While the federal minimum wage remains $7.25 an hour—unchanged since 2009—nearly half of states have raised their minimum wages so far this year, according to a recent report from the Economic Policy Institute.
Route Fifty
July 15, 2022
“A similar reading last month led to a large overreaction by many, including the Federal Reserve, who raised policy rates by 0.75 percentage points,” noted Josh Bivens, research director at the Economic Policy Institute. “There is even less reason this time to overreact to a hot inflation reading.”
Salon
July 15, 2022
As for wages, as Josh Bivens of the Economic Policy Institute points out, wage growth has been high but also lagging inflation, which means wages as a whole are reducing the overall inflation rate. “High” in this context means 4.4 percent, which may not sound like much, but is still better than the usual, pitiful lower levels.
In These Times
July 8, 2022
But industries sensitive to interest rate hikes, such as construction and manufacturing, particularly cars, could be vulnerable during a slowdown, according to Josh Bivens, research director at the Economic Policy Institute.
Boston Globe
July 8, 2022
As for solutions, the best way to combat the economy and inflation is to increase wages and the supply of houses. It is imperative that the United States’ federal minimum wage is increased. The last time the federal minimum wage was increased was in 2009, when it rose from $6.55 to $7.25 per hour. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the minimum wage has lost 21% of its value since then.
Knoxville News Sentinel
July 8, 2022
According to the Economic Policy Institute, 30 states and D.C. have a minimum wage higher than the federal minimum wage. Though workers have advocated for the $15 federal minimum wage in the past, with inflation at a 40-year high, that’s now insufficient: The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimated in 2021 that workers would have to earn $20.04 an hour to afford a modest-one bedroom rental.
Next City
July 8, 2022
There is an ongoing disparity between those known as baby boomers and millennials due to a perceived lack of understanding from baby boomers about how aspects of society have changed, including the housing market, the economy and employment norms. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the link between productivity and pay has become dismantled over time, meaning that wage increase has slowed down since the 1970s.
Newsweek
July 8, 2022
During a webinar on Tuesday co-hosted by the Economic Policy Institute and the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, Kwajelyn Jackson, executive director of the Feminist Women’s Health Center in Atlanta, said that abortion rights an intrinsic part of economic rights.
Michigan Advance
July 8, 2022
The majority opinion of the Supreme Court reversing the Roe vs Wade guarantees will seriously impact millions of women. Asha Banerjee, an economic analyst with the Economic Policy Institute, described the economic impact of this decision. Abortion rights are interconnected with the economic security, independence and mobility of women.
WORT-FM
July 8, 2022