“It’s an absolute disgrace they would take advantage of a pandemic to frustrate workers’ ability to organize and get better representation for themselves so they’re not risking their lives to perform essential services,” said Celine McNicholas, government affairs director at the Economic Policy Institute (EPI).
According to a December 2019 EPI study, in over 40% of union organizing campaigns an employer violates the law.
“This is an extreme moment we’re in, but unfortunately this is the traditional employer playbook in opposing workers’ efforts to organize and collectively bargain for better pay and better health and safety provisions,” added McNicholas.
The Guardian
April 29, 2020
“The whole pandemic, I think, has laid bare all of the inadequacies of the US social safety net,” John Schmitt, the vice-president of the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, said. “A very basic thing every other advanced economy in the world guarantees workers is at least a minimum amount of paid sick days. The US does not have at the national level any laws like that.
“It’s hard for me to imagine that there won’t be significant support when the dust settles for state, local and federal legislation to address that incredibly longstanding policy failure,” he said.
There are two other areas where Schmitt predicted there would be strong demand for lasting change. One is unemployment insurance, currently a meagre patchwork of different state systems subject to minimum national standards.
The Guardian
April 29, 2020
An estimated 9.2 million workers likely lost health coverage sponsored by employers over the past month as workplaces shuttered due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, according to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). Spouses and family members are often covered by the same health plan, so millions more people have likely lost health coverage during this unprecedented public health crisis. Thanks to loss of income, even people who retain health insurance independent from employment are having trouble paying for it. As Truthout has reported, researchers estimate that 2 million people living without health insurance will be hospitalized for COVID-19, putting further strain on hospitals that have been overwhelmed by the crisis.
Truthout
April 29, 2020
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to force millions of employees to work from home, experts predict these flexible work options could be here to stay. And according to Elise Gould, senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute, these policies could have a positive benefit on working women, allowing them to “make a schedule around the other responsibilities they have.”
CNBC Make It spoke with Gould, along with several other experts, to discuss how long-term flexible work options could be a game changer for women at work and at home.
CNBC
April 29, 2020
A separate study from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), another left-leaning think tank, estimated that the figures dramatically undercounted the number of unemployed people because of the various clogs in the system.
The EPI study, based on survey data, found that in addition to those who successfully filed unemployment claims in April, an additional 36 percent couldn’t successfully complete the application and another 20 percent didn’t even try because it was too difficult.
“After accounting for these workers — who applied but could not get through or did not try because of the difficult process — about half of potential UI applicants are actually receiving benefits,” the study’s authors, Ben Zipperer and Elise Gould, wrote.
The Hill
April 29, 2020
Another study, from the progressive Economic Policy Institute (EPI) think tank, suggests that people 65+ are the least able to work remotely. It recently published a report saying that about 36% of employees ages 35 to 44 telework, while only roughly 25% of those 65 and older do. Roughly 32% of those age 45 to 64 work remotely. If those researchers are right, it means much of the experienced workforce is more vulnerable to the coronavirus on the job.
“Although some of these [older] workers are likely to be the ones who have been laid off or furloughed in recent days, many will remain out in the workforce, going to work, risking their own health and the health of their family members,” wrote Elise Gould, an EPI economist.
MarketWatch
April 29, 2020
Noguera currently serves on the board of the Economic Policy Institute, the National Equity Project, The Nation magazine and City Year Los Angeles.
Daily Trojan
April 29, 2020
Meanwhile, Stratton cited a study from the Economic Policy Institute that showed few black people have the luxury of living and working exclusively at home as Gov. J.B. Pritzker has ordered. It showed 80 percent of black workers nationwide have no choice but to go to work in person.
NPR
April 29, 2020
“This study validates the anecdotes and news reports we’re seeing about people having trouble filing for benefits they need and deserve,” the Economic Policy Institute’s Ben Zipperer told Reuters of the results.
Common Dreams
April 29, 2020