EPI in the news

• Topics of the day from EFE Economy on Tuesday, March 24, 2026

  New rules from the Donald Trump Administration will add at least 150,000 migrant farm workers with temporary H-2A visas, but will also reduce wages by up to 32%, a collective loss of more than $5 billion for both foreigners and Americans, reveals the Economic Policy Institute.

  EFE | March 24, 2026
• 10 Questions Your Boss Legally Can’t Ask But Does

  Employers cannot ask workers to finish tasks without pay. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), non-exempt employees must be paid for every hour they work, including prep time before a shift, tasks during an unpaid lunch, or anything done after clocking out. Wage violations are a major issue. The Economic Policy Institute estimates minimum wage violations cost workers about $15 billion each year, while total wage theft may reach $50 billion.

  Work + Money | March 24, 2026
• A Wealth Tax: Boost the Economy and Democracy

  It’s a long term necessity, but tragically, short term policy-makers put off a solution essential to a strong economy and restoration of our republican form of government. As of today, both the economy and democracy are in a downward spiral. A wealth tax is necessary to reverse this economic and political nosedive. Our guest today Josh Bivens, chief economist with the Economic Policy Institute, argues that while we’re far from being there politically, taxing the top .1% is a fair and just solution we can not put off forever. The problem is that many fear taxing the ultra-wealthy will mean they’ll get hit too. It’s still a political problem but we are getting closer with more democratic left leaning candidates winning.

  Keeping Democracy Alive (Pacifica Radio) | March 24, 2026
• Free expression (opinion)
  • Slippery Floor: It didn’t take long for Big Labor to decide that the $20 minimum hourly wage for fast food workers in California was too low. A report released yesterday by the union-aligned Economic Policy Institute argues that “regular and automatic adjustments” are necessary to protect those workers from inflation. In reality, workers need protection from the minimum wage itself. In November, researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, found “a plethora of negative outcomes” from the institution of the $20 minimum wage in 2024. These included “higher menu prices for consumers, reductions in employee working hours, widespread elimination of overtime, and loss of benefits for employees.” Eventually every Burger King in California will be staffed by one guy making $112 an hour to keep an eye on the robots.
  The Wall Street Journal | March 24, 2026
• Farmworkers with visas to work in NC win settlement in lawsuit over wage theft

  Last year the average minimum wage for H-2A workers was $17.43. The think tank Economic Policy Institute estimates that following proposed cuts by the Trump administration, the minimum wage for many farmworkers would fall to $13.70 an hour.

  Raleigh News and Observer | March 24, 2026
• America’s wealth gap is growing, and Trump’s policies are making it bigger

  Slowing wage gains have contributed to the widening gap between rich and poor. Since 1979, wages for the bottom 90% of earners have increased 44%, while wages for the top 1% of earners have risen more than 180%, a 2024 report from the Economic Policy Institute found.

  NBC News | March 24, 2026
• Topics of the day from EFE Economy on Tuesday, March 24, 2026

  New rules from the Donald Trump Administration will add at least 150,000 migrant farm workers with temporary H-2A visas, but will also reduce wages by up to 32%, a collective loss of more than $5 billion for both foreigners and Americans, reveals the Economic Policy Institute.

  EFE | March 24, 2026

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