Ultimately, for all its limits, the CARES Act is “much more balanced than most things to come out of Congress,” said Josh Bivens, the research director at the Economic Policy Institute. “The real way that policy benefits the wealthy over everyone else is in the day-to-day grind of policymaking.” These benefits come in many forms, from laws limiting union power to the stagnant federal minimum wage to a tax code that has, remarkably, done little to offset the dramatic rise in income inequality in the U.S. over the last four decades. “When there’s less of a spotlight, then the people who have more resources to put on that pressure every single day, they just win those fights. There’s just not an apparatus of people waking up every day looking to fight for the economic interest of low- and middle-income workers.”
The New Republic
May 7, 2020
In San Francisco, an experienced director of communications might make $120,00 a year, which turns into about $80,400 cash in hand after state, local and federal taxes are factored in. The office is 15 miles away and an hour commute each way. That’s another $4,380 per year, using a cost-of-commuting calculator, and roughly 21 days spent each year driving to and from work. Housing for a couple, according to the Economic Policy Institute’s budget calculator, runs about $28,700.
Research by Rate
May 7, 2020
In the past six weeks, states have struggled to process over 33 million jobless claims, more than they typically see in a year. That figure does not capture those who have been unable to even file a claim due to bureaucratic hurdles — up to 14 million more, according to an Economic Policy Institute study released last week.
Reuters
May 7, 2020
Still, the job losses may be far worse than government figures indicate. And that might dictate how this downturn, unique and breathtaking in its severity, is tackled. A study by the Economic Policy Institute found that roughly 50 percent more people than counted as filing claims in a recent four-week period may have qualified for benefits but were stymied in applying or didn’t even try because they found the process too formidable.
Hunt Scanlon Media
May 7, 2020
The Indian workers allow investors and executives to expand stock values by shrinking payrolls for U.S. graduates. Most of the H-1B contract-workers are paid less than American graduates, according to a May report by the Economic Policy Institute.
Breitbart
May 7, 2020
“[Nurses] really are organizing to have a voice over life and death issues,” said Logan. Speaking generally of anti-union campaigns in the health care space, Logan said, “Hospital administrators still think that it’s appropriate to bring in outside consulting firms that cost millions of dollars.” Hospital anti-union campaigns can cost well over $1 million, a report from the Economic Policy Institute found last year.
The Intercept
May 7, 2020
Economists predict that the picture will grow even more dire Friday when the Department of Labor releases the first jobs report covering an entire month of shutdowns. Economists expect to see unemployment rates of 16 percent and record job losses of more than 20 million, said Heidi Shierholz, policy director at the Economic Policy Institute.
The Washington Post
May 7, 2020
While it’s impossible to ignore the vast disparity between what top execs are paid compared with the average employee — as much as 278 times more, according to a 2019 Economic Policy Institute report — Hollywood business manager Evan Bell cautions against assuming that the huge gulf means top execs won’t be hurt financially by forgoing salaries. “Some CEOs have lifestyles where they might have a lot of assets, but they need their cash flow,” he says. “It’s not only optics to everyone, but to some people it is.”
The Hollywood Reporter
May 7, 2020