Media clips

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• Biden has Republican Powell as ally in bid to lift labor’s clout

  “The new president is going to have to focus on the executive agenda,” said Economic Policy Institute Senior Economist Heidi Shierholz.

  Biden could require federal contractors to pay a higher minimum wage and meet other criteria favorable to workers. He also could revise overtime pay rules and tell regulators to carry out more robust pandemic-related enforcement of workplace safety.

  Bloomberg November 30, 2020
• If a stimulus package doesn’t pass soon, this is what Biden could do

  During Biden’s campaign, the incoming president talked about raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, up from the current $7.25 an hour. Without Congressional support, Biden will not be able to raise the federal minimum wage, but he could get part way there through an increase to the minimum wage of workers on federal contracts.

  Biden could accomplish the increase through an executive order, according to Heidi Shierholz, a senior economist and the director of policy at the Economic Policy Institute. The hourly boost could affect the pay of 5 million workers, Shierholz estimated.

  CNET November 30, 2020
• Joe Biden fills out his economic team

  During the Obama administration, Mr. Bernstein served as the executive director of the White House task force on the middle class. Before joining the administration, he was a senior economist at the liberal Economic Policy Institute, where he studied income inequality and low-wage labor markets. He served as the deputy chief economist at the Labor Department from 1995 to 1996.

  Wall Street Journal November 30, 2020
• The three Biden administration posts that liberals should really care about

  The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that Biden intends to name Cecilia Rouse to head the CEA. Rouse is from Princeton and would be the first Black woman to head the CEA. Larry Mishel, a labor economist with the Economic Policy Institute, described her to me Sunday evening as a solid choice—like him, she’s a labor economist, which means by definition that her academic interests centered around wages and poverty and education.

  In addition, the Journal reported that Jared Bernstein and Heather Boushey will sit on the council, and they’re both solid progressives. Finally, Neera Tanden will be the first woman of color to head the Office of Management and Budget. These are all people who believe in government intervention in the economy and aren’t going to be howling at the president about deficit reduction. So this is all good news. The priorities of this group will tend much more toward full employment than austerity. “There’s going to be more emphasis on workers under Biden than any president in my lifetime,” Mishel says.

  Daily Beast November 30, 2020
• Biden confirms he wants Janet Yellen to be his Treasury secretary — what that means for cash-strapped American families

  Passing a stimulus bill is a political process that involves consensus, but Josh Bivens, research director at the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank, said Yellen has the gravitas and grasp of issues to potentially persuade Republicans. Further stimulus is imperative, Bivens said, because “we are in for very, very rough economic times.”

  MarketWatch November 30, 2020
• The difficult choice ahead for Americans relying on emergency unemployment benefits

  The surge in online shopping has led to the boom in these low-wage jobs. They are also disproportionally held by Black and Hispanic workers.

  Getting cut out of unemployment insurance could mean that workers will have to make “terrible choices between things like paying rent and buying medicine,” says Heidi Shierholz, an economist at left-leaning Economic Policy Institute. “People will take whatever jobs they can get.”

  Quartz November 30, 2020
• America’s unemployment has been worse amid the pandemic than other countries, but Joe Biden has a plan to fix it

  In the US, state programs did see an increase in the number of work share claims. However, these programs still made up a small percent of the unemployment benefits. For the week ending July 18, there were 413,385 unadjusted claims, compared to 12,810 last year and 1.3% of total unemployment benefits.

  Heidi Shierholz, senior economist and director of policy at the Economic Policy Institute, told Business Insider the US should have more education and outreach about the programs so workers and businesses can be more aware of their advantages.

  “Businesses in the US, this idea of ‘Oh we’re in a downturn, I’m going to try to hang on to my employees until things get better,’ that’s not very well socialized in this country, which is unfortunate because it can be a really excellent way for businesses, for employees, and for the overall economy to help make it through a period of weak demand,” Shierholz said.

  Business Insider November 30, 2020
• Biden leaning on labor in White House transition

  Celine McNicholas, the head of governmental affairs for the progressive Economic Policy Institute…[behind paywall].

  Law360 November 30, 2020
• It’s time America abolished poverty

  Universal Childcare. One year of child care costs more than one year of tuition at most states’ four-year public colleges. Families need safe, accessible, affordable child care. We can alleviate poverty and change the trajectory of life for millions of American children with a substantial investment in childcare and early childhood education. Read this report from The Economic Policy Institute calling for “An Ambitious National Investment in America’s Children” and sign up to join Childcare Changemakers to enlist in the campaign for universal and equitable childcare for all families.

  The Nation November 30, 2020
• November 30, 2020
  November 30, 2020