Media clips

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• Biden wants a $15 minimum wage. Here’s what people say it would do to the economy

  The Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank, said a $15 minimum wage would lower expenditures on public-assistance programs by between $13.4 billion and $31 billion annually, in the form of fewer tax credits and less nutrition assistance. Those effects are why some Democrats say a minimum-wage increase could advance through a process known as reconciliation, requiring just a simple majority in the Senate.

  Fox Business February 3, 2021
• 59% of workers who would benefit from a $15 minimum wage are women—here’s how it would affect the pay gap

  If this change takes place, it’s estimated that nearly 32 million workers will see an increase in their pay, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

  The majority of these workers, according to EPI data, will be women and people of color. Right now, 59% of workers who would benefit from a $15 minimum wage are women, with nearly one in four of these women being Latina or Black. African Americans make up 31% of the workforce that would benefit from a minimum wage increase and Latinos make up 26%, reports EPI.

  CNBC February 3, 2021
• Legislation announced to invest over $100B in school infrastructure, help schools safely reopen

  Specifically, the Reopen and Rebuild America’s Schools Act of 2021 would:

  • Invest $100 billion in grants and $30 billion in bond authority targeted at high-poverty schools with facilities that pose health and safety risks to students and staff
  • Create over 2 million jobs based on an Economic Policy Institute analysis that each $1 billion spent on construction creates 17,785 jobs
  WETM February 3, 2021
• ‘Waging Change’ Documentary Highlights The Fight For A Living Wage In The Restaurant Industry

  Economic Policy Institute: A $15 minimum wage would have significant and direct effects on the federal budget

  KALW San Francisco February 3, 2021
• Ramming a $15 Minimum Wage Bill Through the Senate Using Reconciliation Would Be a Norm-Busting Mistake

  Additionally, the Economic Policy Institute, a progressive think tank, argues that a $15 federal minimum wage would decrease dependence on federal welfare programs by at least $13 billion annually.

  Reason February 3, 2021
• Why US hiring could rebound faster than you might expect

  “I am not often optimistic,” said Heidi Shierholz, an economist at the liberal Economic Policy Institute. “But I am optimistic now.”

  The Associated Press February 3, 2021
• EPI Clips: 2/3/21
  February 3, 2021
• We Still Need Stimulus: How the CBO’s New Report Captures the Urgency of This Moment

  But as recent estimates from the Economic Policy Institute, the Brookings Institute, and Groundwork Collaborative find, the economy will continue to struggle in the next two years without a substantial spending package.

  Roosevelt Institute February 3, 2021
• COVID-19 Has Devastated the Hospitality Industry, Leaving Many Without Jobs

  The coronavirus pandemic has devastated the hospitality industry, including hotels and those who work in them.

  Many who have been impacted are Black and Brown women. Before the pandemic, 14.6% of all Latina workers in the U.S. worked in the hospitality sector, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

  WTTW February 3, 2021
• The Robinhood of Financial Capitalism

  Over the past decades, since the 1980s, the gap between productivity and real earnings has increased. In the 1979–2018 period, productivity has grown about six times more than wages. (Economic Policy Institute, 2019) More people today are less wealthy, less happy, and mostly underemployed or unemployed. Ownership of assets is limited to the wealthy, scantier class. In the United States, homeownership that was once common is on a decline. Other forms of non-ownership, such as rent, are much prevalent.

  Medium February 3, 2021