The median hourly pay for fast-food workers is currently only $8.69, while many jobs in the industry pay at or near the federal minimum wage of $7.25. According to an analysis by the Economic Policy Institute, the purchasing power of today’s federal minimum wage when adjusted for inflation is 31% less than it was in 1968, when the minimum wage reached its highest inflation-adjusted value.
Facing South
December 16, 2020
The left-leaning Economic Policy Institute criticized provisions to increase reporting requirements for strike funds, saying it would give an unfair advantage to employers during labor disputes and contract negotiations.
“The Department argues the change would allow union members to know the health of their union’s strike fund, which in turn would help members develop strategies for dealing with employers,” wrote Margaret Poydock, an EPI policy associate. “However, the same can be said about employers having knowledge of the amount of a union’s strike fund.”
Bloomberg Law
December 16, 2020
Data from the U.S. Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division shows agricultural employers had to pay $76 million in back wages and $63 million in penalties between fiscal years 2000 and 2019, according to a report from the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute (EPI).
Reuters
December 16, 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 16, 2020
By August, the number of Americans who had lost their health insurance jumped to six million — or, at least 12 million when spouses and children are taken into account, according to research from the Economic Policy Institute.
CBS News
December 16, 2020
“Now, the Department is on the verge of finalizing another rule that would cost tipped workers. The Department’s 2019 proposal to codify the repeal of the 80/20 rule would allow employers to pay workers a subminimum wage while assigning them work that does not provide them with ample opportunity to earn tips. The Economic Policy Institute estimates that, if finalized, this rule would cost workers more than $700 million each year. The Department is also relying on the same excuses it used in the 2017 rule to withhold the potential economic impacts of the 2019 rule for workers, even while conceding that the rule could reduce the employment of workers, such as dishwashers or busboys, who currently perform non-tipped duties.
Congressman Bobby Scott
December 16, 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.
Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette
December 16, 2020
In late October as the coronavirus pandemic raged, the Economic Policy Institute released a study showing that it isn’t just morally right but an economic necessity to deal with poverty in this country and fast. “If America does not address what’s happening with visionary social and economic policy,” as that study put it, “the health and well-being of the nation are at stake. What we need is long-term economic policy that establishes justice, promotes the general welfare, rejects decades of austerity, and builds strong social programs that lift society from below.”
Counter Punch
December 16, 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./ “The thing that could help Hispanics the most would be what would help any other worker,” said Daniel Costa, an expert on labor issues at the Economic Policy Institute, referring to the approval of a law that provides economic aid and grants work permits to immigrants who perform essential tasks.
Associated Press
December 16, 2020
EPI’s health insurance research is cited.
WTSP-Tampa Bay
December 16, 2020