Media clips

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• The economic crisis of the pandemic falls hard on Latinas

  The coronavirus pandemic and the crisis it has generated is being very hard with a particular group of people in this country: Latina women.

  Sources: BLS, Economic Policy Institute, Facebook

  El Diario June 1, 2020
• Will we get a second stimulus check? Everything we know about the extra $1,200 payment

  What proponents of the Heroes Act say: Since the middle of March, more than 38 million US workers who have lost their jobs have filed for unemployment. The actual number of those unemployed could be millions higher, according to the Economic Policy Institute, because many people who are eligible were unable to file a jobless claim. With the job losses, the nation’s unemployment rate reached 17.2% (PDF), according to the US Department of Labor. Newly unemployed people, along with others taking an economic hit from the pandemic, would benefit from having more money to spend right now.

  CNET June 1, 2020
• George Floyd and the cascade of crises in black America

  A new report from the Economic Policy Institute delves into the myriad ways racial and economic inequality have exacerbated the impact of the coronavirus crisis on black communities.

  Millions of black workers have lost their jobs during the pandemic, putting them at a high degree of economic insecurity, in part because they’ve had lower incomes and less savings already.

  Of those who’ve kept their jobs, many more are putting their health at risk — black workers are less likely to have jobs that allow them to work from home — a risk magnified by inequalities in the health care system and a higher prevalence of underlying health conditions.

  “Yes, people are dying across the country, but it is concentrated among certain areas,” said Elise Gould, a senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute, who produced the report with Valerie Wilson, director of EPI’s program on race, ethnicity, and the economy. “This is not some sort of great equalizer.”

  VOX June 1, 2020
• ‘You’re stuck’: America wants to reopen its economy. It won’t happen without schools or child care

  For many families, finding adequate and affordable child care before the pandemic was already difficult. The average cost of infant child care exceeds college tuition in more than 30 states, according to findings from the Economic Policy Institute.

  The Hechinger Report June 1, 2020
• Protests risk spread of coronavirus

  Black workers make up about 1 in 9 workers in the United States and 1 in 6 front-line industry workers, according to a report released Monday by the Economic Policy Institute. Black workers are disproportionately represented in grocery stores, convenience and drug stores, public transit, health care, child care, and the social services sector, the report found.

  The Hill June 1, 2020
• An estimated 34 million Americans are receiving jobless benefits

  What it means: Heidi Shierholz, director of policy at the Economic Policy Institute, notes that 19.1 million workers were on continued claims as of May 16, and 4.1 million more have filed initial state unemployment claims since then.

  • Add those to the PUA numbers for initial and continued claims and it equals a total of “34.2 million workers who are either on unemployment benefits, or have applied very recently and are waiting to get approved,” she says on Twitter.
  Axios June 1, 2020
• Now is the Time to Pass the New York Health Act

  According to the Economic Policy Institute, around 16.2 million of the roughly 35.3 million workers who lost their jobs due to COVID-19 (so far) likely had employer-provided health insurance. For New York State, the number of newly unemployed workers — not including their families — who probably lost employer-provided health benefits is around one million and counting. Where I live, in Western New York, that number could end up topping 100,000.

  The Indypendent June 1, 2020
• The Pandemic On Main Street: As State Restrictions Relax, Local Leaders Face Tough Choices

  Different decisions will affect different populations and economic sectors in varying ways. Some Illinois residents have been hit with a double whammy: they are vulnerable both to the virus itself and to the economic fallout. An analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics from the Economic Policy Institute found that African American and Latino workers are much less likely to have jobs that allow them to work from home. Under the current conditions, these individuals are bearing more risk — either to being infected while at work or to economic hardship from losing their jobs. In Illinois and across the nation, African American and Latino populations have been disproportionately affected by the virus.

  NPR Illinois June 1, 2020
• Nearly 60% of Americans Support Extending Boosted Unemployment Benefits as Trump and McConnell Say Let Them Expire

  “The unemployment situation is going to get worse before it gets better, and unemployment benefits applications will continue to flood in.” —Heidi Shierholz, Economic Policy Institute

  Common Dreams June 1, 2020
• Childcare and Working Parents: The Juggle Is Real

  With Tor working a steady 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. shift as a restaurant supervisor Monday through Thursday, Bree handles the pickups after she gets off work at 5:10, getting Gabby first. Bree then rushes across town to collect her older children at their school after-care before 6:00 or she’ll be charged a $1-perminute late fee—something Bree can’t risk, considering that her family already spends a whopping 55 percent of their monthly household income on child care. Altogether, the pickups take 45 minutes, and Bree doesn’t get home with her kids until 6:30, so dinner and bedtime are later than she’d like. Bree handles some evenings with the kids alone, while Tor works a second nighttime shift. She sums up their life in one word: chaotic. “As I’m running around, trying to be where I need to be, it’s anxiety-inducing. I don’t ever allow myself to stop and think about it all,” says Bree. “Otherwise, I’d be paralyzed by fear.” Unfortunately, the weekend doesn’t offer any respite from the juggle. Since Tor’s home, Bree picks up additional shifts at her old job, clocking in some Friday nights and most Sundays at McDonald’s. In total, Bree pays $768 a month in child care, compared with her monthly rent of $650—a situation that reflects a national trend: Child care for two children now costs more than rent in most parts of the United States, according to the Economic Policy Institute, an independent, nonprofit think tank in Washington, D.C. Says Bree, “I usually finish out the month with 60 bucks left over, if I’m lucky.”

  Parents Magazine June 1, 2020