Media clips

---

• PRO Act that threatens freelancers nationwide passes US House

  “The legislation is a critical step in restoring workers’ right to organize and bargain collectively. This fundamental right has been eroded for decades as employers exploit weaknesses in the current law and influence the government to weaken current protections’, said Celine McNicholas, Director of Government Affairs at the Economic Policy Institute.

  Small Business Trends March 2, 2020
• Charleston’s black men talk politics ahead of the South Carolina Primary

  Even so, the men suggest that the voter apathy has much to do with where people find themselves socioeconomically. Blacks make up a little more than 27 percent of the state population in South Carolina, but the unemployment rate is 5.2 percent, compared to 2.4 percent with whites, the Economic Policy Institute reports.

  BET March 2, 2020
• Health Care (TV Clip)

  Politics and Public Policy Today

  March 2, 2020
• Is Austin, Texas, the best city in America?

  Austin’s low cost of living adds to its appeal. There’s no personal income tax, and the city has more affordable housing than on the coasts, from which it pulls a lot of its transplants. According to the Economic Policy Institute’s family budget calculator, which factors in expenses like housing, food, transportation, and health care it costs about $3,197 per month for a single adult to live in Austin, while San Francisco — the most expensive city in the U.S. — costs $5,756 per month.

  Forbes March 2, 2020
• EPI (TV clips)

  Radio clip from Bloomberg Radio at 2020-02-21 13:25:14.000

  Washington Journal

  March 2, 2020
• Are Minnesota’s day-care costs really the highest in the nation?

  A 2017 study by the Economic Policy Institute found wage theft “causes many families to fall below the poverty line, and it increases workers’ reliance on public assistance, costing taxpayers money. Lost wages can hurt state and local economies, and it hurts other workers in affected industries by putting downward pressure on wages.”

  In examining the 10 most populous states, which hold a bit more than half the U.S. population, wage theft comes to more than $8 billion a year. “If the findings for these states are representative for the rest of the country, they suggest that the total wages stolen from workers due to minimum wage violations exceeds $15 billion each year,” the report said.

  Just how much is that? David Cooper, a senior analyst at the Economic Policy Institute and co-author of the report, told CNS that “when you look at the amount of wage theft that takes place, it’s significantly more than the value of property theft.” The report quotes FBI statistics from 2015 that show the combined value of money and property stolen in robberies, burglaries, larceny and motor vehicle theft in the United States was $12.7 billion.

  “The magnitude,” Cooper said, “is a lot larger than people think.”

  The Pilot March 2, 2020
• Democratic frontrunner Bernie Sanders releases plan for guaranteed ‘child care and pre-k for all’

  In a study released last month, the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) found that American families spend approximately $42 billion annually on child care for their children. That figure does not include the $34 billion spent by federal and state governments on child care support systems, services, and subsidies. According to EPI, parents of young children forgo $30 to 35 billion each year in income due to the high cost of early childhood care and education, a figure that translates into an estimated $4.2 billion in lost federal tax revenue.

  Common Dreams March 2, 2020
• Are Minnesota’s day-care costs really the highest in the nation?

  Minnesota is one of 33 states plus the District of Columbia where infant care is more expensive than annual tuition at a four-year public college ($11,226) and average rent ($11,137), according to the Economic Policy Institute.

  StarTribune March 2, 2020
• Letter: David Zuckerman: Why I support raising the minimum wage

  We have been living under a system of economic suppression for working people ever since the “trickle down” economics policy of the ’80s. The Reagan tax cuts for the wealthy were supposed to help the wealthy and then theoretically make the economy better for everyone down the line. However, since the ’80s, the wealthiest have seen their incomes increase, while the average working American has seen their income decrease. According to an August 2019 Economic Policy Institute Report, “Compensation for American chief executives increased by 940% from 1978 to 2018, while pay for the average worker rose by a miserable 12% over the same 40-year period.” This is the exact opposite of what was promised. This is also the exact opposite of what we should be striving to do. Hard working people should not be left behind.

  Bennington Banner March 2, 2020
• Here’s how the pay of CEOs of Minnesota’s biggest companies compares to their average workers

  CEO pay in the United States has ballooned in the last several decades, increasing roughly 940% from 1978 to 2018 at the nation’s 350 largest companies, adjusted for inflation, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a nonpartisan, think tank. Meanwhile, wages of the typical worker have grown 11.9%. Back in 1978, CEOs made about 30 times more than the average worker, a ratio that has exploded since then.

  Fairbault.com March 2, 2020