Media clips
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Teachers—and other public sector employees—have always enjoyed better benefits compared to private sector peers. The Economic Policy Institute estimates that benefits, including health insurance, retirement pensions, and payroll taxes add up to about 27% of teachers’ total compensation, compared to 22% for other professionals.
Time April 12, 2018 -
Compared to other comparable professions, though, there has been a widening pay gap for public school teachers, a study by the Economic Policy Institute, a progressive, union-backed think tank, found. Public school teachers made an average of 17 percent less than similarly educated professionals in 2015, up from a 1.8 percent gap in 1994. The study found that, when adjusted for inflation, the average weekly wages of public school teachers decreased $30 per week from 1996 to 2015, while the weekly wages of all college graduates rose $124 per week during the same period. And experienced teachers have been the hardest hit — they had a 1.9 percent advantage over entry-level teachers in 1996 and a 17.8 percent penalty compared to entry-level teachers in 2015.
UPI April 12, 2018 -
The dramatic resurgence of the teacher pay issue specifically, says Lawrence Mishel of the Economic Policy Institute, has been simmering for some time. “You’re seeing two factors—the debasement of the teaching profession and the erosion of wages and benefits to the point where educators are rightfully angry,” says Mishel. “They’re determined to protect their families and their profession.” (Larry and Snapshot quoted throughout)
NEA Today April 12, 2018 -
“It would virtually be malpractice” for employer attorneys not to recommend the adoption of class action waivers if they’re approved by the justices, Sunu P. Chandy, legal director of the National Women’s Law Center, told an audience April 6 at an Economic Policy Institute event in Washington. EPI, which is supported principally by foundations and labor unions, identifies itself as a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank focused on addressing the needs of low- and middle-income workers in economic policy discussions.
Bloomberg BNA April 12, 2018 -
EPI president: U.S. must “develop and articulate its own long-term economic development strategy.” A Senate Finance subcommittee convened a hearing today to talk about barriers to market entryin China for foreign firms. Its guest list was ideologically diverse – some question President Trump’s tariff policies – but were still remarkably consistent about the need to respond to China’s state-directed mercantilism. “You cannot be a global company and ignore one fifth of the world’s population,” said Dean Garfield, president of the Information Technology Industry Council. Linda Dempsey of the National Association of Manufacturers called for a bilateral trade agreement between Washington and Beijing. Thea Lee, president of the Economic Policy Institute, pointed out that China makes no secrets about pursuing an aggressive long-term industrial policy to boost its economy, often at the expense of its trading partners. Then Lee said this: (includes excerpt of testimony)
Alliance for American Manufacturing April 12, 2018 -
Valerie Wilson, director of the Program on Race, Ethnicity and the Economy at the Economic Policy Institute, said a majority of those on assistance were already working — but that wages in many jobs remained too low for people to get by. “Work requirements are inconsistent with the realities of poverty in America and are unlikely to provide any resolution,” she said. “The truth is that a majority of poor people who can work, do work — more than 60 percent.” Wilson said low-wage workers are working more hours now that they did nearly 40 years ago. “The problem is that their jobs don’t pay enough,” she said. “People who are on public assistance and don’t work are not choosing between a six-figure salary or staying at home. Taking a low-paying job gets no one closer to economic stability.”
The Washington Post April 11, 2018 -
A 2012 research paper published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City said that women’s participation in the workforce was “more sensitive to the business cycle than that of men.” The idea is that when the economy gets worse, women’s contributions at home can be more valuable than their paychecks. Specifically, if wages go down and those paychecks get smaller, mothers might opt to stay at home to take care of their children rather than spend a huge chunk of their paycheck on child care.
However, the Great Recession turned this idea on its head. Out of the 8.7 million jobs wiped out between December 2007 and early 2010, about 6 million were held by men, according to the Economic Policy Institute. That’s 8.5 percent of the the total number of men’s jobs in the workforce. The 2.7 million jobs lost by women accounted for about 3.5 percent of their jobs.
Marketplace April 11, 2018 -
Today, April 10, marks Equal Pay Day — the date the average woman in America would need to work until in 2018 in order to earn what men were paid in 2017. According to Valerie Wilson, the director of the Economic Policy Institute’s Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy, “For African-American women, Equal Pay Day this year will come on August 7. For Hispanic women, it will come November 1.”
VOX April 11, 2018 -
So why do women earn less than men? As the Economic Policy Institute’s Elise Gould and Jessica Schieder note in a report, it’s impossible to “mansplain away.” Not only does the gap exists, but research points to a complicated mix of bias and occupational choices that create a pervasive cycle of lower earnings for women.
CBS Moneywatch April 11, 2018 -
The Economic Policy Institute, a Washington think tank that advocates for low- and middle-income workers, found in April 2017 that women are paid less than their male colleagues in almost every occupation, regardless of whether that occupation is traditionally held by men or women. The average wage for preschool and kindergarten teachers was $16.33 per hour for men, and $14.42 per hour for women. Male nurse practitioners made $42.74 an hour, compared to $37.50 per hour for female nurse practitioners. Male software developers made $38.98 an hour, while women software developers made an average $33.65 an hour. … There’s no silver bullet, says Jessica Schieder of the Economic Policy Institute, but an important tool in the fight for equal pay is transparency. “You can’t know you’re underpaid and have a problem until that information is available,” Schieder said. She also recommends collective bargaining, a higher minimum wage, and any other tools that give employees more power. The social taboo against talking about personal income, she says, is not helpful either.
Voice of America April 11, 2018