the-...
The Working Class Wants Policymakers To Reward Work and Listen to Their Values
Research and events from the American Worker Project and others show that working-class families are struggling and want elected officials to focus on rewarding work while also representing their posi...
www.americanprogressaction.org
September 30, 2025 at 1:40 PM
Reposted by David Madland
hamiltonnolan.bsky.social
Will certainly be interesting to see how much Starbucks store closures overlap with unionized stores.
September 25, 2025 at 2:46 PM
davidmadland.bsky.social
www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
Majorities of adults see decline of union membership as bad for the U.S. and working people
The share of U.S. workers who belonged to a union in 2024 stood at 9.9%, down from 1983 when 20.1% of American workers were union members.
www.pewresearch.org
September 25, 2025 at 3:53 PM
davidmadland.bsky.social
With all the noise it has been easy to miss the ways Trump has been undermining minimum wage protections
progressive.org/op-eds/trump...
Trump Takes Aim at Minimum Wage
The current administration continues its assault on the working class.
progressive.org
September 24, 2025 at 1:55 PM
davidmadland.bsky.social
www.governing.com/workforce/ca...
California Will Revolutionize Rideshare Industry With New Union Policy
A forthcoming state law will create the single largest new pool of workers with collective bargaining rights in decades.
www.governing.com
September 18, 2025 at 2:30 PM