Studies show that wage theft is a pernicious problem, depriving low-wage workers—most often women, immigrants, and people of color—of as much as $50 billion a year, according to the Economic Policy Institute. Just one kind of wage theft—minimum wage violations—cheated North Carolina workers out of $316 million in 2015, according to an EPI report.
Indy Week
June 18, 2019
ARBITRATION VS. CLASS ACTION — Economic Policy Institute has a new paper out looking at awards in class action cases against banks versus arbitration.
Politico
June 18, 2019
Low teacher pay has attracted much attention over the last year in the wave of teacher unrest, even gathering attention among Democratic presidential candidates. A recent report from The Economic Policy Institute shows teachers were paid lower than other college graduates in all states, and the teacher pay penalty in the U.S. is also large by international standards.
The Brookings Institution
June 18, 2019
According to the Economic Policy Institute, a non-profit think tank, the cost of infant care annually can range from $4,822 (Mississippi, where the median family income is $44,717) to $22,631 (Washington, D.C., where the median family income is $63,587).
Fox Business
June 18, 2019
- The Economic Policy Institute found that more than one in four black households have zero or negative net worth, compared to less than one in ten white families without wealth.
Bloomberg Tax
June 17, 2019
Meanwhile, drivers don’t just need to worry about ratings, because tips must also be considered. The Economic Policy Institute reported last month that Uber drivers earn $9.21 an hour after expenses (ridesharing blog Ridester’ssurvey placed this at a more generous $13.70) — hence the growing number of strikes and protests. Tips supplement this pay, and many drivers try to create the most advantageous environments possible for this, offering bottled water, USB chargers, and even snacks. The right selection of music also factors in.
OneZero
June 17, 2019
U.S. Census Bureau statistics show median earnings for workers of $26,059, according to the 2017 American Community Survey. Median earnings for workers in 2010 were $23,699, or a growth of about 1.42 percent a year. How many county residents have seen their bills increase by only 1.4 percent each year? The Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank, has stated wages would need to increase between 3.5 and 4 percent for average workers to feel an impact.
Observer Today
June 17, 2019
The public works bill will benefit Black men and women working in the construction industry in a multitude of ways. Although the legislation is not a union mandate, it creates increased opportunities for Black workers to earn higher wages, and in some cases join a union. A 2017 Economic Policy Institute study highlighted the benefits unions provide to Black workers, citing Black workers in the unionized sector make on average $5 more an hour than their nonunion counterparts. Additionally, Black workers are chronically underrepresented in the nonunion construction sector, representing only 18.8 percent of the total workforce, compared to 21.2 percent in the unionized construction workforce. Moreover, construction unions are continuing to make strides, nearly doubling the number of Black apprentices in their training programs over the past 20 years. The public works bill will serve to further increase opportunities for Black men and women in accessing higher paying jobs in the construction industry, as well as in the unionized construction trades.
Amsterdam News
June 17, 2019
In that study, according to the Economic Policy Institute, the CBO “estimated that raising the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 would have increased the hourly wages of 17 million workers by 14.5 percent, prompting employers to reduce employment by 500,000, or 2.9 percent of those directly affected workers. If these employment declines were spread out over the entire group—if all 17 million lost some hours but no workers were out of work for an entire year—all affected workers would be better off, working a little less (2.9 percent fewer hours) but enjoying an annual income increase of 11.6 percent.” (https://bit.ly/2WDOQqR)
Addison County Independent
June 17, 2019
“As women have been increasing their participation in the labor force and entering more occupations, so their pay rises,” said Elise Gould, senior economist at Economic Policy Institute, a think tank. “Often times you take the lower paid member of the household and they’re the ones that wind up being home. That speaks to the future labor outcomes for women.”
AM New York
June 17, 2019