Pessimism about retirement abounds for young people, who were more likely than older age cohorts to lose their jobs when the pandemic hit, an October paper from the Economic Policy Institute said.
The Balance
February 1, 2021
The Raise the Wage Act of 2021 would increase the federal minimum wage to $15 in five steps over the next four years. Beginning in 2026, the federal minimum wage would be indexed to median wage growth. According to an independent analysis conducted by the Economic Policy Institute, the Raise the Wage Act would increase wages for nearly 32 million Americans, including roughly a third of all Black workers and a quarter of all Latino workers.
Fall River Reporter
February 1, 2021
The minimum wage legislation that Democrats including Sanders and Brown introduced last week would gradually increase the federal minimum wage to $15 by 2025. Starting in 2026, it would index the federal minimum wage to median wage growth. Supporters of the measure say an independent analysis conducted by the Economic Policy Institute indicates their proposal would increase wages for nearly 32 million Americans, including roughly a third of all Black workers and a quarter of all Latino workers.
Cleveland Plain Dealer
February 1, 2021
Democrats have cited an Economic Policy Institute study which found one in nine U.S. workers are paid wages that keep them in poverty despite working full-time. Congressional Budget Office research suggests 27 million Americans could be pulled out of poverty by a $15 wage hike, but 1.3 million workers could lose their jobs because companies would reduce their workforce in order to pay workers the higher rate— something Republicans have dubbed a no-go amid pandemic job losses.
Newsweek
February 1, 2021
That higher number may be what’s called for, Josh Bivens, director of research at nonprofit think tank Economic Policy Institute, argues: “I see nothing that makes me think, ‘Yeah, we should go smaller, we’re almost there, we’ve got this covered.’ We don’t have this covered—we really need to go big to getting a full return to economic health,” he said on a press call Monday.
Fortune
February 1, 2021
Studies have also linked “the discriminatory incarceration of African American parents” to their children’s lower performance in school, which can undermine later-life success, according to researchers at the Economic Policy Institute. “Simply put, our criminal justice system makes a significant contribution to the racial achievement gap” in school and later-life success, researchers wrote.
San Francisco Bay View
February 1, 2021
The Raise the Wage Act of 2021 would raise the federal minimum wage to $9.50 this year and gradually increase that minimum until it reaches $15 an hour in 2025. More than four in 10 janitors, housekeepers and other cleaning workers would see an improvement in pay from the change, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a think tank that websites describe as leaning left on the political spectrum. In total, 32 million Americans stand to benefit from an increase in the federal minimum wage.
Economic Policy Institute said the rise in minimum wage would put an estimated $3,300 more a year into the pockets of affected workers who are employed the entire year. That’s a big difference considering that 59 percent of families living below the poverty line would benefit from the change.
CleanLink
February 1, 2021
A $15 minimum wage for all workers would provide a pay boost for 21% of U.S. workers, the Economic Policy Institute estimates. And it would begin to close the wage gap for Black workers and other workers of color who often get stuck in low-paying jobs. The minimum wage has not been increased since 2009, when it was raised to $7.25.
Forbes
February 1, 2021
Under the proposed wage increase, nearly 32 million Americans — 21% of America’s total workforce — would get a raise, according to a report from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI).
Business Insider
February 1, 2021
A new map created by Business Insider shows how much the increase would actually be for minimum wage workers in each state. While the Economic Policy Institute reports about 32 million Americans would receive a raise overall, how many workers in each state might actually be getting less because of where they live?
KFOR-TV (Oklahoma)
February 1, 2021