Media clips
-
Yet economists at the Economic Policy Institute, a left-of-center research organization, said that the government should try to drive unemployment even lower for minority groups, noting that they are not yet seeing robust wage gains and are still suffering an unemployment gap with white workers, for whom joblessness is just 3.4 percent. “A tighter labor market would disproportionately benefit black and Hispanic workers,” wrote the economists Valerie Wilson and Jessica Schieder.
The Washington Examiner August 6, 2018 -
The Washington-based Economic Policy Institute, which opposes right-to-work, found that wages in right-to-work states average 3.1 percent less than elsewhere after accounting for other workforce differences such as educational backgrounds, racial composition, the industrial makeup of employers and the cost of living. For someone earning $40,000 annually, that would mean $1,240 less per year. “By deliberately creating a ‘free-rider’ problem for unions, right-to-work starves unions and thus starves their ability to boost wages for workers,” said Heidi Shierholz, the institute’s senior economist and policy director.
The Associated Press August 6, 2018 -
Recently a study by the Economic Policy Institute found that average workers in right to work states make 3.1% less than those in non-right to work. … Her concerns are supported by recent research that show the wages of black women and other women of color are disproportionately hurt by the legislation. The EPI wrote: “The median black woman in neighboring RTW (right to work) states earns 6.2% less than her counterpart in Missouri, and the median Hispanic woman earns 12.7% less.”
The Guardian August 6, 2018 -
MISSOURI RIGHT-TO-WORK VOTE: Labor unions face a major test in Missouri this week as voters decide whether to ban the mandatory collection of so-called fair-share fees in private-sector workplaces. The issue of the fees — which unions collect from non-members to cover their portion of collective bargaining costs — will be on the ballot during a statewide primary Tuesday, David Lieb reports for The Associated Press.
The vote “could be a watershed moment for unions, if they can halt what has been a steady erosion of strength in states with historically deep-rooted support,” the AP reports. “If they lose that fight, Missouri will become the 28th state with a law that prohibits labor groups and employers from forcing workers to pay mandatory union fees.”
The Supreme Court dealt organized labor a heavy blow in June when it ruled in Janus v. AFSCME that public-sector unions could not charge non-members mandatory fees. Now, labor backers and opponents have turned their attention to Missouri. The AP reports that “even though union members comprised just 8.7 percent of Missouri’s workforce last year,” there’s been $20 million spent on the ballot initiative.
The left-leaning Economic Policy Institute projected in July that roughly 60,000 fewer Missourians would be covered by a union contract if voters approve a right-to-work law. According to EPI, the average worker in a right-to-work state makes 3.1 percent less in hourly wages than the average worker in a state without such a law. Read more from the AP here.
Politico Pro August 6, 2018 -
According to an analysis conducted the Economic Policy Institute, Proposition B will result in an increase of more than $1 billion in consumer buying power in Missouri by the time it is fully phased in, affecting over 670,000 workers. This growth in buying power will be among the lowest wage families.
St. Louis American August 6, 2018 -
Right to work is a measure meant to weaken unions by eliminating workers’ collective voices, and that’s exactly what it’s done in the 27 states that have already adopted right to work. In those states union participation is half (5 percent) of that of non right-to-work states, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a nonpartisan and not-for-profit think tank. Employees in right-to-work states earn 3 percent less than their counterparts and experience more workplace injuries. Plus, there’s no clear evidence the measure has led to the creation of jobs.
The Columbia Tribune August 6, 2018 -
Op-ed: For a glimpse of a right-to-work Missouri, look to its neighbors
The Missouri Times/Economic Policy Institute
The Missouri Times August 6, 2018 -
Productivity and wages: Cutting-edge work by the Economic Policy Institute has documented the split between productivity growth and median compensation, and the role of weakened worker bargaining power in this critically important dimension of inequality.
Washington Post August 6, 2018 -
But Josh Bivens of the Economic Policy Institute noted that productivity growth isn’t the only thing that’s low compared to the late ’90s. The rate of price growth is also low, which suggests too much labor market slack. The collapse of employer investment in worker training and the spread of absurd employer demands for college degrees in all sorts of occupations also both point to a labor market in which employers can still afford to be picky. The unemployment rate may be the same as it was in the ’90s, but labor force participation remains lower. Furman’s own CEA concluded the drop couldn’t be chalked up purely to demographics, and was partly driven by the poor post-2008 economy. It’s hard to square all this evidence with the idea that labor markets really are as tight now as they were in the late ’90s.
The Washington Post August 6, 2018 -
With more job opportunities should come higher wages. That link isn’t guaranteed, especially as overall wage growth has been tepid throughout the economic recovery. But in fact, less-educated workers not only enjoyed the fastest wage gains in 2017, they were the only cohort that received any wage gains at all, as college-educated workers actually saw their wages drop, according to an analysis from the Economic Policy Institute.
The Boston Globe August 6, 2018