Media clips

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• Higher gas taxes, E-ZPass costs greet New Jersey residents in New Year

  Workers in New Jersey will see more money in their paychecks in 2026. Starting on Jan. 1, the minimum wage in New Jersey increased by 43 cents per hour for most employees, bringing it to $15.92. New Jersey is one of 19 states that raised the minimum wage in 2026, affecting about 8.3 million workers nationwide, according to the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute.

  ROI NJ January 12, 2026
• Maine’s minimum wage inches up to $15.10; Portland’s jumps to $16.75

  More than 30 states and municipalities have implemented minimum wage increases above the federal pay rate, which has not budged since 2009. More than 8.3 million workers are expected to benefit, which collectively will add up to an estimated $5 billion in earnings nationwide, according to a report by the Economic Policy Institute.

  MaineBiz January 12, 2026
• New York Attorney General Sues UPS, Alleges Rampant Wage Theft and Labor Law Violations

  Despite the DOL’s Wage & Hour Division commenting that wage theft incidents are under-reported, the agency and the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a nonpartisan nonprofit research and advocacy organization, report that millions of U.S. workers are illegally underpaid. 

  Community Sentinel January 12, 2026
• Minimum wage hikes lift pay for millions of US workers

  More than 8.3 million workers are expected to benefit from increases in 19 states, according to a December report from the Economic Policy Institute. The organization estimates the changes will add about $5billion in earnings nationwide.

  HR Grapevine January 12, 2026
• State senator: Right-to-work law lowers wages. It should be repealed.

  According to the Economic Policy Institute, “Right-to-Work” states generally have lower wages and are less likely to have health care and pensions than non-Right-to-Work states. 

  Cardinal News (Virginia) January 12, 2026
• Families can soon apply for Texas’ $1 billion school voucher program. Here’s how it works

  According to the Economic Policy Institute, Arizona legislators underestimated the cost of their voucher program by tenfold. It was initially projected to cost $65 million and is now upwards of $708 million. The overruns are now leading to astate budget crisis.

  KERA January 12, 2026
• They Were Supposed to Protect Young Workers. Instead, They Cashed In.

  “It’s a huge conflict of interest that sponsors are supposed to be labor recruiters and then employment law enforcers,” said Daniel Costa, the director of Immigration Law and Policy Research at the Economic Policy Institute. “Sponsors have a financial incentive to take the side of the employer. The young people come and go, but the employers are a relationship the sponsors have to keep forever.”

  He added: “It’s a recipe for disaster.”

  New York Times January 12, 2026
• Hochul, Mamdani unveil $1.7B taxpayer-funded child care plan

  The average cost of child care is $15,394 a year in New York, the sixth-most expensive state in the nation, according to a recent report by the Economic Policy Institute.

  The Center Square January 9, 2026
• Minimum wage increases hit 19 states in 2026

  A total of 19 states increased their minimums in 2026, each of them landing between $10 an hour and $18 an hour. Nationwide, at least 30 states as well as Washington, D.C., have minimum wages that exceed the federal minimum, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a progressive think tank.

  HR Dive January 9, 2026
• Distractions Be Darned, Trump Economy Still Stinks, Getting Stinkier

  The Trump economy is hammering black workers particularly hard:

  Among demographic groups, the worst deterioration in the job market has been for Black workers, said Valerie Wilson, director of the Economic Policy Institute’s Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy.

  Dakota Free Press January 9, 2026