New Jersey public school teachers face an almost 17 percent pay penalty

In a new report, EPI Research Associate Jeffrey Keefe finds that public school teachers earn 17 percent less in weekly wages and 12.5 percent less in weekly compensation (wages and benefits) than other similarly educated full-time workers in New Jersey, when controlling for factors such as experience, gender, ethnicity, and weeks worked. But New Jersey public school teachers do benefit from smaller gender and racial wage gaps, he notes.

LABOR

Andrew Puzder withdraws nomination for labor secretary

On February 15, President Trump’s first nominee for labor secretary, Andrew Puzder, withdrew from consideration. EPI’s Heidi Shierholz  made the case that Puzder’s withdrawal was a victory for working people. “Americans need a labor secretary who respects the rule of law, who will work to raise wages and uphold basic labor protections like the minimum wage, paid leave, safe workplaces, and overtime pay,” Shierholz said.

No love for tipped workers on Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day marks one of the busiest days of the year for American restaurant workers, but it may not mean more money in their pockets after a hard night’s work. Forty-two states and the District of Columbia have a separate lower minimum wage for tipped workers, making it harder for workers to receive a decent day’s pay. In a new article, EPI’s David Cooper highlights how the lack of a federal minimum wage hurts tipped workers.

LABOR

Puzder’s anti-worker positions disqualify him from serving as labor secretary

In a new policy memo, EPI Labor Counsel Celine McNicholas outlines the ways in which secretary of labor nominee Andrew Puzder fails to live up to the standards set by previous labor secretaries. According to McNicholas, Puzder has opposed or criticized a number of labor policies that help working people, including the federal minimum wage, overtime pay, and paid sick leave.

The U.S.–China trade deficit has cost 3.4 million U.S. jobs since 2001

EPI’s Robert Scott  reports that the Unites States’ trade deficit with China has more than quadrupled since China entered the World Trade Organization—rising from $83 billion in 2001 to $367.2 billion in 2015. This rise has led to a total loss of 3.4 million jobs, nearly three-fourths of which were in manufacturing.

EPI

Obama administration experts join EPI

EPI is pleased to announce that Heidi Shierholz, the former chief economist to the Labor Department under President Obama, has returned to EPI to run the Perkins Project on Worker Rights and Wages, a policy response team that tracks the Trump administration’s wage and employment actions. Celine McNicholas and Samantha Sanders have also joined EPI. Celine McNicholas is EPI Labor Counsel and a member of the Perkins Project on Worker Rights and Wages. She came to EPI from the National Labor Relations Board.  Samantha Sanders is EPI’s Director of Government relations; she came to EPI from the Department of Labor.

President Trump’s “alternative facts” on who has benefited from economic growth

In a recent article, EPI’s Josh Bivens writes that in his inaugural speech, President Donald Trump channels anger toward foreigners and politicians and away from the real root of America’s economic woes—the astronomical income growth of the top 1 percent, whose gains have crowded out potential growth for the vast majority of American households.

HEALTH CARE

19.2 million people have gained health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act

A new Economic Snapshot shows that nearly 7.5 million women between the ages of 19 and 64 have gained health care coverage because of the Affordable Care Act, along with 8.9 million men and 2.8 million children—for a total coverage of 19.2 million people.

High-poverty schools continue to hurt children of all races

In a new Economic Snapshot, EPI’s Emma García shows that poor black children are much more likely to attend high-poverty schools than poor white children. García explains that students who attend high-poverty schools have lower math and reading achievement levels. As a result, children attending those schools are therefore shortchanged and face challenges to their future economic prospects and potential social mobility.

WORKING PEOPLE

What President Trump and Congress could do to help workers

EPI released A real agenda for working people, which lays out what Trump would do if he were serious about creating jobs, raising wages, and fixing our rigged economy. EPI’s agenda would boost working people’s wages and quality of life. The agenda includes policies to target full employment, strengthen rules that support wages and work, and protect and strengthen the right to collective bargaining. It also calls for reorienting trade policy to support working people and raising top tax rates to fund necessary public investment and reduce the economic power of the top 1 percent.

The Obama legacy on wages

In a new article, EPI’s Josh Bivens assesses the Obama administration’s performance in promoting policies that generate broad-based wage growth. Bivens finds that Obama’s policy record on wages is strong but that the actual performance of wages during his tenure was extraordinarily weak due largely to the economy he inherited in his first term.

