EPI in the news

• DoorDash Grandma Delivering to Trump Doesn’t Change That No Tax on Tips Is a ‘Deceptive Ploy’

  Trump and then-Vice President Kamala Harris latched on to the no tax on tips policy during the 2024 campaign, despite warnings from economists and others that it is a “deceptive ploy,” as the Economic Policy Institute’s David Cooper and Nina Mast put it last year.

  “It does nothing to address the low wages, income instability, wage theft, and abuse tipped workers already face,” the pair reiterated in February. “Instead, it may undermine efforts to raise tipped minimum wages, push more workers into tipped jobs, increase workloads, and prompt customers to tip less if they believe tipped workers receive special tax treatment.”

  Common Dreams | April 14, 2026
• All Kroger stores in US state to face $15 policy by 2029 as part of ‘common sense’ change

  In the report, it was revealed that a single resident in Ohio would need to make between $18.66 and $26.82 hourly to adequately afford everyday living costs, depending on the county in which they reside.

  This was confirmed by Economic Policy Institute data.

  The U.S. Sun | April 14, 2026
• Virginia’s $15 per hour minimum wage law could cost 12,000 jobs, report shows

  Under Ms. Spanberger, Virginia joins more than a dozen other states that pay service workers at least $15 an hour, bolstering a decades-long “fight for $15” campaign by progressive activists.

  The left-leaning Economic Policy Institute projects that 17 states pay at least $15 an hour this year, from $15.15 in Arizona to $17.13 in Washington.

  Washington Times | April 14, 2026
• Trump Labor Official Who Used to Represent Amazon Is About to Give the Company a Huge Gift

  Before Trump nominated her to replace labor champion Jennifer Abruzzo as general counsel of the NLRB, Carey was a partner at Morgan Lewis, one of the biggest management-side law firms in the country. The Economic Policy Institute noted following Carey’s Senate confirmation last year that Morgan Lewis “represents corporations known for violating workers’ rights, including Amazon, SpaceX, Apple, and Tesla.”

  “Morgan Lewis is also pursuing the legal challenge that the NLRB is unconstitutional, despite several former NLRB members being employed at the firm,” EPI noted. (Amazon has also argued in court that the labor board is unconstitutional.)

  Common Dreams | April 14, 2026
• Payday Showdown: $15 Wage Fight Pits 600,000 Ohio Workers Against Business Fears

  Behind those dueling totals is a wonky but important distinction. Economic researchers separate the workers currently paid below the proposed new minimum, the “direct” beneficiaries, from workers who earn just above that level and may get smaller raises when employers adjust their overall pay ladders.

  That split is central to the minimum wage simulation model used by the Economic Policy Institute, which underpins many state-level estimates. Depending on whether analysts count only those sub-$15 paychecks or also include the wider band of likely follow-on raises, the story about how many people are affected looks very different.

  Hoodline | April 14, 2026
• DoorDash Grandma Delivering to Trump Doesn’t Change That No Tax on Tips Is a ‘Deceptive Ploy’

  Trump and then-Vice President Kamala Harris latched on to the no tax on tips policy during the 2024 campaign, despite warnings from economists and others that it is a “deceptive ploy,” as the Economic Policy Institute’s David Cooper and Nina Mast put it last year.

  “It does nothing to address the low wages, income instability, wage theft, and abuse tipped workers already face,” the pair reiterated in February. “Instead, it may undermine efforts to raise tipped minimum wages, push more workers into tipped jobs, increase workloads, and prompt customers to tip less if they believe tipped workers receive special tax treatment.”

  Common Dreams | April 14, 2026
• DoorDash Grandma Delivering to Trump Doesn’t Change That No Tax on Tips Is a ‘Deceptive Ploy’

  Trump and then-Vice President Kamala Harris latched on to the no tax on tips policy during the 2024 campaign, despite warnings from economists and others that it is a “deceptive ploy,” as the Economic Policy Institute’s David Cooper and Nina Mast put it last year.

  “It does nothing to address the low wages, income instability, wage theft, and abuse tipped workers already face,” the pair reiterated in February. “Instead, it may undermine efforts to raise tipped minimum wages, push more workers into tipped jobs, increase workloads, and prompt customers to tip less if they believe tipped workers receive special tax treatment.”

  Common Dreams | April 14, 2026

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