News & Events

In 2022, Just Economics continued our fight for economic justice centering the voices of people most impacted. Among an on-going pandemic, high inflation, and the economic impacts of Covid 19, we worked together with low-wage workers, bus riders and drivers, tenants, partners, and allies to continue to have an impact…

Join us for Just Economics’ Annual Celebration December 1st, 6-9pm at Jubilee! (46 Wall Street).  This event is free and open to the public.  We will have food, drinks, music, celebration and a raffle. We’ll be honoring pandemic heroes and the people who helped advance our work this year.   Big…

Join Just Economics and other Living Wage Programs in the United States and around the world in celebrating International Living Wage Week from November 14th – November 18th!  Living Wage Week is a celebration that draws attention to our certification programs and Living Wage Certified Employers, while highlighting the growing…

By Vicki Meath, Executive Director of Just Economics Labor Day is a natural time to reflect on the state of workers in our community and our world. Today I reflect on the good that is happening surrounding worker organizing, the bad news that still exists for too many workers, and…

Even now, in 2022, women and particularly women of color continue to make significantly less than white male counterparts in the workforce, across all industries. In fact on August 3, as communities across the country mark Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, we know that Black women earn 58 cents for…

Just Economics announces our 2022 Living Wage Rate as $17.70/hr (with or without health insurance) In 2021, Just Economics reassessed our formula for determining the living wage. The last time we did that was in 2011, and this is a practice we intend to continue at least every 10 years….

Just Economics is hiring a full time Housing and Wages Organizer. Apply by January 7th at the link at the end of this post. Job Description: Just Economics of Western North Carolina (JE) is a regional, membership organization based in Asheville, NC. Our mission is to educate, advocate, and organize…

Join us for a fun and interactive virtual event celebrating our work over this year! We’ll play an interactive game and close out the year as a community. You can also expect and awesome collection of raffle prizes. Whether you have been around Just Economics for a while or new…

The week of November 15th-21st is International Living Wage Week! Living Wage Week is a big deal in countries like the UK, and Just Economics is excited to partner with the National Living Wage Network and Living Wage for US to bring Living Wage Week to the United States in…

This Labor Day, a year and a half into a global pandemic, twelve years into a minimum wage of $7.25 and decades into growing income inequality in this nation. Isn’t it time?  Isn’t it time to not just honor the workers who make our society work with a holiday but…

Tuesday, May 25th, the Asheville City Manager’s budget was introduced and June 8th, the public will get a chance to weigh in on the budget during the public hearing. The final vote on the City of Asheville’s budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1st, will take place on June…

The cost of living in Asheville and the surrounding area has been a regular topic of conversation on social media, in the press, and around our office. At Just Economics, we run a voluntary Living Wage Certification Program that certifies (and then recertifies every two years) employers who voluntarily pay…

I moved to Asheville from the Piedmont of NC in 2008 to go to college at UNC Asheville. I rented my first house in 2009 in Montford, a two bedroom house for $900 which at the time felt EXPENSIVE, so after bringing in an extra roommate for a while to…

Just Economics has relaunched our Living Wage Certification program and reopened our application for Living Wage Certification!

We’ve added a new page to our website that features a new issue each week and a couple of way to engage with that issue. We’re also launching a video series called, Policy Minuet. Each week, we will release a new, 60 second video about a current policy issue. Check…

Just Economics is hiring for a part-time Office Administrator (approximately 20 hours a week). This job will initially be remote. Once it is safe to return to work in person, this job will take place in our Asheville office. See the job description below. To apply, fill out the google application and…

Each November, Just Economics reassesses the Buncombe County Living Wage Rate based on Federal Fair Market Rent data released by HUD. In 2020, the living wage rate was calculated at $15.50/hour or $14.00/hour with employer provided health benefits. All new businesses in 2020 were certified at that rate, but Just…

Community Resources For Buncombe County Information and Resources from Buncombe County Mutual Aid: BeLoved COVID-19 response Facebook Group:  Asheville Survival Program Internet Access: Comcast: https://www.internetessentials.com/covid19#gethelp&all_Pricingandotherinfo Spectrum: https://www.spectrum.net/support/internet/assistance-communities-need/ Food Assistance in Buncombe County Mental Health: National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Helpline:800-950-NAMI, info@nami.org Transit:  COVID related updates at Asheville Transit: https://www.ashevillenc.gov/department/transit…