Federal inaction on minimum wage has left many workers behind

As of January 1, 29 states and the District of Columbia have a minimum wage higher than the federal minimum wage of $7.25. A new Economic Snapshot shows that, without any change in either the federal or their states’ minimum wages by November 2020, minimum wage workers in the 21 states stuck at $7.25 will be paid 31.7 percent less than workers in states with higher minimum wages.

EPI charts show the state of the economy

EPI has released a collection of 13 charts that show how the economy has—or has not—progressed as we head into 2017.The charts make it clear that despite more than 7 years of steady recovery, the U.S. economy is still not working as well as it should be.

The Fed acts to slow the economy before workers have benefited

On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 0.25 percent, a move that EPI’s Josh Bivens says is a mistake because the U.S. economy hasn’t yet reached full employment. Under genuine full employment, unemployment is low enough that workers can demand and obtain real wage gains in line with productivity growth—something most workers haven’t enjoyed for decades. The Fed’s move unfortunately prioritizes keeping inflation below the Fed’s target rather than full employment.

EVENTS

Panel to discuss new research on Americans’ attitudes toward regulatory enforcement

On Monday, December 19, EPI will host a panel discussion on voter attitudes about regulatory enforcement. Celinda Lake of Lake Research Partners will present new research on the topic and a panel of policy experts will explore the implications for health and safety, environmental, labor, and financial regulation and enforcement. Join us in Washington, D.C., or watch the livestream.

A real agenda for working people

EPI experts are often asked, “what really could be done to help workers?” In the wake of the election, EPI developed A real agenda for working people that lays out concrete steps to return prosperity to working-class Americans. The agenda provides a yardstick with which to measure the effectiveness of President-elect Trump’s policy agenda in boosting wages for working people. EPI’s agenda shows what Trump would do if he were serious about creating jobs, raising wages, and fixing our rigged economy. Please share it via Facebook and Twitter.

PUBLIC INVESTMENT

A public investment plan that benefits American workers

In a new report, EPI’s Josh Bivens and Hunter Blair provide a series of recommendations for crafting effective public investments including in infrastructure but also investments in child care, education, and health care. Bivens and Blair also make the case that increased public investment that was permanent and subject to public oversight and accountability would deliver large and broad-based benefits.

MINIMUM WAGE

Evidence still shows that minimum wage increases have no effect on employment

In a new report, EPI’s Ben Zipperer critiques a widely cited paper by Jeffrey Clemens and Michael Wither, which claims that the national minimum wage increases from 2007 to 2009 led to job losses in states that raised their minimum wages to meet the new national requirement. Zipperer shows that Clemens and Wither’s analysis fails to adequately account for the employment declines from the Great Recession and that once the geographical and industrial effects of the recession are factored in, the last set of federal minimum wage increases had little-to-no effect on the employment levels of low-wage workers.

PUBLIC SECTOR PAY

Taxpayers are getting a bargain in Connecticut

In a new report, EPI’s Monique Morrissey shows that, despite claims to the contrary, public-sector workers in Connecticut are compensated about the same as their private-sector counterparts, with college-educated workers paid less and non-college-educated workers paid more. This saves taxpayers money on safety net programs while ensuring a decent standard of living for less educated workers.

U.S. trade policy—time to start over

In a searing indictment of U.S. trade policies, EPI’s Jeff Faux writes that Washington’s fixation with trade agreements has diverted attention from the more important question of how to put American workers back on the historic track of rising wages. Faux calls on Trump to announce an indefinite freeze on any new trade negotiations until he commits to a comprehensive agenda for making American workers competitive and balancing our trade with the rest of the world.

OVERTIME

Overtime proponents challenge Trump to raise wages

Millions of workers should have gotten a raise on December 1st—the day that should have marked the implementation of the Department of Labor’s updated overtime rule, but last week a judge in Texas put the rule on hold in an ill-reasoned decision.  EPI’s Ross Eisenbrey spoke at a media event along with Senators Elizabeth Warren, Chuck Schumer, Patty Murray, Al Franken, and other members of Congress who read stories from workers who would have been eligible to get overtime pay if the rule had gone in to effect. Several speakers called on President-elect Trump to support the updated rules.

MINIMUM WAGE

A $15 minimum wage is an essential part of achieving shared prosperity

On Tuesday, thousands of working people across the country participated in a demonstration in favor of a $15 minimum wage. EPI’s president Lawrence Mishel released a statement on increasing the minimum wage to $15. “A bold proposal such as $15 is needed to lift the earnings of the bottom third of the workforce, generate robust wage growth overall and fuel economic growth.”