Join us for this virtual, multi-library event with author Richard Rothstein, Distinguished Fellow at the Economic Policy Institute and a Senior Fellow (emeritus) at the Thurgood Marshall Institute of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
Patch.com
November 4, 2021
A report from the Economic Policy Institute cites a median hourly wage for child care workers of $10.31 an hour.
Cronkite News
August 27, 2021
Heidi Shierholz, an economist with the Economic Policy Institute, argues there isn’t a labor shortage outside of the hospitality and leisure industries. The classic sign — rising wages — is confined to that sector and, even with a boost in pay, leisure and hospitality have only risen to their pre-pandemic levels, she says. In a survey by One Fair Wage, more than half of respondents say they considered leaving their restaurant jobs due to low wages and tips.
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The Economic Policy Institute’s Shierholz says there won’t be any real realignment of the economy without massive policy changes, including raising the minimum wage and rate of unionization.
“There’s a ton of evidence that employers of low- and middle-wage workers have had the power to suppress workers’ wages, and that dynamic has been growing for decades,” she says. “We can pay our lowest paid workers more. Instead, the minimum wage is 30 percent less than it was in 1968.”
Rhode Island Monthly
August 27, 2021
The Economic Policy Institute reports that “from 1978 to 2020, CEO pay based on realized compensation grew by 1,322%, far outstripping S&P stock market growth (817%) and top 0.1% earnings growth (which was 341% between 1978 and 2019, the latest data available).” It adds, “In contrast, compensation of the typical worker grew by just 18.0% from 1978 to 2020.”
Counterpunch
August 27, 2021
Black-white wage gaps are large and have grown larger in the last 20 years, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
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That wage gap was 26.5% in 2019, according to the Economic Policy Institute. The gap has remained between 18% and 22% for workers with high school education, college degrees and advanced degrees.
The EPI report found that white workers are paid more than Black workers at almost every education level, including those with advanced degrees. For example, college-educated white workers earn an average of $35.90 an hour while Black workers at the same education level earn only $27.81.
Capital and Main
August 27, 2021
Childcare has always been an issue and now we are forced to reckon with its direct economic and social impact. Research by the Economic Policy Institute estimated that “an investment that capped child care expenditures at 10 percent of family income could increase overall women’s labor force participation enough to boost GDP by roughly $210 billion”.
Forbes
August 27, 2021
To qualify as an H-2B employer, a company must pay a wage equal to or above the industry’s prevailing wage or the area’s minimum wage. But, across all industries, H-2B workers are often paid less than U.S. workers, according to the progressive think tank Economic Policy Institute.
Another requirement for a company hiring H-2B visa labor is to show a shortage of available workers. However, according to an EPI report, the U.S. economy shows no sign of labor shortages in the industries that often use H-2B visas. DOL data in the report shows about 5 million unemployed workers in occupations with H-2B approvals.
Civil Eats
August 27, 2021
Terrorists Bombs at Kabul’s Airport Kill U.S. Marines, Afghan Civilians and Taliban Guards | Growing Pressure For Vaccine Mandates Puts Grandstanding GOP Governors in a Bind | The 100th Anniversary of America’s Largest Labor Uprising
Background Briefing with Ian Masters
August 27, 2021
Underlying the calls for a first contract is the reality that over the last several decades, securing a first agreement has gotten more difficult for unions, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a research organization in Washington, D.C., that advocates for broader and stronger unions. Union advocates contend that management recalcitrance has made it easier for employers to stall on an initial agreement, wearing down rank-and-file support.
Wisconsin Examiner
August 27, 2021
Even when owners choose to keep their doors open, they often deploy a range of anti-union strategies — legal and illegal — to discourage unionization attempts. According to a 2019 Economic Policy Institute study, in over 40 percent of union campaigns across industries in the United States, employers are charged with violating workers’ legal rights. In 90 percent of union campaigns, employers hold anti-union meetings and rallies intended to dissuade workers from unionizing.
In These Times
August 27, 2021