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AFL-CIO veteran Thea Lee today was named the next president of the Economic Policy Institute. Lee worked for the AFL-CIO for two decades, most recently as President Richard Trumka’s chief of staff, before stepping down in May. She previously worked for EPI as an international economist from 1991 to 1997. “While we interviewed extremely qualified candidates, we unanimously selected Thea Lee, who will continue the EPI tradition of quality research focused on improving economic prosperity for everyone,” EPI board member Julianne Malveaux said in a statement. “She is well-suited to take EPI to another level, by expanding possibilities for our engagement with the states and using EPI’s work to help progressive organizers focus on important economic issues.” Lee will take over for current president Lawrence Mishel on Jan. 1, 2018. An EPI spokesman said Mishel will keep conducting research for the organization.
Politico Pro September 27, 2017 -
SIGN HERE: An Economic Policy Institute study out this morning illustrates the exponential growth of mandatory arbitration clauses in employment contracts. In 1992, the study says, about 2 percent of employment contracts required workers to submit disputes with the boss to arbitration rather than seek redress in the courts. Today, 55 percent include mandatory arbitration clauses, a trend that the study’s author, Alexander Colvin of Cornell, attributes to a series of favorable court rulings. “This trend has weakened the position of workers whose rights are violated, barring access to the courts for all types of legal claims,” Colvin writes, “including those based on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and the Fair Labor Standards Act.” The EPI report comes as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear oral arguments Monday in NLRB v. Murphy Oil, which addresses apparent discrepancies between the Federal Arbitration Act and the National Labor Relations Act regarding the legality of mandatory arbitration clauses. (SCOTUSblog has a good breakdown here.) Read the EPI report here.
Politico Pro September 27, 2017 -
The pay hike for Target employees follows Walmart’s decision last year to increase wages to at least $10 an hour. It also comes as the nation’s unemployment rate tightens and job vacancies continue to climb, making it harder for businesses to hang on to trained staffers. “The biggest piece of leverage an employee has is to say, ‘Look, I can quit and go to this other place,’ ” said Heidi Shierholz, senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute, a think tank in the District. “When that starts happening, employers have to raise wages.” (Heidi quoted throughout)
The Washington Post September 26, 2017 -
Using data from the Census Bureau’s report on income, poverty, and health coverage, the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) found that although the median household income for Native Americans increased 1.8% from 2015 to 2016, the “rate of poverty among Native Americans was nearly double the national average for all people and 1.7 times higher for children.” At $39,719, the median household income for Native Americans was just 69% of the national average. (EPI charts used)
Refinery29 September 26, 2017 -
Some analysts say the heart of the issue is how Uber sees itself as a company. Lawrence Mishel, president of the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute, told me the main issue is that Uber’s fundamental ethos is that it sees itself as above the rules. “It’s long been clear that Uber’s philosophy has been to be a corporate bully,” he said. “When Austin, Texas, required Uber to do more background checks on drivers, Uber pulled out of the city — and eventually came back after getting the Texas legislature to overrule the city,” Mishel said, referring the company’s sizable lobbying operation in the state.
VOX September 25, 2017 -
But the Trump administration is eliminating rules that federal agencies have shown help people and that companies have already spent money complying with, says Celine McNicholas, labor counsel at the Economic Policy Institute, a non-partisan think tank that represents low- and middle-income workers. “There has always been push-back” from any industry the government was trying to regulate, she said, but under the Trump administration, regulations themselves have “become a political weapon,” … The administration is cutting rules designed to make manual labor safer, while undercutting those aimed at increasing wages and benefits for the less wealthy. The Economic Policy Institute is closely tracking the impact of these changes.
Quartz September 22, 2017 -
These factors have undermined the influence employees have within their own companies. As a result, managers are more likely to reward themselves and their bosses—the shareholders—than the rank and file. A July report from the Economic Policy Institute found that the chief executive officers of America’s largest companies made an average of $15.6 million in compensation in 2016, or 271 times the annual average pay of ordinary workers. Although that gap has narrowed over the past few years, it’s still astronomically larger than the 20 times recorded in 1965. More broadly, studies have shown that the gains made in wages have often been skewed toward the top of the pay pyramid, which means those toiling at the bottom are even worse off than the general statistics show.
Bloomberg September 22, 2017 -
A former coalminer who becomes a successful developer deserves our respect and admiration. But the data suggests that relatively few will be able to follow their example. Our educational system has long been producing more programmers than the labor market can absorb. A study by the Economic Policy Institute found that the supply of American college graduates with computer science degrees is 50% greater than the number hired into the tech industry each year. For all the talk of a tech worker shortage, many qualified graduates simply can’t find jobs.
The Guardian September 22, 2017 -
What does the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet announcement mean for you? 3 key Fed meeting takeaways
Indeed, last week’s positive census report, which indicated rising wages, may have actually been a bit misleading, said Josh Bivens, an economist at the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute. “In my mind the strong earnings numbers we got from the Census Bureau, they fuzz up the picture,” Bivens said. “The inflation the Fed wants to avoid is the inflation is that happens when the economy is overheating, when workers really have the leverage and are demanding higher wages. We haven’t seen that dynamic in decades.” Falling or slowly rising prices in the short term is good for consumers, Bivens said, because if you’re spending less on gas or food, then that’s more money in your pocket. But in the longer term, prices rise when workers are earning the higher wages to support them, and that’s just not happening yet.
Mic September 21, 2017 -
Sherman points to research which shows workers in right-to-work states actually receive less pay. Studies have actually been fairly mixed when it comes to what impact right-to-work actually has on workers. The Economic Policy Institute found the policy results in decreased wages and benefits. The Heritage Foundation, however, found wages and benefits in right-to-work states aren’t actually less when you adjust for the cost of living.
Inside Sources September 21, 2017