Last month, the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) projected that roughly 60,000 fewer Missouri residents would be covered by a union contract should voters approve right-to-work. Based on EPI’s research, the average worker in a right-to-work state makes 3.1 percent less on an hourly basis than in states without such a law
Consumer Affairs
August 8, 2018
Economic Policy Institute: “Union decline has exacerbated wage inequality in the United States by dampening the pay of nonunion workers as well as by eroding the share of workers directly benefitting from unionization.”
UFCW
August 8, 2018
The double whammy of gender and racial bias hits black women particularly hard. Today—more than seven months into 2018—is Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, which highlights that a black woman on average is just now earning what her white male counterpart earned in 2017. A body of research by the Economic Policy Institute shows that black women are consistently paid less than their white male counterparts, regardless of educational level, skill set, or occupation. And the pay gap between black women and white women is the fastest growing income disparity overall. The consequences of the pay gap go well beyond bank accounts, affecting the health, wealth potential, and motherhood experiences of both the women and their families.
Slate
August 8, 2018
To highlight that discrepancy, organizations including Equal Pay Today and Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In are promoting Tuesday, Aug. 7, as Black Women’s Equal Pay Day. Black women are only paid 63 cents for every dollar white men earn. Black women, on average, are paid 38 percent less than than white men and 21 percent less than white women. Pay disparities remain consistent across different levels of education, according to the Economic Policy Institute. That’s a big difference, especially when 80 percent of black mothers are the primary breadwinners for their families.
The Huffington Post
August 8, 2018
“It’s reflective of gender and racial discrimination that we know exists in the workplace and in terms of what opportunities are available to women of color,” said Valerie Wilson, the director of the Economic Policy Institute’s Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy.
Bloomberg News
August 8, 2018
According to a study by The Economic Policy Institute, union membership is one of the key factors that can help determine if black women are paid fairly for their work: “Black women have traditionally faced a double pay gap—a gender pay gap and a racial wage gap. EPI research has shown that black women are paid only 65 cents of the dollar that their white male counterparts are paid. However, unions help reduce these pay gaps. Working black women in unions are paid 94.9 percent of what their black male counterparts make, while nonunion black women are paid just 91 percent of their counterparts.”
UFCW
August 8, 2018
Thea Lee, the president of the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, said, “Just on a number of fronts, this is a silly claim.” (Thea quoted throughout)
PRI’s The World
August 8, 2018
Two Colorado counties are among those with the 10 highest top-to-bottom income ratio, according to a recent report from the Economic Policy Institute.
The report analyzes income inequality across 3,061 U.S. counties, 916 metropolitan areas and all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C. The report examines how the top 1 percent of people and the remaining 99 percent fared during 2015, the latest data available. (whole story)
9News
August 8, 2018
Economic inequality in the Berkshires is growing. According to a new report of the Economic Policy Institute, the wealth gap in the Berkshires is larger than the gap in the western Massachusetts’ three other counties. Studies by the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation confirm the EPI findings. Peter Taylor, President of the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, joined Carrie Saldo to shed light on both reports.
WGBY
August 8, 2018
Liberals and union groups view Tuesday’s vote in Missouri as an opportunity to begin reversing the momentum that has weakened unions to their low point in several decades. About 226,000 workers in Missouri are members of unions, or about 9 percent of the workforce, according to federal statistics. “We are seeing an attack on unions being sustained all over the place — the courts, private employers, the administration,” said Janelle Jones, an analyst at the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank. “This vote could represent the pendulum swinging back to workers and away from corporate interests.”
The Washington Post
August 7, 2018