Media clips

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• 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
• How to become a retirement super saver

  When it comes to retirement, many Americans remain financially unprepared. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the median retirement savings balance for the typical working-age family is $5,000. The median savings for 32-to-37-year-olds is just $480.

  Investopedia November 30, 2020
• A lost generation? Educators and students worry online classes leave too many behind

  The pandemic has exacerbated well-documented opportunity gaps that put low-income students at a disadvantage relative to their better-off peers,” said researchers from the Economic Policy Institute. “As a consequence, many of the children who struggle the hardest to learn effectively and thrive in school under normal circumstances are now finding it difficult, even impossible in some cases, to receive effective instruction.”

  Kansas City Star November 30, 2020
• Ep. 73: Richard Rothstein

  “De facto segregation, it turns out, is a myth. The reason we have segregation in every metropolitan area in this country is government policy. Federal, state, and local policy that was racially explicit that ensured African-Americans and whites could not live near one another.”

  Historian, writer, and social chronicler Richard Rothstein is here to talk about histories and patterns of what he calls “purposeful race-based housing segregation.” He doesn’t paint a pretty picture, and he describes a concerted effort not just in major cities but in localities and towns all over this country. Why is this not taught in our schools? What is left out of the picture when we think about housing patterns and take a social overview of our cities?

  Talking Beats November 30, 2020
• The rich are cheering Wall Street’s latest records. Americans of modest means are draining 401(k)s.

  And those who need Covid economic relief the most — gig and other low-income workers who’ve lost jobs or hours to the pandemic — don’t have retirement accounts to withdraw from. Overall, the Economic Policy Institute reported last year, “nearly half of working-age families have nothing saved in retirement accounts.”

  Inequality.org November 30, 2020
• 12 million Americans will soon lose unemployment benefits—can they expect a stimulus?

  “There’s been a ton of stuff in this recession that, we don’t know exactly how it’s gonna play out,” Heidi Shierholz, a senior economist and director of policy at the Economic Policy Institute, said. “And this—we know exactly how it’s gonna play out. Millions of people will lose their benefits on the day after Christmas, and there won’t be jobs for them. So they will just go to no income.”

  KTVU-TV November 30, 2020
• Report: COVID-19 accelerating rapid shift to automated workforce

  This shift is coinciding with a pandemic that the SREB anticipates will leave more than half of the nation’s workers who were out of work in May with little or no chance to return to their same jobs, citing data from the Economic Policy Institute.

  The group’s analysis showed that more than 5 million workers across the South will face this reality, and in Kentucky, it indicates that 180,000 are highly unlikely to be called back to work.

  Bowling Green Daily News November 30, 2020