Celebrating 40 years as the working people's think tank

An Anniversary Event · Thursday, October 1, 2026

Economic Policy Institute is celebrating 40 years as the workers' think tank!

Conference

9:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Reception

5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

Mayflower Hotel

1127 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, D.C., 20036

Host Committee

  • Gary Bass
  • Jared Bernstein
  • Barry Bluestone
  • Heather Boushey
  • Roxanne Brown
  • Claude Cummings
  • Jennifer Epps
  • Shawn Fain
  • Jeff Faux
  • Jocelyn Frye
  • Terri Gerstein
  • Teresa Ghilarducci
  • Pronita Gupta
  • Robert Kuttner
  • Thea Lee
  • Julianne Malveaux
  • Ray Marshall
  • Larry Mishel
  • Suresh Naidu
  • Christine Owens
  • Connie Razza
  • Robert Reich
  • Lynn Rhinehart
  • Richard Rothstein
  • Liz Shuler
  • Aaron Sojourner
  • April Verrett
  • David Weil
  • Randi Weingarten

About EPI's 40th Anniversary Event

Join EPI as we reflect on 40 years of cutting-edge economic research centering the lives of working people. This October, we’re hosting a 40th Anniversary conference and reception to celebrate the groundbreaking work of the past four decades and lay out our vision for economic and racial justice.

On October 1, labor leaders, policy advocates, researchers, journalists, and grassroots organizers will convene in Washington, D.C., alongside our annual EARN Conference. Together, we’ll highlight the impact of EPI’s research on our movement, hear from grassroots organizers about the economic justice campaigns in their states, and share the work we do every day to advance an economy that is just and strong, sustainable and equitable – where every job is good, every worker can join a union, and every family and community can thrive.

We hope you will join us for this exciting conference and reception.

Level up your love for the workers' think tank: Become a sponsor, or join the host committee.

Featuring remarks from AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler

Including a special tribute honoring the legacy of William Spriggs

With special guest, The Honorable Rosa DeLauro

United States House of Representatives (CT-3)

Conference Agenda

What’s Really Driving the Affordability Problem—and How We Can Fix It

9:15 a.m.—10:15 a.m.

Affordability dominates today’s political conversation. But the affordability problem didn’t emerge overnight, and quick fixes alone won’t solve it. Drawing upon decades of EPI research, this plenary will unpack the structural drivers of the affordability squeeze, its unequal impact, and how policymakers can deliver lasting affordability.

Josh Bivens, Chief Economist, EPI

Indivar Dutta-Gupta, Founder, Blue Lotus Strategies; Visiting Researcher, McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University

Heidi Shierholz, President, EPI

Naomi Walker, Executive Vice President, EPI

Technology and the Labor Market: How Power Shapes Outcomes

10:30 a.m.—11:45 a.m.

Since EPI was founded, our researchers have argued that technology has not been a core driver of inequality; instead, it was policy choices that shifted bargaining power away from workers—eroding labor standards, crushing unions, and forcing us to accept persistently high unemployment. This workshop covers that history and asks the question: With AI now commanding enormous investment and attention, is this time really different? What should really be done to protect and empower workers and build a fairer economy in the age of AI?

Josh Bivens, Chief Economist, EPI

Brian Chen, Policy Director, Data & Society

Samantha Sanders, Director of Government Affairs, EPI

Crystal Weise, Policy and Programs Director, AFL-CIO Tech Institute

How Unions Affect Workers, the Economy, and Society

12:30 p.m.—1:30 p.m.

Union density in the United States sits around 10%—a fraction of its mid-20th-century peak, when unions helped build a broad middle class and narrow racial and economic inequality. Yet, more than 50 million workers would join a union if they could, far more than the roughly 15 million workers who are members of a union today. The plenary will draw on EPI research that illustrates the impact strong unions have on workers and their communities, including higher wages, stronger benefits, reduced racial wage gaps, more people with health insurance, better-funded schools, more civically engaged communities, and a healthier democracy. The plenary will also explore the key policies that would boost unionization and build multiracial worker power.

Lauren Kaori Gurley, Labor Reporter, The Washington Post

Celine McNicholas, Director of Policy, EPI

Valerie Wilson, Director of the Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy, EPI

Ben Zipperer, Senior Economist, EPI

A Fair Economy Is Impossible Without a Strong and Just Public Sector

1:45 p.m.—3:00 p.m.

A robust public sector is one of the most powerful tools we have to deliver broadly shared prosperity, build worker power, and reduce inequality by income and race. Yet decades of privatization and political attacks—particularly anti-tax campaigns—have left it dangerously weakened. This workshop makes the case for a much stronger public sector: what it means for working families, why it is critical for an equitable society, how we actually pay for it, and why public education is at the center of many of these fights. This workshop will also detail how one of the administration’s most damaging legacies may be its attack on the public sector.

Josh Bivens, Chief Economist, EPI

Dalia Thornton, Director of Research and Collective Bargaining Services, AFSCME

Hilary Wething, Economist, EPI

Valerie Wilson, Director of the Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy, EPI

With our deepest gratitude to these sponsors

Organizers - $25,000

Advocates - $10,000

Activists - $5,000

Solidarity Circle - $2,500