EPI in the news

• Financial literacy classes for teens – free event!
  • The Economic Policy Institute found that more than one in four black households have zero or negative net worth, compared to less than one in ten white families without wealth.
  Bloomberg Tax | June 17, 2019
• This is why Uber drivers play such bad music

  Meanwhile, drivers don’t just need to worry about ratings, because tips must also be considered. The Economic Policy Institute reported last month that Uber drivers earn $9.21 an hour after expenses (ridesharing blog Ridester’ssurvey placed this at a more generous $13.70) — hence the growing number of strikes and protests. Tips supplement this pay, and many drivers try to create the most advantageous environments possible for this, offering bottled water, USB chargers, and even snacks. The right selection of music also factors in.

  OneZero | June 17, 2019
• Economy: Taking good with the bad

  U.S. Census Bureau statistics show median earnings for workers of $26,059, according to the 2017 American Community Survey. Median earnings for workers in 2010 were $23,699, or a growth of about 1.42 percent a year. How many county residents have seen their bills increase by only 1.4 percent each year? The Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank, has stated wages would need to increase between 3.5 and 4 percent for average workers to feel an impact.

  Observer Today | June 17, 2019
• Public Works Legislation: Critical in increasing economic mobility for Black workers

  The public works bill will benefit Black men and women working in the construction industry in a multitude of ways. Although the legislation is not a union mandate, it creates increased opportunities for Black workers to earn higher wages, and in some cases join a union. A 2017 Economic Policy Institute study highlighted the benefits unions provide to Black workers, citing Black workers in the unionized sector make on average $5 more an hour than their nonunion counterparts. Additionally, Black workers are chronically underrepresented in the nonunion construction sector, representing only 18.8 percent of the total workforce, compared to 21.2 percent in the unionized construction workforce. Moreover, construction unions are continuing to make strides, nearly doubling the number of Black apprentices in their training programs over the past 20 years. The public works bill will serve to further increase opportunities for Black men and women in accessing higher paying jobs in the construction industry, as well as in the unionized construction trades.

  Amsterdam News | June 17, 2019
• Editorial: Join us to discuss pros, cons of raising the minimum wage

  In that study, according to the Economic Policy Institute, the CBO “estimated that raising the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 would have increased the hourly wages of 17 million workers by 14.5 percent, prompting employers to reduce employment by 500,000, or 2.9 percent of those directly affected workers. If these employment declines were spread out over the entire group—if all 17 million lost some hours but no workers were out of work for an entire year—all affected workers would be better off, working a little less (2.9 percent fewer hours) but enjoying an annual income increase of 11.6 percent.” (https://bit.ly/2WDOQqR)

  Addison County Independent | June 17, 2019
• Being a stay-at-home dad is on-trend – and ‘it’s amazing’

  “As women have been increasing their participation in the labor force and entering more occupations, so their pay rises,” said Elise Gould, senior economist at Economic Policy Institute, a think tank. “Often times you take the lower paid member of the household and they’re the ones that wind up being home. That speaks to the future labor outcomes for women.”

  AM New York | June 17, 2019
• How to fix capitalism: Nine expert solutions for America’s broken system – Heidi Shierholz: Reject the myth that rising inequality is inevitable

  It’s by now a familiar story: anemic wage growth for most workers and rising inequality have plagued the US labor market since the 1970s, funneling an ever greater share of economic growth to the country’s most affluent people.

  Listen to the podcast here.

  The Brookings Institution | June 17, 2019

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