The Economic Policy Institute, a Washington-based research nonprofit, said in a report released Saturday that Republican-controlled state legislatures increasingly use pre-emption laws to supersede local law. The institute cited 33 labor and employment pre-emption laws passed by state governments since 2010. … Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia have minimum wage rates above the U.S. minimum, according to Economic Policy Institute data.
The Associated Press
August 28, 2017
“As far as I can determine, it’s an empty threat,” Rob Scott, director of trade research for the Economic Policy Institute, told me, noting that the president has recently made other idle threats about military action against North Korea and not abiding by certain NATO requirements. “He’s generated a problem of credibility by making threats that he walks back.”
Vice News
August 28, 2017
A new report from the Economic Policy Institute takes a deep look at the role and importance of unions as the key avenue for working people to come together and negotiate for an expansion of their rights and freedoms. Here are nine things you need to know about the state of the labor movement in 2017. (whole story)
AFL-CIO Blog
August 28, 2017
The liberal-leaning Economic Policy Institute recently released a report that encouraged reform of the program over expansion. It cited instances in which the seasonal workers have been illegally underpaid or exploited.
CNN Money
August 25, 2017
Half of the jobs in America currently pay less than $18 an hour, according to Labor Department data. That’s about $37,000 a year if someone works full-time. Forty percent of jobs in the country pay less than $15.50, according to the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute. There’s always debate about what constitutes a “good-paying job,” but it’s notable that manufacturing jobs, which President Trump campaigned on bringing back, pay over $20.50 an hour, on average.
The Washington Post
August 25, 2017
You’ve heard the myth of the self-made man: If you cultivate a positive attitude and work hard, you can start out with nothing and still become the next billionaire. What’s more appealing than the belief in complete self-sufficiency? Yet, reality is otherwise. As a report by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) points out, American workers have always done better for themselves and their families when they join together in strong unions. It’s through collective bargaining that they have a voice on the job and greater control over their lives and their futures. “Through unions, people join together to strive for improvements at the place where they spend a large portion of their waking hours: work,” the report reads. (whole story)
AFSCME
August 25, 2017
A new report on the state of America’s unions offers a fresh look at who makes up the core of the labor movement — and it’s not the manufacturing base that Donald Trump has been courting. In a deep dive into unions published Thursday, the Economic Policy Institute puts a special focus on the role collective bargaining plays in the labor market. Over the last few decades, America has seen an uptick in productivity but a stagnation in wages for all but those at the very top — and the decline of collectively bargained union contracts is one reason U.S. workers’ earnings are being hollowed out, EPI said. (whole story)
New York Daily News
August 25, 2017
Breaking news: Unions are still very important. Labor Day is coming, and the Economic Policy Institute released a timely report on the status of the American labor movement Thursday morning. Among its findings: Two-thirds of workers ages 18-64 are women and people of color, and black workers are more likely to belong to a union: (whole story)
The New Republic
August 25, 2017
As the influence of U.S. labor unions has waned over the last half-century, inequality in American life has increased. Today, only 11% of American workers are covered by unions, which is a sharp contrast from the 1950s when a third of the U.S. workforce was unionized or in a job represented by a union, according to a new report released Thursday by the Economic Policy Institute, a think tank based in Washington, D.C. Unions have weakened in recent years thanks to corporate efforts to quash them and right-to-work legislation. (whole story)
Market Watch
August 24, 2017
Bend the trend: Reviving unionization in America
The Washington Post/Jared Bernstein
In advance of Labor Day, the Economic Policy Institute just released an important piece on the importance of unions as a force to push back on inequality, wage losses and a political system that fails to represent most Americans. I’ll get into some of the key points in a moment, but first there’s a tough contextual point to consider in this discussion. When I give talks about economic justice, I always, based on many of the facts in the EPI piece, refer to the importance of unions. There are clear, causal linkages between their diminished share of the workforce and the widespread loss of worker bargaining power. Although many heads nod in agreement, someone always raises their hand and asks, “Sure, but do you really think unions can come back? Isn’t fighting like crazy to slow their demise the best they can do?” (whole column)
The Washington Post
August 24, 2017