According to the Economic Policy Institute, the average cost for full-time childcare can range anywhere from $4,000 to $22,600 per year—far out of reach for most American families. A serious proposal—say, Elizabeth Warren’s actual plan to provide parents with affordable (and depending on your income, free) childcare by taxing the wealthiest Americans—must tackle the rising costs of childcare, at a time when wages are stagnant. (Warren’s proposal, in contrast to Ivanka’s, would cost about $70 billion per year.)
Jezebel
April 26, 2019
Arbitration cases have taken on increased significance in recent years because of added attention to worker disputes over sexual harassment in the workplace. A 2018 report by the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank, found that the share of workers subject to forced arbitration agreements has doubled in recent decades and now includes more than half the country’s workforce.
CNBC
April 26, 2019
More than half of U.S. workers have been forced to sign contracts with arbitration clauses, according to a study by the Economic Policy Institute. In private arbitration, the deck is stacked against the worker: The employer sets the rules and likely chooses the arbitrator. Studies show that workers win less frequently and receive lower awards in arbitration. Arbitrators report feeling pressure to rule in favor of the company that hired them. One study by the Social Science Research Network estimates that when workers sign forced arbitration clauses, 98 percent of legal claims that would’ve been brought in court never see the light of day. Forced arbitration makes it easier for unscrupulous corporations to get away with wage theft, sexual harassment and other misconduct.
Oregon Live
April 26, 2019
“It really doesn’t make any sense to bring in people for year-round, permanent jobs in a temporary status,” argues Daniel Costa, Director of Immigration Law and Policy Research, Economic Policy Institute. He says it’s not unheard of for farmers to bring in the same immigrant workers for 20 years or more, but they’re perpetually only visitors.
Marketplace
April 26, 2019
EPI’s Daniel Costa is featured at 6:58.
BBC
April 26, 2019
According to the Economic Policy Institute, when factoring in the value of stock options, CEO pay in 2017 averaged out to $13.3 million. Separate 2017 analysis by Institutional Shareholder Services determined average CEO pay at S&P 500 companies to be $13.6 million.
Waste Dive
April 26, 2019
Unscrupulous businesses stole an estimated $429 million in wages and overtime pay from Michigan workers between 2013 and 2015, impacting more than 2.8 million workers, according to an analysis by the Economic Policy Institute. Meanwhile, Michigan taxpayers are shortchanged $107 million a year in revenue through tax fraud when businesses misclassify workers, by reporting employees as self-employed independent contractors or paying them off the books as a way to avoid paying their fair share of taxes, a Michigan State University study found. According to the U.S. Treasury, the United States loses $45.6 billion every year because of payroll fraud, which affects one in five U.S. households.
Michigan.gov
April 26, 2019
Dr. Elise Gould, a senior researcher at the Washington, D.C.-based Economic Policy Institute (EPI) said research conducted by EPI experts, scholars and researchers corroborates the United Way findings.
Black Press USA
April 26, 2019
Taking Iran’s supplies out of the equation was bound to increase prices, despite what Pompeo and President Donald Trump have said, especially given that Venezuela’s oil supply is similarly sanctioned. This increase in oil prices will have an impact on economic growth in the United States, said Robert E. Scott, senior economist and director of trade and manufacturing policy research at the Economic Policy Institute.
ThinkProgress
April 26, 2019
Proponents of the current flat tax system argue that it’s the only “fair” system of taxation because it allegedly treats everyone the same. If that were true, then Illinois wouldn’t be ranked the “eighth most unequal” state in the nation, according to the Economic Policy Institute. We are one of only eight states in the country with a flat tax system. Perhaps there’s a reason for that.
Chicago Sun Times
April 26, 2019