Media clips

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• What the doctor ordered: For pandemic relief, one dose of collective bargaining for every worker

  Those are among the findings of a new report by the Economic Policy Institute. EPI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank that conducts economic research and analysis to highlight the needs of low- and middle-income workers in public policy discussions.

  AFSCME Now September 2, 2020
• You Don’t Have to Tell Your Employer About a Serious Diagnosis—But You Still Might Want To

  “Sometimes it’s because they’re just not as easy to replace, or they may have more power in the organization,” she said. “Often those patients also have jobs that can more easily be done remotely.” According to the Economic Policy Institute, higher-wage workers are six times as likely to be able to work from home compared to lower-wage workers.

  GQ Magazine September 2, 2020
• AMC to Reopen 140 Theaters Ahead of ‘Tenet’ Release

  Heidi Shierholz, a former chief economist for the Labor Department under President Barack Obama and now a senior economist at the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute, said the change in methodology should make the seasonally adjusted numbers more accurate.

  The New York Times September 2, 2020
• Even With a New Union, California’s Child Care Providers Struggle Amid Pandemic

  In reality, the system is as unaffordable for families as it is underfunded for workers. Because of the strict income guidelines for subsidies, parents in California earning $30,000 a year or more had to pay monthly co-payments of about $100 to $200, according to a 2018 study by the Urban Institute. Overall, the Economic Policy Institute calculates, the annual cost of care for an infant in California is a whopping $16,945 — consuming about a quarter of the median yearly income.

  Truthout September 2, 2020
• EPI Clips: 9/1/20
  September 1, 2020
• $300 unemployment checks coming in September, but may be ‘too little, too late’

  California had one of the highest rates of unemployment in the country for the week of August 8. There are 11 million more unemployed workers than job openings nationwide, according to Heidi Shierholz, senior economist and director of policy at the Economic Policy Institute.

  KTVU-TV August 31, 2020
• State AGs Taking On Bigger Workplace Enforcement Role

  The Economic Policy Institute report calls on more state attorneys general to enter the employment space, although Gerstein conceded some have more capacity to do this than others. Some attorneys general are cash-strapped, others with majority-conservative legislatures may not have backing, and others still may have limited jurisdiction depending on their states’ laws. But the most important component is the will to act.

  Law360 August 31, 2020
• Poor housing, disruptive working hours chip away at children’s ability to achieve

  Leila Morsy is a research associate at the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, D.C. and a Senior Lecturer at the College of Medicine and Public Health at Flinders University. 

  The USA Today August 31, 2020
• U.S. Chambers’ Tone-Deaf Campaign; 12 Million Lose Insurance; Unions Members Hit By Increased Premiums

  More than 12 million Americans have lost their employer-based insurance due to the coronavirus economic downturn, according to new research from the Economic Policy Institute. Previous research has estimated that number could eventually swell to 27 million or even 43 million before the pandemic is over.

  Public Citizen August 31, 2020
• A mayor, a filmmaker, a Navajo Nation president: Our take on Leaders of Change

  Most people don’t think about how something as day to day as shift work can affect outcomes for children in low-income neighborhoods. As a researcher at the Economic Policy Institute, Leila Morsy not only studied its impact but also petitioned corporations to change practices damaging the children of janitors, hotel maids and other shift workers.

  The USA Today August 31, 2020