EPI in the news

• WHAT THEY ARE SAYING: New Analyses Highlight American Rescue Plan’s Historic Investments in Economic Growth

  Economic Policy Institute: Two years later, American Rescue Plan funds are still a transformative resource: State and local governments—particularly in the South—should invest unspent funds in workers, families, and communities

  “During ARPA’s second year, many governments used SLFRF dollars to tackle deep inequities in their communities, not just to deal with the immediate challenges of the pandemic but to make transformative investments whose benefits will last long into the future.

  “The opportunity to make transformative investments remains, and policymakers should seize the moment to rebuild the public sector and improve the lives of working families.”

  U.S. Department of the Treasury | March 17, 2023
• Breaking down Michigan’s right-to-work law

  Research from the Economic Policy Institute found that wages in right-to-work states were 3.1% lower than others after accounting for cost of living differences.

  Axios | March 17, 2023
• Michigan Lawmakers Vote To Repeal State’s ‘Right To Work’ Law

  It is highly unusual for a state to repeal such a law once it’s in effect. In fact, the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank, says Michigan would be the first state to do so in 60 years if Whitmer signs the legislation. (In 2018, Missouri voters passed a referendum blocking a right-to-work law that had recently been passed by GOP lawmakers.)

  Huffpost | March 17, 2023
• Workers flock to see Right to Work reversal, prevailing wage restoration pass Michigan Senate

  Testifying supporters included the Michigan AFL-CIO, the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a University of Arkansas professor, a union steward for UFCW and numerous other union representatives.

  The Michigan Chamber of Commerce testified in opposition to the bills. 

  Michigan Advance | March 17, 2023
• Right-to-Work repeal soon headed to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Now what?

  Jennifer Sherer, senior state policy coordinator at the research group Economic Policy Institute, told the Labor Committee that Right-to-Work is an “attack” on workers rights that “especially benefited the rich.”

  “An overwhelming body of research shows that states with anti-union laws restricting workers’ collective bargaining rights end up with lower wages, worse benefits, and higher workplace fatality rates,” she said in a later statement.

  Bridge Michigan | March 17, 2023
• 200,000 joined unions in 2022; more want to unionize

  Although more jobs were unionized, the share of workers represented by a union declined from 11.6 percent to 11.3 percent because nonunion jobs were added at a faster rate, according to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI).

  Labor Tribune | March 17, 2023
• Unemployment rate edges up; Businesses claim to create more low-wage jobs

  “While the private sector experienced a strong bounce-back” from the crash “due to large policy interventions, the public sector—particularly state and local government jobs—continues to fall behind,” Economic Policy Institute Senior Analyst Elise Gould tweeted. “Private-sector employment is 2.6% above pre-pandemic levels while state and local is down 2%.”

  People’s World | March 17, 2023

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