Media clips
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The cost of child care tops college tuition in many states, according to a 2015 report from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a liberal think tank, as well as monthly rent. Corporate day-care centers would be ideal for many parents but are far and few between, so any relief would be a big help.
Bloomberg October 7, 2016 -
There are a few caveats that could result in tipped workers getting paid less than the minimum wage. An employer might not be aware of the law or purposely ignore it if they thought their employees didn’t know better. Economic Policy Institute (EPI) research found that 83.8 percent of the restaurants investigated between 2010 and 2012 violated the rule in some way or another. “In order to make sure that she’s getting at least the minimum wage, a tipped worker would have to keep track of all of her tips, add in her base wage, and then calculate her hourly wages for a given week,” EPI Media Relations Director Dan Crawford told InsideSources. “That’s a hard position to put someone in, and doesn’t reflect the realities of tipped work.” Crawford adds that an employee would then have to go to their employer and ask for them to make up the difference which could be a difficult position for them to be in. University of Connecticut Prof. William Alpert notes it’s uncommon and when it does happen it can be resolved through the Department of Labor.
Inside Sources October 7, 2016 -
“This has very little to do with the nature or future of work,” Lawrence Mishel, president of the Economic Policy Institute, told Bloomberg BNA of the report’s findings. He noted that the share of workers who designate themselves as self-employed in a monthly Labor Department survey has remained about the same over the last two decades… EPI’s Mishel said the new report appears to capture a wide range of workers, including small business operators and students who may pick up a little extra cash through babysitting gigs and similar jobs. He said he supports the Freelancers Union’s efforts to assist its members but wants lawmakers to focus on contingent workers who are relying on independent contractor arrangements for the bulk or all of their income. “The problems are real enough without having to aggrandize that everyone in the future is going to be a freelancer,” Mishel said. The EPI, which receives about a quarter of its funding from labor unions, is a think tank that says it is committed to including low- and middle-income workers’ needs in policy discussions.
Bloomberg BNA October 7, 2016 -
That wage gap begins after college graduation, when female workers with a college degree earn an average hourly wage of $16.58 compared to men of the same standing who earn $20.98 an hour, according to one study released in April by the Economic Policy Institute
The Christian Science Monitor October 7, 2016 -
Black residents make up the majority of D.C.’s unemployed population. According to the most recent analysis by the Economic Policy Institute, Washington, D.C. has the highest rate of black unemployment of any state in the country. It’s also four times higher than the rates of their white and Hispanic counterparts in the District. Conversely, the lowest black unemployment rate in the nation was in Virginia, at 6.7 percent.
WAMU October 6, 2016 -
Ross Eisenbrey, vice president of the Economic Policy Institute, told Bloomberg BNA Oct. 4 that bigger paychecks mean more money for workers to pump back into the economy. “We have society that is being hurt by inequality and this is a small step of remedying that,” Eisenbrey said. The EPI, which receives about a quarter of its funding from labor unions, is a think tank that says it is committed to including low-and middle-income workers’ needs in policy discussions.
Bloomberg BNA October 6, 2016 -
The report was led by the Roy Wilkins Center for Human Relations and Social Justice at the University of Minnesota, with a research team including the AFL-CIO’s chief economist, researchers at the union-supported Economic Policy Institute and economics professors from Rutgers and St. Cloud State University…Perry also criticized the report for not addressing the “porous economic boundaries” that easily allow consumers and businesses to hop from Minneapolis to Edina or Richfield. But Economic Policy Institute’s David Cooper, who worked on the report, said businesses in the most affected industries choose their location based more on access to customers. “So if they’ve already made the calculus that it’s worth the higher rent to be in the city, increasing their labor costs somewhat from a higher minimum wage is probably not going to be a big enough factor to influence their location,” Cooper said.
Minneapolis Star Tribune October 6, 2016 -
If you buy and sell stock, for example, you still have to pay capital gains taxes on your profits, even if you reinvest in a different stock. “But for a real estate developer, you can engage in a like-kind exchange,” explained Economic Policy Institute budget analyst Hunter Blair, “where you, through very broadly defined rules, get rid of one piece of real estate and get another piece of real estate. And even if you should have owed capital gains, those capital gains will be deferred indefinitely.”
Salon October 6, 2016 -
Lucky for him, Becerra is said to be a friend of ex-Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.), who is running Clinton’s transition effort. He also has backing from D.C.’s progressive wonks, like Economic Policy Institute President Larry Mishel. “I’m a huge fan … But I asked him to be on our board and he refused so I’m mad,” Mishel joked.
Washington Post October 5, 2016 -
“It’s really entered the debate in terms of economics,” says Elise Gould, senior economist at the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute in Washington. “There’s much more awareness than a decade ago, even though [income inequality] has been growing for three decades.” Additionally, she says, those movements have helped foment political action around what have been traditionally viewed as personal or family matters, like the high cost of childcare and untenable work schedules. “Families with children have been struggling for years,” Ms. Gould says. “It’s not a new problem, but they think ‘Oh, that’s just my problem.’ Public discourse now tells them it’s not just them, this affects millions of people. So that looks different, and it starts to seem ripe for a government solution.”… Gould argues there are still a lot of problems that need solving, and that even in the face of such reforms, many workers are falling behind. “The racial wage gap has honestly gotten worse,” she says. According to EPI’s research, the pay disparity between blacks and whites is the largest since 1979. “The gender gap is improving, but a lot of that is because men’s growth has been low.”
The Christian Science Monitor October 5, 2016