Media clips

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• ‘A travesty and a disgrace’: Trump quietly issues memo that could abolish union rights for 750,000 federal workers

  Larry Mishel, distinguished fellow at the Economic Policy Institute, called the White House’s justification for ending collective bargaining rights at the Defense Department “atrocious.”

  Common Dreams March 2, 2020
• Missouri faces teacher shortage as wages, demands drive educators away

  The Economic Policy Institute published a report last year stating that, accounting for education and experience, educators’ weekly wages in 2018 were about 21% lower than those of their peers working in other fields. In 1996, that disparity was 6.3%. The report also showed that almost 60% of educators took a second position for additional pay.

  “It is not a market in the sense that other labor markets might be,” said Emma Garcia, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute. “It is a public-sector market in which the wages don’t adjust based on supply and demand.”

  Missouri Business Alert March 2, 2020
• Camden schools continue to wrestle with teacher vacancies

  The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) estimates the shortage could reach 200,000 by 2025. In 2018, it was roughly 110,000. The EPI links the declining figures to pay, working conditions, and the change of curriculum.

  Tap Into Camden March 2, 2020
• Number of striking workers surge in 2018-19

  “Even though we are 10 years into an economic recovery and the unemployment rate is under 4 percent, working people are still not seeing the kinds of robust wage growth that those at the top have seen for decades,” said Economic Policy Institute Policy Director Heidi Shierholz. “The increase in strike numbers shows that workers understand that joining together in collective action remains an effective way to raise wages and benefits, and improve working conditions.”

  Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council March 2, 2020
• 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