Media clips
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Recent figures from the Economic Policy Institute reveal that, despite the state’s overall economic recovery, things are still tight for many residents in Southern California. A family of two adults and two children in L.A. County, for example, needs to earn $92,295 a year to meet all of its living expenses, according to the institute’s Family Budget Calculator. That far outstrips the county’s median family income of $66,203 per year.
The Orange County Register July 9, 2018 -
Hispanic people now make up nearly 20% of the U.S. population, but compared to their white counterparts, they are still largely disadvantaged when it comes to wages. Since 2000, the wage gap between Hispanic workers and their peers has remained practically unchanged: Hispanic men working full time made 14.9% less in hourly wages in 2016 compared to white men (compared to 17.8% in 2000) and Hispanic women made 33.1% less than white counterparts (compared to 35.1% in 2000). The gap varies largely within the Hispanic community depending on a number of factors, Marie Mora, co-author on the study and professor of economics at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley said. (Marie quoted throughout)
MarketWatch July 6, 2018 -
Richard Rothstein, a former New York Times national education writer and senior fellow emeritus at the Economic Policy Institute who wrote “The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America,” has written extensively about why affirmative action based on race remains important, especially for African Americans. He takes issue with those who have supported “color-blind” affirmative action that relies on socioeconomics. In 2014, he wrote (and you can read the entire piece here):
The Washington Post July 5, 2018 -
The promised economic boom never materialized in the other GOP-controlled states, either. According to an analysis by the Economic Policy Institute, Wisconsin’s economy under Governor Walker underperformed neighboring Minnesota’s “by virtually every available measure,” including jobs, wages, and economic growth. In a study of Wisconsin and Kansas, Oklahoma State University economics professors Dan Rickman and Hongbo Wang found that, “[r]ather than spur growth…the experiments in fiscal austerity harmed the state economies.” In a yet-to-be-published follow-up comparing states that cut taxes between 2011 and 2016 (Kansas, Wisconsin, Maine, and Ohio) with two that raised them (California and Minnesota), Rickman and Wang found that virtually all of the tax-cutting states saw things decline. Conversely, the economies of states that raised taxes either weren’t hurt or showed improvement.
The Nation July 5, 2018 -
Moving usually isn’t cheap, and moving to a big city where the cost of living will trend higher can be intimidating. So, we’ve ranked Monster’s mid-year jobs report highlighting the top 10 hiring cities by cost of living. Monster’s list showcases which cities on its platform have the most job listings available; to give you an understanding of what it would actually be like to live there, we pulled figures from the Economic Policy Institute’s Family Budget Calculator. EPI’s calculator measures the income a family needs “in order to attain a modest yet adequate standard of living.” They calculate the cost of transportation, housing, food, “other necessities” (which include apparel, personal care, household supplies), and more. We pulled the numbers for a single person with no children — but you can fiddle with it to see what that might be for a two-family household, one parent and one child, and so on.
Refinery 29 July 5, 2018 -
As of Sunday, minimum-wage workers in two states, the District of Columbia and 15 cities and counties were earning more due to scheduled increases passed through legislation or ballot measures. “As inflation has eaten away at the federal minimum wage’s value, many states, cities, and counties have stepped up to protect the workers in their jurisdictions,” David Cooper, senior economic analyst at the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), said in a statement. (Dave quoted throughout)
CBS Moneywatch July 3, 2018 -
The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) reported that in Oregon, the minimum wage rose from $10.25 to $10.75, from $10.00 to $10.50 in rural areas and from $11.25 to $12.00 an hour inside the Portland Urban Growth Boundary. In Maryland, the minimum wage rose to $10.10, and in the District of Columbia, it rose to $13.25. Of the 15 cities and counties where wage increases went into effect this morning, 11 are in California. The city of Emeryville in the East Bay Area now has the highest minimum wage in the United States at $15.69 an hour for businesses with at least 56 employees. The state of Washington raised its state minimum wage to $11.50 an hour beginning January 1, 2018, and that remains the highest state-mandated rate in the country. (EPI cited throughout)
24/7 Wall St. July 3, 2018 -
MINIMUM WAGE HIKES: The minimum wage increased in 18 states and localities on July 1, according to a handy compilation by the conservative Employment Policies Institute (not to be confused with the liberal Economic Policy Institute). Maryland saw the minimum wage rise to $10.10, up from $9.25; Oregon to $10.75, up from $10.25; and Washington, D.C., to $13.25, up from $12.50. Other notable increases included San Francisco (to $15 from $14); Los Angeles (to $13.25 from $12); Chicago (to $12 from $11); and Minneapolis (to $11.25 from $10). Read the full list here.
Politico July 3, 2018 -
Other researchers have also found that app-based drivers make low wages. A study earlier this year by the liberal Economic Policy Institute, relying on data released by Uber, showed that the company’s drivers make about $11.77 per hour on average nationally, after deducting Uber’s share and vehicle expenses.
The New York Times July 3, 2018 -
“Employers feel safer if the intern receives course credit—even though it’s the student, rather than the employer, who pays for those credits,” said Ross Eisenbrey, distinguished fellow at the Economic Policy Institute.
The Wall Street Journal July 3, 2018
