The political implications of USMCA remain to be seen and, since the final text of the agreement hasn’t yet been released, it’s hard to assess its full impact. But we already have a pretty good idea of what kind of relief it will supply for workers: not much. A report by economists Thea M. Lee and Robert E. Scott at the Economic Policy Institute concedes that USMCA is a big improvement from the 2017 version, but concludes that it ultimately adds up to “Band-Aids on a fundamentally flawed agreement and process.”
Truthout
December 19, 2019
In a new report, the progressive think tank Economic Policy Institute (EPI) found evidence that employers are increasingly brazen in seeking to obstruct workers’ attempts to unionize. Records of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which oversees private-sector labor rights and union elections, reveal that in more than 40% of the 3,260 union elections during 2016 and 2017, employers have been charged with unfair labor practices aimed at undermining electoral procedures and retaliating against pro-union workers.
Truthout
December 19, 2019
Somewhere between one-quarter and nearly one-half of private-sector workers are subject to noncompete agreements, employment provisions that ban workers from going to work for—or starting—a competing business within a certain time period after leaving a job, according to a study from the Economic Policy Institute. A 2014 survey found that 18 percent of workers were covered by the covenants.
SHRM
December 19, 2019
While we don’t know how the anti-union firm IRI Consultants is advising Google, its website advertises that it conducts “union vulnerability assessments” and has helped large companies persuade employees against union elections. Celine McNichols, labor counsel at the Economic Policy Institute and the author of a recent report on union busting, says that during ‘union vulnerability tests,’ consultants typically advise employers to monitor employee behavior and organizing. (Google workers have not formally announced a union drive.)
VICE
December 19, 2019
- Somewhere between 36 million and 129 million workers — nearly 28% to 46% of the private-sector workforce — are required to sign noncompete agreements, according to new research from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). This is up from just 18% in 2014, according to what the EPI called a “high-quality” study conducted by different researchers.
HR Dive
December 19, 2019
LINCOLN, Neb. – Nearly half of U.S. families have no retirement savings, according to a new Economic Policy Institute report. And the median balance for families that do have savings is far from what they’ll need.
Public News Service
December 19, 2019
[VIDEO] Many Americans are being left behind when it comes to saving for retirement. Almost half of people 55 and older have saved nothing, according to the Economic Policy Institute. CBS News business analyst Jill Schlesinger joins “CBS This Morning” to discuss how you can catch up financially.
CBS News
December 19, 2019
According to U.S. Census data, the percent of Americans ages 65 and older continues to increase. At the same time, a report from the Economic Policy Institute showed that, according to 2013 data, the median retirement savings of Americans ages 56-61 is only $17,000. We often expect pensions or programs like Social Security and Medicare will step in. But pension plans are rare these days, and Social Security is expected to face cuts starting in 2034, barring reform.
Forbes
December 17, 2019
Daily Kos
December 17, 2019
Progressive think tank the Economic Policy Institute found that Americans 56 to 61 had a median balance of $21,000 in their 401(k) accounts in 2016, which is the most up-to-date data on file. That total reflects almost 30 years of savings.
Equities.com
December 17, 2019