The minimum wage in 1968, after being adjusted for inflation, would be $11.62 in today’s dollars. But today’s federal minimum wage is just $7.25. That’s losing ground. In 1968, CEOs made just 20 times the salary of their average worker, according to the Economic Policy Institute. Today, according to the Institute for Policy Studies, it’s over 300 times. And while the top 1% of income earners’ share of the national income has nearly doubled since 1968, the number of Americans in poverty has increased by 60%.
CNN
April 10, 2018
According to the Economic Policy Institute: “While April 10th is the overall Equal Pay Day, the gaps for women of color are even larger. As compared to white men, women of color have to work even further into 2018 to make up for the wage deficit they experienced in 2017. Black women’s equal pay day is August 7th, Native American women’s equal pay day is September 27th, and Latina equal pay day doesn’t come until November 1st, almost an entire second year of working to equal typical white male wages in 2017.” (Includes EPD graphic)
UFCW
April 10, 2018
While the gender wage gap may be smaller now than it was some 50 years ago, the numbers show we’re not seeing steady progress. According to the Economic Policy Institute, progress in closing the wage gap stalled in the mid-1990s, and there’s no reason to believe it will go away on its own.
Bustle
April 10, 2018
At this point, we still don’t know for sure how much, cautions Jessica Schieder, a researcher at the Economic Policy Institute. We know it plays some role in women’s pay disparity, but it’s far from the only factor. In order to reach pay equality, we are going to have to also eradicate (conscious and unconscious) gender bias, make family leave fair and accessible, and fix the unequal division of labor at home. But even if sexual harassment is just one cause of the larger issue of gender inequality reflected by the magic mirror that is the wage gap, it’s nonetheless one we must contend with. At the end of the day, if you have a bedbug problem, you have to move past just lamenting the bites — you’ve got to get rid of every last one of the bugs.
Refinery29
April 10, 2018
Separate research by the Economic Policy Institute found that on average last year, women were paid 22 percent less than men, after controlling for race and ethnicity, education, age and location. The institute’s researchers argue the gaps can’t be explained away by saying women choose to work in low-paying jobs or that they need to pursue more advanced eduction. Women are paid less than male counterparts in almost every job category, even occupations traditionally held by women, according to the institute. The institute’s research also showed women losing ground on pay parity in Maryland. Its analysis of median wages showed women earned 87.6 percent of men’s wages in 2016 but only 84.2 percent last year. “You see a divergence,” which on the state level can result from local economic effects or shifts in job sectors, said Jessica Schieder, a research assistant. Nationally, she said, “we have continued to see some progress, including over the last year.”
The Baltimore Sun
April 10, 2018
VII. Dramatically expand Social Security (Valerie Wilson, Economic Policy Institute);
The Washington Post
April 9, 2018
In return for subsidies, local governments are promised an increase in jobs and economic prosperity. But that doesn’t always happen. A 2018 study by the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute found that the overall employment rates don’t change when Amazon opens a new warehouse in a city. Amazon, which has opened fulfillment centers in 25 states, disputes the group’s findings.
Business Insider
April 9, 2018
Images of Oklahoma teachers in the streets demanding pay raises and education funding, and of hotel workers and Hollywood celebrities fighting sexual harassment in the workplace may have cheered labor advocates. But a new study, released today by the Economic Policy Institute, offers a sobering reminder of the eroding bargaining power of U.S. workers. (whole story)
LA Progressive
April 9, 2018
Employees in low-wage workplaces, women and African-Americans are more likely to be subject to mandatory arbitration agreements in employment contracts than other groups, potentially limiting their access to the court system, a study released Friday by the Economic Policy Institute found. (Appears to be whole story)
Corporate Counsel
April 9, 2018
We’re confident King would have endorsed a push to build minority wealth in Kansas City, not just one-time cash grants and contracts.
▪ Jail reform. According to analysis from Economic Policy Institute, the share of African Americans nationally in prison or jail almost tripled between 1968 and 2016.
In 1968, African Americans were about 5.4 times as likely as whites to be in prison or jail. Today, African Americans are 6.4 times as likely as whites to be incarcerated.
The Kansas City Star
April 9, 2018