EPI in the news

• What progressives like about Trump’s trade war

   

  Trump has responded to this reality with massive tariffs — something some progressive economists agree with, at least in principle. “Tariffs are sorely needed to retaliate for theft of intellectual property, state-owned enterprises, overcapacity, and other forms of unfair trade, including more than a decade of massive currency manipulation,” Robert Scott of the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) told me. (Rob quoted throughout)

  The Week | July 16, 2018
• Are shippers rushing to beat the tariffs? The Port of Oakland reports record imports.

   

  U.S. imports totaled $2.9 trillion last year and exports $2.35 trillion, leaving a trade deficit of $550 billion. But Robert E. Scott, senior economist and director of trade and manufacturing policy research at the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., said the U.S. economy overall is $20 trillion and doesn’t expect the tariffs to “move the dial.” “Even if tariffs double or triple, it remains a small part of the economy,” Mr. Scott said.

  The Mercury News | July 16, 2018
• What is Prop A? A closer look at the “Right to Work” ballot question

  The Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a nonprofit think tank that researches “the impact of economic trends and policies on working people in the United States,” according to its website, released a study this week that analyzed this legislation’s impact on workers. The study stated that, while the “unions are required to represent every employee covered by a union contract,” in states with Right to Work legislation “this, in practice, means providing expensive benefits to many workers who have not paid their fair share.” It also found that the average employee earned 3.1 percent less in hourly wages in Right to Work states than the average worker with similar characteristics in non-“Right to Work” states. (whole story)

  The Mexico Ledger | July 13, 2018
• Research opens window into pay gap between Hispanics and whites

  If you feel like academic researchers waste time studying information that seems obvious, you’re not alone. For instance, a recent paper published on the website of the Economic Policy Institute concludes that whites continue to out-earn and have lower rates of unemployment than Hispanics. This has been the case for about four decades so will probably come as no surprise to anyone. Still, we can’t simply acknowledge these sad facts and move on. The details of the data tell a few stories that can guide us in shaping policy for the fastest-growing demographic segment of our workforce. (whole column)

  Arizona Daily Star | July 13, 2018
• Could Missouri’s right-to-work vote be a ‘turnaround’ for labor? Unions hope so.

   

  According to the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute, which opposes right-to-work, the policy is not associated with job gains, but it is associated with wage losses.

  The Kansas City Star | July 11, 2018
• Economic Policy Institute: Workers in RTW states earn 3.1 percent less than their non-RTW peers

   

  Through the deduction of unions, wages in right-to-work states decrease, a new report from the Economic Policy Institute found. The report also found the RTW laws do not increase job opportunities nor boost the economy. Janelle Jones and Heidi Shierholz from the Economic Policy Institute authored the report which focused on how RTW could impact Missouri by evaluating data from RTW and comparing that to data from non-RTW states. Then-Gov. Eric Greitens signed RTW into law, a concept he campaigned on, in February 2017. Labor unions and their supporters subsequently gathered the needed to signatures to put the issue to a statewide vote in 2018. In fact, they gathered nearly three times the number of needed signatures. (whole story)

  The Missouri Times | July 11, 2018
• What You Need to Know About Mandatory Arbitration
  U.S. News & World Report | July 10, 2018

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