The landscape of unions has changed in the 21st century as America has moved from an industry-based economy to a more service-based economy, with traditional labor unions experiencing a decline in membership and organizing power. In the mid-20th century, unions represented nearly a third of private-sector workers; now that number hovers around 6%, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
Cincinnati Enquirer
February 17, 2026
According to data from the Economic Policy Institute, New Jersey is the 13th most expensive state in the nation for childcare, with the average annual cost of infant care for one child at $18,155, or $1,513 per month. In the case of a four-year-old, that cost is only marginally lower, at $17,534, or $1,461 per month.
TAP into Bordertown (New Jersey)
February 17, 2026
HR Dive
February 17, 2026
Features interview with Valerie Wilson on Black women’s job losses.
WURD Radio
February 17, 2026
A new analysis from the Economic Policy Institute shows Black women have been hit especially hard in the labor market.
Black Star Network
February 17, 2026
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) declined to say whether President Trump is racist in an interview released Sunday, just more than a week after a video depicting the Obamas as apes posted to the president’s Truth Social account sparked bipartisan backlash.
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Moore additionally referenced sagging unemployment among Black women under Trump. Last year, Black female employment fell by 1.4 percent, one of the sharpest declines in the last 25 years, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
The Hill
February 17, 2026
To be sure, as Heidi Shierholz, president of the Economic Policy Institute, told us, the definition for overtime-exempt employees says nothing about titles — it’s purely about job function. Faux-promoting a worker to “manager” shouldn’t change anything. But in reality, she said, bosses often use these titles as a smoke screen.
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But experts like Shierholz confirmed our hunch that the dominant force seemed to be the simplest: Job titles are getting a college-friendly makeover even if the jobs themselves don’t change much.
Washington Post
February 17, 2026
The Economic Policy Institute argued a bill to grant collective bargaining rights to state and local government employees would close the statewide pay gap between public and private workers. The Commonwealth has one of the largest public sector pay gaps, with most employees making around 27% less than their private sector peers with similar jobs and levels of education.
Jennifer Sherer, deputy director of state policy and research for the institute, said collective bargaining rights are essential to the workforce. She explained employees of private companies already enjoy the right to unionize.
“Having the option to unionize and collectively bargain is one of the few effective tools that workers have to level the playing field in our very imbalanced power in our labor market,” Sherer pointed out. “And to bring their concerns and their advocacy for what pay should look like in terms of the value they’re producing.”
Public News Service
February 17, 2026
The legislation requires states to create public databases to track the condition of school facilities. This would give parents and officials a clearer look at which campuses need the most urgent repairs.
Supporters of the bill said the investment would create approximately 2 million jobs. Economic Policy Institute data indicates that every $1 billion spent on construction supports more than 17,000 jobs.
Maui Now
February 17, 2026
Those are also, of course, often the markers of poorer communities, and there is no evidence that lower-income households are any more “lazy” than wealthier ones—in fact, data from the Economic Policy Institute shows that people living in poverty are more likely to take on multiple jobs, work longer and more irregular hours, and deal with more dangerous working conditions.
Gizmodo
February 17, 2026