But while the proposed rule would be a windfall for businesses, workers who are classified as independent contractors “lose out on critical protections, benefits, and labor rights including minimum wage, overtime pay, unemployment insurance, the right to form a union, and anti-discrimination protections in most states,” according to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). Independent contractors must also “bear the full financial costs of Social Security and Medicare contributions.”
A 2025 EPI analysis found that a typical construction worker loses “as much as $19,526 per year in income and job benefits” when classified as an independent contractor instead of an employee. A truck driver would lose up to $21,532 per year, and a home health aide would lose as much as $10,246 per year.
Popular Information
September 10, 2026
Of the roughly 1.2 million people incarcerated in state and federal prisons today, nearly 800,000 are prison laborers, according to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). In Southern states especially, where incarceration rates are the highest and prison wages are lowest, this labor is strikingly similar to the conditions faced by slaves less than 200 years ago.
Quinnipiac Chronicle
September 9, 2026
On average, teacher salaries were about 27% lower than those of college graduates working in other professions in 2024, according to the Economic Policy Institute. That gap was 6.1% in 1996.
Michigan Independent
September 9, 2026
It’s no secret that our weak, outdated labor law is failing the millions of workers who want unions at their workplaces. Republicans have repeatedly blocked federal legislation to strengthen the law. This untenable situation has been made worse by President Trump destroying the independence of the National Labor Relations Board, firing Gwynne Wilcox and installing appointees who are poised to further weaken workers’ rights.
Federal legislation to restore and strengthen workers’ ability to form and join unions is urgently needed. Our country needs a strong, vibrant, worker-driven labor movement. Unions are good for all workers. The improved wages and benefits unionized workers win at the bargaining table have positive spillover benefits for non-union workers. And unions are crucial to our democracy, as a check on corporate power and as active participants in elections and public policy. Where unions are strong, states have better labor standards, higher investments in healthcare and education, and less voter suppression, among other benefits.
On Labor
September 9, 2026
“Slowing nominal wage growth suggests workers don’t have the leverage to bid up their wages. Even with low unemployment, the depressed hires rate means workers aren’t finding new jobs to raise their wages,” Elise Gould, a senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute, wrote on Bluesky.
HR Brew
September 9, 2026
The Economic Policy Institute released a new tool calculating how much taxpayers in every U.S. state and county are paying for the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign, and the numbers show a Colorado taxpayer is fronting $2,397 to cover direct enforcement costs.
9News (Denver)
September 9, 2026
Of the roughly 1.2 million people incarcerated in state and federal prisons today, nearly 800,000 are prison laborers, according to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). In Southern states especially, where incarceration rates are the highest and prison wages are lowest, this labor is strikingly similar to the conditions faced by slaves less than 200 years ago.
Quinnipiac Chronicle
September 9, 2026
On average, teacher salaries were about 27% lower than those of college graduates working in other professions in 2024, according to the Economic Policy Institute. That gap was 6.1% in 1996.
Michigan Independent
September 9, 2026
It’s no secret that our weak, outdated labor law is failing the millions of workers who want unions at their workplaces. Republicans have repeatedly blocked federal legislation to strengthen the law. This untenable situation has been made worse by President Trump destroying the independence of the National Labor Relations Board, firing Gwynne Wilcox and installing appointees who are poised to further weaken workers’ rights.
Federal legislation to restore and strengthen workers’ ability to form and join unions is urgently needed. Our country needs a strong, vibrant, worker-driven labor movement. Unions are good for all workers. The improved wages and benefits unionized workers win at the bargaining table have positive spillover benefits for non-union workers. And unions are crucial to our democracy, as a check on corporate power and as active participants in elections and public policy. Where unions are strong, states have better labor standards, higher investments in healthcare and education, and less voter suppression, among other benefits.
On Labor
September 9, 2026
“Slowing nominal wage growth suggests workers don’t have the leverage to bid up their wages. Even with low unemployment, the depressed hires rate means workers aren’t finding new jobs to raise their wages,” Elise Gould, a senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute, wrote on Bluesky.
HR Brew
September 9, 2026