Media clips
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Many Americans have gone a long time without getting a raise — even as their cost of living has gone up. That’s left most with only one option to keep their heads above water: Work more. Average annual earnings for people in their prime working years (ages 25 to 54) increased 30.2% after inflation between 1979 and 2016, based on an analysis of datafrom the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit think tank that advocates for low-to-moderate income Americans. For the most part, however, that growth isn’t a reflection of higher hourly wages — instead it’s an indication that people are working more hours, researchers found. (whole story)
Market Watch February 23, 2018 -
Smith said public-sector unions have been a way into the middle class for many African American families, like hers. Janelle Jones, with the Economic Policy Institute, looked at median hourly wages for African Americans in government jobs. “So black women make $17.92 in the public sector, and $13.08 in the private sector,” she said. Jones said black men in government jobs also make more. If the Supreme Court rules against AFSCME, and the union can’t collect the non-member fee, it could undermine public-sector unions in 22 states, which would still have to represent everyone, whether they paid or not. “And so a weaker union is going to be less able to protect its workers, and the people who basically need the most protection are those who are usually discriminated against,” Jones said.
Marketplace February 23, 2018 -
For unions, it’s not about an individual union detractor’s free speech but about the necessary and lawful right of workers to free association. For rank-and-file workers, securing a well-managed collective-bargaining process is an issue of economic justice. The Economic Policy Institute points out that the public sector serves as a bulwark of economic stability and equity for black women, who make up 18 percent of public-sector employment. Weakening state collective-bargaining systems would basically weaken a 1.5 million-strong community of black women workers nationwide in schools and government agencies.
The Nation February 23, 2018 -
Labor unions and their supporters have also argued that the state workers are being used in a corporate scheme to undermine worker rights. The Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a progressive research nonprofit, tackled the issue Feb. 21 in a paper that allegedly found the case is a coordinated effort financed by wealthy donors. “This case is one of the most important cases to corporate interest groups,” EPI labor counsel Celine McNicholas, who authored the paper, said in a statement. “The outcome of Janus will affect millions of working people across the country and will impact the public services we depend on these workers to provide.”
Inside Sources February 23, 2018 -
The Economic Policy Institute released a report today detailing the network of conservative mega-donors supporting the Supreme Court case Janus v. AFSCME and previous cases attacking union “fair share” fees, the end of which could devastate organized labor in the U.S. The EPI report meticulously details the identities of the right-wing organizations directly funding the case, along with previous cases that have chipped away at fair share fees. Those fees are collected by unions from non-members who are nonetheless represented by the union—which means the union has to bargain collectively on their behalf, represent them in instances of abuse, and all the other good, worthwhile shit unions do that cost money. The fees are supposed to eliminate “free riders”: if you can get all the benefits of being in a union without paying dues, many people will choose to do just that. Fair share fees cannot be spent on union political activity. (whole story)
Splinter News February 22, 2018 -
Materials prepared for the Bradley board track Friedrichs and the cases leading up to it. A map from the pro-worker Economic Policy Institute is included to show states that allow fair share fees, annotated to show the potential monetary losses for unions at $500 million to $1 billion per year. Bradley staff quote “the leftist In These Times,” which characterized Friedrichs as a case “that could decimate public-sector unions.” … The Democratic Party is not the only loser in this scenario; real harm will be done to U.S. workers and their families. Following World War II, unions expanded dramatically, representing 35 percent of the workforce at their peak in the mid-1950s and helping to usher in an era of shared prosperity. According to the Economic Policy Institute, unionized workers make 20 percent more, on average, than other workers, but their ranks have shrunk to 6.5 percent of private-sector workers and 34.4 percent of public-sector workers in 2017. This decline has exactly tracked the decline of the American middle class.
In These Times February 22, 2018 -
Divided workforce: A report released today by the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute examines demographic trends bifurcating the labor market. “Workers seem to be increasingly separating into two groups: prime-age adults who are falling out of, or never get into, the labor market at all, and prime-age adults who are employed and working more hours,” the report reads. More women are entering the labor market as men exit, narrowing the gender hours gap. Black men without a college education in particular “are particularly disconnected from the labor market.” More here.
Politico Pro February 22, 2018 -
The Labor Department’s proposal would only make life more difficult for tipped workers. The Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank, estimates that the Labor Department’s proposal could result in a shift of $5.8 billion per year from workers to employers. The Labor Department completed its own economic analysis for the change, but those numbers have never been released to the public. Bloomberg Law, which uncovered the existence of the report, reported that the Labor Department analysis also showed a potential loss to workers of billions of dollars.
The Washington Post February 21, 2018 -
Yes, machines will almost certainly take over some jobs, but that doesn’t mean there will be fewer overall jobs in the U.S. economy. Heidi Shierholz, an economist at the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute, put it this way: “There will be people who get hurt by automation, but we have zero evidence it will actually reduce the overall number of jobs in the economy.” (Heidi quoted throughout)
The Washington Post February 21, 2018 -
THE CONSERVATIVE GROUPS FUNDING JANUS: A report released today by the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute traces funding by anti-union groups for Janus v. AFSCME , the public employee right-to-work case that could sharply reduce union funding. The plaintiff in the case, Illinois child-support specialist Mark Janus, is represented by the Liberty Justice Center, which is a legal arm of the free-market Illinois Policy Institute. The donors to both organizations include conservative groups such as Donors Trust, the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, the Ed Uihlein Family Foundation, Dunn’s Foundation for the Advancement of Right Thinking, and the Charles Koch Institute, according to the report. “Many of the organizations financing the legal challenges to workers’ rights have also been funding legislative battles focused on limiting workers’ rights,” write EPI’s Celine McNicholas, Zane Mokhiber and Marni von Wilpert. “How do these groups benefit by limiting workers’ rights? Anti-worker policies shift a greater share of economic gains to corporate players and away from ordinary workers. This is evident in the relationship between declining union membership and rising inequality. As union membership has fallen over the last few decades, the share of income going to the top 10 percent has steadily increased.” Read the EPI report here.
Politico Pro February 21, 2018