A May 2020 report from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) found that 60 percent of H-1B positions certified by the DOL in fiscal year 2019 were assigned the two lowest prevailing wage levels, which were “significantly lower” than the local median salaries surveyed for occupations.
“Employers can reap significant savings by selecting the two lowest wage levels instead of the Level 3 median wage or Level 4 above-median wage,” said Daniel Costa, director of immigration law and policy research at EPI.
Costa illustrated the following example of software developers in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area prior to the new rule being implemented: Employers hiring at Level 1 pay $75,000 versus the median wage for the job in the region—represented by Level 3 at $117,000. Those hiring at Level 2 pay $96,000.
SHRM
October 26, 2020
According to the Economic Policy Institute, about 16% of all veterans—1.2 million men and women–are covered by a union contracts (compared to 10.3% of all workers). They are most heavily represented in the American Federation of Government Employees and American Postal Workers, where veterans have a strong collective identity and internal union presence. On an individual basis, union members who are veterans may also belong to local posts of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, or AMVETS.
LA Progressive
October 26, 2020
The United States could add between 6.9 and 12.9 million new jobs by investing in infrastructure and clean energy, boosting U.S. exports and eliminating the nation’s trade deficit, according to a new plan released today by the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM).
An analysis by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) found that the plan would add a minimum of 2 million jobs through infrastructure investments, 1.3 million jobs by investing in clean energy and energy efficiency improvements, and 3.5 million jobs from trade and competitiveness policies. At least 2.5 million of the jobs would be in U.S. manufacturing.
Industry Today
October 26, 2020
Nearly 30 million Americans did not have health insurance last year, and an estimated 12 million people lost their employer-sponsored health insurance due to the pandemic, according to research from the Economic Policy Institute. Trump and Biden have very different opinions on how to fix this problem.
Time Magazine
October 26, 2020
According to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), the passage of Prop 22 would “give digital platform companies a free pass to misclassify their workers” as independent contractors rather than employees, enabling them to deny workers a whole slew of benefits:
Common Dreams
October 26, 2020
In 2000 Biden championed and voted for President Clinton’s initiative to normalize trade relations with China and facilitated its entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001. China’s economic rise contributed to the closing of some 60,000 U.S. factories.
The Economic Policy Institute reported that it also cost about 3.7 million U.S. jobs, mostly in the manufacturing sector.
The Hill
October 26, 2020
Across the country, just 20% of Black workers are able to work from home, compared to 30% of White workers and 37% of Asian workers, according to the Economic Policy Institute. While white collar professionals work remotely, service industry workers must go to work and risk being exposed to Covid-19 or go without income at all.
CNBC
October 26, 2020
For a “modest yet adequate standard of living,” the Economic Policy Institute estimates that a parent like Jimenez would need to make $8,221 a month, or $98,652 a year. She currently makes $400 monthly working a Friday shift, thanks to Abraham’s school, which is off most of that day so she can leave him with a cousin who agreed to watch him occasionally. With the $100 she makes each week, Jimenez has to pay for food, gas, insurance, internet, and school supplies for the week. She often has to cut down on food and she’s late multiple months on her PG&E bill.
The Mercury News
October 26, 2020
Even before the pandemic, Gen Z had a higher-than-average unemployment rate: 8.4% in April, May and June 2019. But it jumped to 24.4% this past spring when the pandemic hit, according to research from the Economic Policy Institute. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate for workers ages 25 and up was only 2.8% pre-pandemic and rose to 11.3% during April, May and June of this year.
CNBC
October 26, 2020