Economic Policy Institute research director Josh Bivens also called for the new administration to focus on economic policy that supports what some consider the country’s moral obligation. Shortly before the election, Bivens co-authored a blog post with the leaders of the Poor People’s Campaign, writing, “There are discrete, ambitious policy changes that could happen quickly and would be transformative, especially for the 140 million poor and low-income people who were facing multiple pandemics even before COVID-19.”
Sojourners
December 17, 2020
Fremstad says more than a third of workers in many frontline industries live in low-income families. And the Economic Policy Institute reports that in the first quarter of 2020, Black workers had the highest unemployment rate nationally — 6.3% — putting them at a disadvantage even before the pandemic.
Indiana Public Radio
December 17, 2020
Bold retirees sport the bumper sticker “I am spending my children’s inheritance.” The sentiment might seem selfish, but it’s good financial planning.
Forbes
December 17, 2020
“Lo que más podría ayudar a los hispanos sería lo que ayudaría a cualquier otro trabajador”, expresó Daniel Costa, experto en asuntos laborales del Economic Policy Institute, refiriéndose a la aprobación de una ley que suministre ayuda económica y otorgue permiso de trabajo a inmigrantes que se desempeñan en tareas esenciales.
Dallas News
December 17, 2020
Similar to false notions of upward mobility, personal ideas of noble and essential careers are beaten down by capitalist realities. School teachers, nurses, pharmacists, and many other positions are paid significantly lower wages than private-sector alternatives, which involve similar levels of education and commitment. For example, a recent study from the Economic Policy Institute found that the teacher wage penalty, which describes how much more is made in wages by alternative college-educated positions compared to teaching positions, has grown from six percent to 19.2 percent in the last 25 years. Like many other underpaid professionals, teachers are deemed noble and essential, but their compensation suggests otherwise. Ultimately, pursuing such careers, though incredibly important, marks a person as “unsuccessful” simply because they earn lower salaries. Income inequality leads to concentrations of money in certain professions, and only worsens the wealth distribution over time. In this way, personal views of success cannot hold themselves up in a society obsessed with money.
The Georgetown Voice
December 17, 2020
I wondered what exactly an essential worker is. There are an estimated 41,000 of them in Maine. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the term covers employees in 12 different fields, including food and agriculture, information technology, and water and wastewater management.
Central Maine
December 17, 2020
And it probably isn’t nearly enough. As numerous analyses have found — see this one from the Economic Policy Institute or another one from two economists sponsored by the Groundwork Collaborative — we probably need at least $2 trillion in new spending on top of this package to offset the big drop in demand that has resulted from the pandemic.
The Washington Post
December 17, 2020
A new report from the Economic Policy Institute finds farm employers in the U.S. have engaged in massive wage theft and repeatedly violated federal labor laws around safety and wages. The report, based on data from the Labor Department, shows employers withholding at least $76 million in wages from over 150,000 workers over the past 20 years, though researchers say the problem is likely much bigger since the government only investigates a small number of farm employers at one time. Many violations are also not reported due to workers’ immigration status. Recent research has found farmworkers have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus pandemic, yet many are forced to continue working in unsafe conditions.
DemocracyNow
December 17, 2020
Learning and development have been interrupted and disrupted for millions of students nationwide due to the pandemic, according to the Covid-19 and Student Performance, Equity and U.S. Education Policy report by the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, D.C. The only effective response is to use diagnostic tests and other tools to meet each child where they are and to devise a plan for making up for the interruptions, according to the report.
Arkansas Democrat Gazettte
December 17, 2020