EPI in the news

• Benefit Gains Exceed Wage Growth, New Labor Data Show

  Lawrence Mishel, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute who formerly worked for several labor unions, said the bonus and benefit growth are more reflective of a several years of falling unemployment than of recent tax cuts. “Overall wage and compensation growth does not provide much in the way of bragging rights for tax cutters,” he said. “Especially given the expectation of rising wages and compensation amidst low unemployment.”

  The Wall Street Journal | September 19, 2018
• What’s at Stake in Washington’s Heated Battle Over Tipped Workers

   

  Already, California and Washington state have passed almost identical “One Fair Wage” policies, and a recent study out of the Economic Policy Institute suggests tipped workers in San Francisco and Seattle, which are also phasing in a $15 minimum wage, earn more than their D.C. counterparts. … The Economic Policy Institute’s study on One Fair Wage cities was questioned by many anti-77 speakers, but David Cooper, who wrote the paper, testified to reiterate his findings: Seattle tipped workers make 7 percent more in median hourly wages than those in D.C. and San Francisco tipped workers make 21 percent more. The study also complicates the assertion that jobs will be lost—in both Seattle and San Francisco, “tipped workers make up a larger share of the overall workforce” than in D.C. Still, opponents insisted that D.C. is unique, with fewer chains and more locally-owned restaurants than other cities; and that comparing it with other One Fair Wage cities is unhelpful.

  City Lab | September 19, 2018
• Pay Gap Between Colorado’s Teachers And Similar Workers Continues To Grow

  Colorado has the fourth worst teacher pay gap in the country. A recent report by the Economic Policy Institute found Colorado teachers make 35.1 percent less that other workers living in similar parts of the state with similar education. The paper tracks teacher pay since 1979, when they made about 5.5 percent less than comparable workers nationally. By 2017 that gap had grown to 18.7 percent. (whole story)

  KUNC | September 19, 2018
• ‘This Is Going To Hurt Us.’ Restaurant Workers Push For Repeal Of Initiative 77

   

  An analyst with the Economic Policy Institute, a union-backed think tank, is scheduled to testify on his recent paper that shows mostly positive effects from “one fair wage” policies in California and Washington State. But economists are mixed on the issue: The business-backed D.C. Policy Institute rebutted the EPI study today, saying it “fails to meet standard tests of reliability.”

  WAMU | September 19, 2018
• D.C. tip troubles

   

  D.C. TIP TROUBLES: The D.C. Council met late into last night to hear testimony about rescinding Initiative 77, a ballot measure approved by D.C. voters earlier this year that extended to tipped workers D.C.’s standard hourly minimum ($13.25 now; set to rise to $15 in 2020) rather than the $3.89 “tipped” minimum. Labor advocates contend that a tipped minimum perpetuates gender and racial bias and encourages wage and hour violations. But many workers think they do better when they earn the bulk of their money from tips, because when they’re paid standard minimum, restaurant prices go up, prompting customers to tip less. The left-leaning Economic Policy Institute released a study last week disputing that conclusion. It found that tipped workers in Seattle and San Francisco who were paid a $15 minimum earned more per hour than tipped workers in D.C. (Twenty-one percent more in San Francisco and 7 percent more in Seattle.) Read the EPI study here.

  Politico Pro | September 19, 2018
• Initiative 77 Pros, Cons Face D.C. Council

   

  Lined up to uphold the vote is the One Fair Wage D.C. coalition backed up by documents and reports from the Economic Policy Institute, D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute and Public Citizen organizations.

  The Georgetowner | September 19, 2018
• ‘I Work 3 Jobs And Donate Blood Plasma to Pay the Bills.’ This Is What It’s Like to Be a Teacher in America

   

  Meanwhile, the pay gap between teachers and other comparably educated professionals is now the largest on record. In 1994, public-school teachers in the U.S. earned 1.8% less per week than comparable workers, according to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a left-leaning think tank. By last year, they made 18.7% less. The situation is particularly grim in states such as Oklahoma, where teachers’ inflation-adjusted salaries actually decreased by about $8,000 in the last decade, to an average of $45,245 in 2016, according to DOE data. In Arizona, teachers’ average inflation-adjusted annual wages are down $5,000. (EPI cited throughout)

  Time | September 17, 2018

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