In fact, that mom earning the minimum wage needs an hourly raise. Enacting the Democrats’ proposal of raising the minimum wage to $15 by 2024 would lift the pay of 7.6 million working moms — a third of working mothers, the Economic Policy Institute’s David Cooper has found. These women’s earnings account for two-thirds of their families’ income. Ignoring the policy is, thus, a missed opportunity to help working moms.
The Washington Post
May 11, 2018
Minnesota and Wisconsin have a lot in common in terms of geography, size and culture. But over the past seven years, they’ve taken drastically different political paths. A new report by the pro-labor Economic Policy Institute says Minnesota’s economic growth has far outpaced Wisconsin’s. Report author and EPI senior economic analyst David Cooper says the two states were fairly similar in politics and economics, until the last recession. Since then, Minnesota’s state government has raised taxes on the wealthy to finance investments, raised the minimum wage and accepted the Medicaid expansion. Cooper describes Wisconsin’s more conservative approach as, “Cutting taxes, weakening labor standards, not accepting the Medicaid expansion, rejecting federal funding for public investment.” (whole story)
Public News Service
May 11, 2018
Overall, the class of 2018 has better job prospects than the classes of 2009 to 2017, according to analysts from the Economic Policy Institute, but women and black applicants still face challenges.
Biz Woman
May 10, 2018
A worker covered by a union earns 13.2 percent more on average than someone with similar education, experience and responsibilities in a non-unionized job, a recent study from the Economic Policy Institute found. Still, union membership has halved since the early 1980s: Last year, 10.7 percent of American workers belonged to a union, compared with 20.1 percent in 1983.
The Washington Post
May 10, 2018
A 2017 study done by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) showed that 54% of workers being threatened with loss of their job if they voted to unionize. Additionally, the Workplace Democracy Act, like EFCA, would force companies to submit to mandatory arbitration if the union and the employer are unable to reach a first union contract after 90 days of bargaining. An analysis done by EPI showed that 37% of all new unions are unable to achieve a first contract within the first two years of bargaining, effectively leaving many unions toothless in enforcing workplace standards.
The Guardian
May 10, 2018
On average, a unionized worker makes 13.2% more than a non-union peer, according to data from the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute. In industries where organized labor is strong, unions help narrow gender and racial income disparities and also help raise wages across the entire sector. The bill also comes at a time when unions are once again under siege, with the Supreme Court preparing to rule on a case that could permanently cripple organized labor.
Splinter News
May 10, 2018
State education officials in Arizona threatened last month to revoke teaching certifications should educators move forward with their planned strike—exactly the type of threat Sanders, as well as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) hope to outlaw with the Workplace Democracy Act. According to the Economic Policy Institute, 54 percent of workers in 2017 said they had been threatened with firing should they vote to unionize.
Common Dreams
May 10, 2018
A new report from the Economic Policy Institute takes as look at the old Wisconsin-Minnesota rivalry from an economics angle. Spoiler alert: Wisconsin is worse off by almost every measure, including wage growth, job growth and healthcare. We discuss the impact of public policy on the economy and compare the economic effects of Minnesota Governor Mark Brown’s policies to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s. (Interview with Dave)
Wisconsin Public Radio
May 10, 2018
Gov. Scott Walker likes to ding Illinois for its fiscal woes. But you don’t hear him saying much about Minnesota. A new report suggests a reason: Minnesota has been outperforming Wisconsin on nearly every economic front. The report from the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning pro-labor think tank, looked at the economies of the Badger and Gopher states since the 2010 elections of Walker and Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton, a progressive Democrat. It showed that Minnesota outpaced Wisconsin in jobs, wages, health insurance, poverty and other factors. (whole story)
The Cap Times
May 10, 2018
His plan was outright heresy to Chamber of Commerce types: raising the minimum wage and taxes on the wealthy, expanding sick leave, and hiking aid for education and health care. These were ideas thought to ensure that skies fell and commerce would take flight. Seven years later, the results are in. If this had been a baseball game between Wisconsin and Minnesota, Dayton would have won 12-0. And thrown a no-hitter. That’s the finding of the Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan D.C. think tank that specializes in examining the economy’s impact on working people. (whole story)
City Pages
May 10, 2018