EPI in the news

• Kentucky teacher pay shows minimal gains in 2026, according to national report
  • Teacher pay gap. Compared to other college-educated professionals with similar experience, teacher salaries are 27% lower than those of their similarly educated peers, according to and Economic Policy Institute report.
  WBKO (Kentucky) | May 5, 2026
• Report details financial toll of misclassifying independent contractors

  Misclassifying employees as independent contractors not only can cost workers tens of thousands of dollars in annual lost wages, but it can also hurt their fellow citizens, according to a recent Economic Policy Institute report.

  EPI, which describes itself as “a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank,” analyzed 11 “commonly misclassified jobs,” including those in construction and trucking. It found that misclassification can cost truck drivers between $13,760 to $23,266 a year. For construction workers, the range is $13,186 to $20,399.

  Safety and Health Magazine | May 5, 2026
• Alon Ben-Meir: How do we tolerate child poverty amidst so much wealth?

  As the Economic Policy Institute pointedly notes: “The results of the policy response to the pandemic proved that we purposely choose to tolerate a disproportionately high level of poverty for children of color in the United States.” Children are especially susceptible to the deleterious consequences of poverty – in terms of health, mental and physical development, and education – with ramifications that can easily extend into adulthood.

  Moreover, children living in impoverished neighborhoods are faced with significant challenges, regardless of their family’s income; this includes schools that are insufficiently funded and inadequate access to healthcare. The fact is that child poverty and life in disadvantaged neighborhoods present an obstacle to medical care, which can carry “these health harms into adulthood and across generations.”

  Augusta Free Press | May 5, 2026
• Eastern Shore union rallies target casino pay, Salisbury bargaining rights

  In a Facebook post, Unite Here Local 7 cited an Economic Policy Institute study that said a living wage in neighboring Wicomico County is now $67,000 — far above what many Ocean Downs workers reported earning.

  The Baltimore Sun | May 5, 2026
• I’ve Been Reviewing Dallas Restaurants for 10 Years. Here’s What I’ve Learned.

  According to the Economic Policy Institute, before the coronavirus pandemic, the average income of a Dallas County one-percenter was $1,722,622, and the average income of everyone else in the county was $45,970, ranking us 44^th least equal out of America’s 3,064 counties. (Last place: Teton County, Wyoming, home of Jackson Hole.) Those numbers have probably gotten even more extreme since the pandemic.

  D Magazine | May 4, 2026
• Electricity bills have risen 40%, while utility CEO salaries have risen 47% — customers are demanding a dynamic shift

  The data speaks for itself. The average CEO pay has risen 1,094% from 1978 to 2024. It has risen only 26% for the average worker over the same period. Source: Economic Policy Institute (1)

  MoneyWise | May 4, 2026
• California farmworker pay at center of renewed debate as advocates decry health concerns, employers highlight market pain

  Labor unions are fighting in court a federal change that slashed minimum wages for H-2A workers, undercutting the domestic labor market, according to unions. The change dropped hourly wages from about $17.43 to a tiered structure, based on skill level, of $13.70 and $17.22, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank.

  The Press Democrat | May 4, 2026

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