Media clips
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Teachers do enjoy more attractive benefit packages than other professionals, a study by the progressive-leaning think tank Economic Policy Institute found. But the EPI analysis also concluded that teachers are still paid less than what workers with similar skills and education levels make even when factoring in benefits. Public school teachers’ compensation (wages and benefits) were 11% lower than that of comparable workers in 2015, the EPI found. The wage gap increases to 17% when just comparing wages.
USA Today May 17, 2018 -
- Job prospects for college graduates are finally seeing an uptick, after 10 years of unfavorable employment conditions following the 2007 recession, the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) reports. But in gathering demographic data on young adults ages 21 to 24, EPI found that the economy still has a long way to go to reach the “high-pressure” economy of the late 1990s and 2000.
For young graduates, the unemployment rate hovers around 5.3%, more than a percentage point higher than the general unemployment rate. But the real issue for young graduates is the underemployment rate, currently at 11.1% — higher than it was in 2007 and “much higher” than it was in 2000, EPI reports. (whole story)
HR Drive May 17, 2018 -
A recent report by David Cooper of the Economic Policy Institute examines the comparative statistics on the two states. Besides job growth, on almost every measure, including the growth in wages and household income, reducing the wage gap between men and women, reducing poverty, expanding health insurance coverage, and economic growth, Minnesota outperforms Wisconsin. Cooper’s comparisons join previous ones (here, here, and here) but offer much more detail. … The Economic Policy Institute makes a compelling case that on practically all fronts Wisconsin has underperformed Minnesota over the past seven or eight years. The challenge is to make the next leap—to conclude that the cause is Governor Dayton’s more liberal policies. To his credit, Cooper acknowledges this limitation: “Precisely analyzing the causal impact of a particular policy requires sophisticated statistical methods … This report does not provide that level of causal analysis.”
Urban Milwaukee May 17, 2018 -
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and Minnesota’s Mark Dayton have pursued diametrically opposed labor policies since they took office in 2011—and the result, says a study released by the Economic Policy Institute May 8, it that “by virtually every metric, Minnesota’s economy has performed far better for working families.” The study found that the number of overall jobs had increased by 11% in Minnesota and 7.9% in Wisconsin, with most of the gains in the private sector, and that wages rose more in Minnesota at every level, especially for the bottom 20% of workers. The inflation-adjusted median wage for men in Wisconsin actually fell by 0.9% between 2010 and 2017, the EPI found, and Wisconsin also suffered “the largest decline in union membership of any state in that period.” The Walker administration’s agenda has been “centered on cutting taxes for the rich, shrinking government, and weakening unions,” EPI Senior Economic Analyst David Cooper said in a statement. “In contrast, Minnesota has enacted a slate of progressive priorities like raising the minimum wage, strengthening labor standards, and boosting public investments in infrastructure and education, financed through progressive taxes. The results could not be more clear.”
Labor Press May 17, 2018 -
The latest contribution to the debate comes from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a pro-labor think tank. On May 15, EPI released a reportfinding Uber drivers earn $11.77 an hour after Uber’s commission and expenses, and $10.87 an hour adjusted for the extra contributions that independent contractors make toward Medicare and social security. That puts Uber drivers solidly in the lowest fifth of American earners. “It’s more low wage than I thought, to tell you the truth,” said Lawrence Mishel, a labor economist and former EPI president who authored the report. “My sense is that taxi driving used to be an occupation that provided a very modest middle class income, and that just doesn’t seem to be the case any more.” (EPI cited throughout)
Quartz May 16, 2018 -
Maybe driving for Uber isn’t so profitable. For the drivers, at least. When accounting for the ride-sharing company’s commissions and fees, vehicle expenses and a modest health insurance package, Uber drivers end up earning just $9.21 in hourly wages, according to a new study from the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning nonprofit think tank based in Washington, D.C. A fellow at the EPI, Lawrence Mishel, analyzed data from a research paper on gender equity among Uber drivers, to calculate how much Uber drivers earn from passengers, versus how much money goes to Uber in the form of commissions. (whole story)
Market Watch May 16, 2018 -
A new study shows that Uber drivers make $9.21 an hour when calculated based on full-time, full-year employment. The figure puts Uber driver compensation below the poverty line for many families. The pay rate is based on estimates by the Economic Policy Group. Using the pay rate, 24/7 Wall St. estimates that a driver who works a 40-hour week for 50 weeks per year makes just below $18,420. The federal poverty level calculation puts household poverty income level for a household of two at $16,240 and a family of three at $20,420. Reviewing the figures, Economic Policy Institute (EPI) Distinguished Fellow Lawrence Mishel said: (whole story)
24/7 Wall St. May 16, 2018 -
You will probably not be surprised to learn that Uber drivers, who are classified as “independent contractors” and definitely not Uber’s employees, don’t make a ton of money. Just how much Uber drivers actually take home at the end of the day paid is up for debate, though: A March study by MIT researchers, which was contested by Uber, found that the median wage for an Uber or Lyft driver is just $3.37 an hour after accounting for fees and expenses. A more recent study by the Economic Policy Institute released on Tuesday, meanwhile, found that on average, Uber drivers make $9.21 an hour, after Uber’s fee and other expenses are taken into account. That’s lower than the minimum wage in several cities where Uber operates, including Seattle, San Francisco, and New York City, as the graph below shows. (whole story)
The Outline May 16, 2018 -
Uber no longer requires sexual harassment victims to sign confidentiality agreements for settlements
More than half of American workers have signed employment contracts that bar them from suing their employer for sexual harassment, gender or racial discrimination, according to a 2017 study from the Economic Policy Institute in Washington.
The Washington Post May 16, 2018 -
Forced arbitration has become increasingly commonplace in a variety of settings, including in financial services and in the workplace. The Economic Policy Institute estimates some 60 million American workers are subject to mandatory arbitration clauses in their jobs.
VOX May 16, 2018