EPI in the news

• We Have the Power to Turn Manufacturing Investments Into Good Jobs in the South

  A recent report from the Economic Policy Institute provides important insights into how CBAs can ensure that Southern manufacturing growth yields long-term shared prosperity for workers and communities.

  For example, by securing employer commitments to respect workers’ rights, CBAs can remove obstacles to unionization and help workers win union contracts, which the report shows typically yield significantly improved pay, access to employer-paid health coverage, and paid sick days. The report also documents examples of how CBAs can enable communities to secure enforceable commitments to environmental protection and limits on pollution and energy use, even in contexts where these types of wins are difficult to achieve through policy change.

  Inequality.org | May 13, 2026
• EPI’s Margaret Poydock on Record Union Growth and Worker Trends

  Margaret Poydock, senior policy analyst at the Economic Policy Institute, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss EPI’s analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data showing that 16.5 million workers were represented by a union in 2025, an increase of 463,000 from 2024 and the highest number of unionized workers in 16 years. The growth was broad-based, spanning the private and public sectors, workers of color, young workers and multiple regions of the country, including a surprising surge in the South.

  America's Work Force Union Podcast | May 13, 2026
• Money is Trump’s religion

  But if you’re a CEO, on the other end of the stick, it’s a pretty long stick. From 1978 to 2018, executive compensation has skyrocketed. If average worker compensation had kept pace with the explosive growth of CEO pay since 1968, the average worker would earn approximately $432 per hour today, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

  Orlando Sentinel | May 13, 2026
• Trump’s Appalling Racial Legacy

  Whether by coincidence or direct effect, the disappearance of diversity is paralleled by the evaporation of jobs for Black people. Start with the federal government. It has long been an employment refuge from discrimination. In fiscal year 2021, Black women accounted for 12 percent of the federal workforce (compared to 6.6 percent of the civilian labor force). But Trump’s massive contraction of the federal government resulted in Black women accounting for 95,000—35 percent—of the 271,000 job losses, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

  The American Prospect | May 13, 2026
• Here’s What to Know About Post-Grad Unemployment

  Data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York indicates that the unemployment rate of recent college graduates has largely outpaced that of the overall labor market. A new report from the Economic Policy Institute now suggests more nuance to the numbers.

  While unemployment has slowly increased on all fronts since 2022, most of the workforce – those 25 to 54 years old – “has remained” employed, writes Joe Fast and Elise Gould for the Economic Policy Institute.

  The report indicates that overall employment hasn’t necessarily declined, but hiring has, which disproportionately impacts those looking for entry-level positions. Hiring rates have steadily fallen over the past three years, which “appears to be hitting young college graduates more acutely.”

  …

  In the last year, young Black college graduates have also faced a higher unemployment rate than other young people entering the workforce, Valerie Wilson writes for the Economic Policy Institute. The analysis indicates that “Black men’s employment is lower than what was reported in the first quarter of 2025,” and while Black women’s employment remained more consistent than their male counterparts, those levels have also dropped since early-2025 estimates. Together, the data indicates a higher difficulty to find work for non-white or non-AAPI college graduates and lower wages for those who do.

  U.S. News & World Report | May 13, 2026
• Saving democracy starts in the workplace — and in the South

  Paywall. 

  The Atlanta Journal Constitution | May 13, 2026
• 357,000 Oklahoma Workers Could Soon Get a Raise

  More than 357,000 Oklahoma workers could see larger paychecks if voters approve State Question 832 this June in what supporters describe as one of the most significant wage votes in Oklahoma history.

  …

  According to research from the Economic Policy Institute, approximately one out of every five wage earners in Oklahoma would benefit directly or indirectly from the proposed wage increases.

  Radio Oklahoma News Network | May 13, 2026

More EPI in the news