According to multiple sources, including the Economic Policy Institute, U.S.-based employers exploit the H-1B visa program to hire foreign workers who earn “significantly less” than their similarly-situated American counterparts.
The Hill
January 13, 2025
Writing in the Economic Policy Institute, Daniel Costa and Ron Hira concluded among the many flaws in the H-1B visa, none is more egregious than allowing employers to legally hire and underpay workers relative to U.S. workers in similar occupations in the same region. For those who advocate for ending illegal immigration but then add that they’re all-in on legal immigration, note that the H-1B visa is a legal vehicle to enter the U.S., take jobs even though Americans’ employment and wages are undercut.
Daily News
January 13, 2025
Jennifer Scherer from the Economic Policy Institute — an independent, nonprofit think tank that seeks to strengthen labor standards — highlighted a national increase in child labor violations. Since 2019, federal investigators have found an 88 percent increase in children being employed in violation of federal labor provisions.
She said state officials, however, have been reluctant to enforce state labor laws.
“So in some ways, the decrease in the penalty amounts is almost a moot question when we’ve got a state agency that, to our knowledge, since January of 2023, has not issued any penalties at all, including in some cases that have very clear violations that involve hazards or assignment of youth work outside of work guidelines,” Scherer said.
The Gazette
January 13, 2025
According to the Economic Policy Institute, nearly seven in 10 (68%) white Americans between the ages of 32 and 61 had money in a retirement account in 2016, up about one percentage point from 2007.
Our Weekly (Los Angeles)
January 13, 2025
The average CEO makes around $16 million, according to data from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) — and that’s without getting into the incompetence of many top-level executives.
Futurism
January 13, 2025
…the no tax on tips promise that had the most sticking power, said Heidi Shierholz, president of the Economic Policy Institute….[paywall].
CNN Business
January 13, 2025
“It is unlikely that a large share of the unauthorized immigrant population will be deported quickly,” said Daniel Costa, director of immigration law and policy research for the Economic Policy Institute. “But there’s a lot the Trump 2.0 administration can do to remove a high number fast.”
Good Times Online (Santa Cruz)
January 13, 2025
“The labor market doesn’t happen in a vacuum,” said Elise Gould, senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute. “Right now, things are pretty strong (by measures such as wage growth, high employment-to-population ratio and low unemployment), but I see no reason why those would change unless there are huge policy changes.”
“And it looks like the incoming administration is going to make some changes to policy, which could cause some weakness in the economy,” she added.
CNN Business
January 9, 2025
Heidi Shierholz, president of the Economic Policy Institute, said Wednesday that “by standing together, SEIU and the AFL-CIO are sending a powerful message to President-elect Trump and his allies who are trying to pit working people against one another: The labor movement will not be fractured or silenced.”
“Unions are a crucial part of a robust and fair economy—and SEIU’s affiliation with the AFL-CIO strengthens the collective power of millions of workers, enabling them to fight more effectively for better wages, benefits, and working conditions,” said Shierholz. “It also amplifies labor’s voice in advocating for progressive economic reforms that benefit all working families.”
Common Dreams
January 9, 2025