EPI in the news

• The Persistent Wage Gap: The Fight for Latina Equal Pay

  According to the Economic Policy Institute, 24% of Latina mothers live in poverty compared to 12% of white, non-Hispanic mothers. The stark reality is that without significant changes, this pay gap will continue to affect the livelihoods and futures of millions of Latino families.

  Our Latinx Magazine | October 4, 2024
• Views and Analysis
  • Actually, the U.S. Labor Market Remains Very Strong — Elise Gould, Economic Policy Institute
  Fiscal Times | October 4, 2024
• Maryland unions seek influence in election beyond membership numbers

  This trend, particularly among the building trades, Ascher said, followed the 1994 implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement — a pact among the United States, Mexico and Canada — that the Economic Policy Institute, a non-profit think tank affiliated with the labor movement, says led to the loss of thousands of union jobs. 

  Capital News Service Maryland | October 4, 2024
• One job by day, another by night as US voters make ends meet

  In the late 1990s, the rates of multiple jobholders were “much higher,” said economist Elise Gould of the Economic Policy Institute.

  Agence France Press (AFP) | October 4, 2024
• Labor market is ‘strong’, not ‘too hot’: Economist

  The U.S. economy added 254,000 new positions in the month of September, topping economist expectations of 150,000 jobs. Economic Policy Institute Senior Economist Elise Gould joins Morning Brief to share her insights on this latest labor market data.

  Gould emphasizes that this report reinforces the strength of the labor market, stating, “It was strong before, and this is another strong report.” She highlights the positive indicators: a decrease in the unemployment rate and upward revisions adding 72,000 jobs to previous months’ figures. These factors paint a picture of a “quite strong” labor market.

  Yahoo Finance TV | October 4, 2024
• Middle-class wages aren’t keeping up. Some economists say policy is suppressing pay growth

  Between 1979 and 2024, productivity in the U.S. soared by 80.9%, while hourly pay grew by just 29.4%, according to research by the Economic Policy Institute.

  This trend has often been referred to as wage stagnation. But more recently, some economists have suggested that deliberate policy decisions have actively suppressed workers’ wage growth.

   

  One reason might be the unreasonably high rate of unemployment in the U.S.

  “Economists produce this thing they call the natural rate of unemployment,” explained Josh Bivens, the chief economist at the Economic Policy Institute. “It’s like the lowest unemployment can go without generating inflation.”

  CNBC | October 4, 2024
• The pros and cons of labor unions

  Unions can “promote economic equality and build worker power, helping workers to win increases in pay, better benefits, and safer working conditions,” said the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). Pushes by unions for higher wages seem to be working, as the 17 states with the highest union densities “have state minimum wages that are on average 19% higher than the national average.”

  The Week | October 4, 2024

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