According to a 2017 poll by Gallup, labor unions are more popular among Americans now than at any point in the last 14 years. Sixty-one percent of adults surveyed said they support unions. An analysis by the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning group, found that unions saw a boost in membership in 2017 of 262,000 people. Three-quarters of the increase was among workers under the age of 35.
The Philadelphia Tribune
June 28, 2018
According to Celine McNicholas, director of labor law and policy at the Economic Policy Institute, “the Court elevated the objections of a minority over the democratically determined choices of the majority of workers and prohibited state and local government workers from negotiating collective bargaining agreements with fair share fee arrangements.”
Common Dreams
June 28, 2018
Millennials have comprised a lot of recent gains in union representation across the workforce, according to a February 2018 report from The Nation. The millennial union workforce grew by 198,000 in 2017, which offset a drop in older workers in the same period (workers age 45 to 54 dropped by some 75,000 in 2017). Moreover, according to a 2017 report from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), the value of unionization can be critical to workers’ rights — especially for women and people of color. As of 2016, the report states, roughly 10.6 million of the 16.3 million workers covered by a union contract are women and/or people of color. That’s a massive chunk of the working population to be affected by this new fundraising quandary. As the EPI report simply states, unions exist to provide “working people who are not executives or company owners with an opportunity to get their voices heard in policy debates that shape their lives.” Just the same as managers, business owners, and CEOs organize to advocate for their economic interests. (EPI cited throughout)
Elite Daily
June 28, 2018
Analysts and labor experts said the decision will have a disproportionate impact on black workers, particularly female. “While the outcome of the case will affect about 17 million public-sector workers across the country, black women in particular could be hurt by Janus, as they are disproportionately represented in public sector jobs,” said the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) before the ruling. “They make up 17.7 percent of public-sector workers, or about 1.5 million workers.”
Chicago Crusader
June 28, 2018
For more information about Janus and “fair share” fees, check out the Economic Policy Institute’s explainer.
ColorLines
June 28, 2018
A lot is at stake for labor unions nationwide if AFSCME loses, said Celine McNicholas, director of labor law and policy at the progressive Economic Policy Institute. “Unions will still be required to represent everyone in the collective bargaining unit, regardless of whether a worker is paying that “fair share” fee or not,” said McNicholas. “This is going to make effective collective bargaining very difficult for unions that are going to be asked to do the same with fewer resources — potentially dramatically fewer resources.”
Marketplace
June 27, 2018
Receipts are up too. But more broadly, the economic impact is limited. The Economic Policy Institute notes that receipts at nonemployer establishments account for a scant 3.1% of all business revenue in the U.S. “This indicates that the growth of nonemployer establishments seems to reflect the growth of self-employed individuals…operating unincorporated businesses that generate very little revenue,” the EPI’s Lawrence Mishel and Julia Wolfe write.
The Wall Street Journal
June 22, 2018
This has impacts across generations. A recent report by the Economic Policy Institute found that by the age of 14, approximately 25 percent of African American children have experienced a parent — in most cases a father — being imprisoned for some period of time. The “evidence is overwhelming that the unjustified incarceration of African American fathers (and, increasingly, mothers as well) is an important cause of the lowered performance of their children,“ the report concludes. For example, children of incarcerated parents are more likely to misbehave at or even drop out of school, develop learning disabilities, and to suffer from migraines, asthma, high cholesterol, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and homelessness.
Common Dreams
June 21, 2018
Harrison said she expects that the negative effects of the proposal will be more “severe” in the District because residents of the city pay more on average for basic necessities than most other Americans. A 2015 study by the Economic Policy Institute found that the District is the most expensive place to raise a family in the United States.
The Washington Post
June 20, 2018